It has become traditional for the president of our country to get around the law making power of Congress be issuing. “Executive Orders.” Why this function has not been challenged by Congress or the Supreme Court is a mystery for me, but it gives powers to the president not provided in our Constitution and should […]

There is a lot of misinformation being bantered about concerning H.R. 1581, the Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act of 2011. Contrary to what opponents may have you believe, the bill – which is now being considered in Congress – wouldn’t open 43 million acres of public land to interests that would decimate it. The […]

I am the President of the Network of Environmentally Consicous Organizations and I am writing on behalf of our organization. We were a key sponsor of the 2012 Rocky Mountain Powershift Conference. At Montana State University, we work to promote sustainable living on campus including responsible use of natural resources, community development and fiscal responsibility. […]

A major portion of the budget surplus of the state of Montana should be used to repair roads. The sorry state of many roads cause damage that in total possibly exceeds the amount of the surplus. Cooperation between municipalities and the state could develop a workable plan where cost sharing would benefit everyone. The readers […]

Despite tough economic times of late, Montanans should take heart in an emerging success story: our track record of producing successful wind energy projects. The wind farm in Judith Gap has provided a much-needed economic boost to this rural area in our state, as well as five other large and small wind-harvesting projects active around […]

We wanted to write to clarify the current discussion about the proposal currently before the voters for the Whitefish High School, and specifically discuss the $7 million approach that has become part of the discourse. We did not present the $7 million alternative to the community’s planning group. It arose in response to a question […]

It’s been about 30 years since Montana has had any new federally designated wilderness. In my view that is not necessarily bad. Wilderness has its place, but so do forest management activities and the production of wood products. From my experience, though, if there is any place in our state that seems appropriate for wilderness […]

Despite the city’s official website that states Whitefish is a “rapidly growing retirement/resort community,” the town remains “special” largely as a result that families, small businesses and dogs are welcome. Unlike the resort destinations of Vail or Jackson Hole, Whitefish is a town where local people can still work, play and live. As it has […]

Nationally and locally collective bargaining is being attacked. For several years organized labor groups have been quietly dismantled, internally and externally. Recently state legislators have waged war on organized labor across this nation. The American Dream is becoming out of reach when organized labor and collective bargaining can no longer have a voice for the […]

A woman called me asking for a man I had never heard of. She said she was from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and was calling to get a count of the man’s hunt (i.e., how many had he killed). Since I had her on the line I asked her to explain and she told […]

The controversy over the recent killing of Anwar al-Awlaki by drone strike illustrates a serious problem for our country in its dealings with the rest of the world. Our goody-two-shoes approach to conflicts is being used to our great disadvantage by our enemies. Civil libertarians and human-rights activists would have us conduct due process before […]

Recently Rep. Jerry O’Neil described his “quandary,” with the tax reform pledge. In this letter, he voiced his opposition to tax incentives for renewable energy. Interestingly enough, I read last week that these tax incentives led to the historic power purchase agreement between Flathead Electric and Stoltze Lumber, adding power from biomass technology into the […]

I have been following the issue of building a new high school in Whitefish. I, along with my wife, have been part-time residents of Whitefish for almost 20 years. Our permanent residence is in Claremont, Calif. We were pleased to see the support of a new high school by the city council. Although we can’t […]

I have a question. Sen. Jon Tester is constantly running around the state, stepping in front of cameras to give well deserved medals to our veterans, but where was he on the Big Mountain Jesus statue? The Knights of Columbus needed him to support their efforts to fight the Wisconsin atheists. Why didn’t Tester step […]

I am writing today to comment about the Whitefish Jesus Statue, sitting on land owned by all Americans. I find it curious that Christians, and in this case Catholics in particular, want to have things both ways. First they want to violate the First Amendment to the Constitution by keeping the Jesus statue on federal […]