Now that Sen. Max Baucus has been given the president’s nod to ship off to China as our next ambassador, Montana is in a unique situation and one that does not happen very often. Montana’s soon-to-be placeholder senator will be the 60th senator in history to fill a seat in the upper chamber, without having […]

I empathize with David Tyler’s concerns about the costs of waging war on climate change and the possible impact on low-income earners (Jan. 22 Beacon: “Global Warming: Is It Really That Important?”). However, if we do nothing about climate change and simply kick the can down the road, the costs to us all will be […]

Is it any wonder many of us are losing faith in government? Some of us are old enough to remember when presidents and congressmen in both parties were statesmen and could work together for the welfare of the nation rather than the Party. Our people are being victimized by dirty back-room politics in Washington, where […]

Will the growing dysfunction of America’s two-party political system destroy our collective future? Can we meet the evolving challenges of today’s economic and social landscape with a system that resembles trench warfare? We begin the 2014 election season bitterly divided by party ideology, while frustrated with government’s failure to develop practical solutions for today’s challenges. […]

So what’s happened to the tea party movement some five years after the financial crises of 2008? It seems to me the tea party arose as a grassroots movement after the financial meltdown and subsequent U.S. government bailout. Basically, the American taxpayers had to rescue, in many cases, the very same people who almost brought […]

I have been observing the “back and forth” between the two sides over global warming and I realize that this is more than a “facts fight” – this is an ideological battle between the Left and the Right. I have my own comment and I feel educated enough to speak for the low-income earners who […]

Any news article that mentions or proposes some form of wood harvesting from forests these days tends to draw out many opinions regarding what is good or bad for the forest. Words and concepts such as ecology, biodiversity, sustainability, science, and conservation are often used to oppose industrialism, greed, pollution, global warming, erosion and environmental […]

A recent editorial indicates that there may be quite a differential between Flathead and Kootenai National Forest policies regarding the work of collaborative groups. Noting that the Flathead National Forest’s team leader for forest planning remarked that the consensus reached by the Whitefish Range Partnership was commendable and that their recommendations “will be given a […]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is wasting $10 million dollars trying to apply a crop-based biomass utilization model to our rugged and remote national forests! While Cool Planet Energy Systems’ turning of farm waste into gasoline and biochar may have merit, it does not apply well to dead trees on remote public lands. In a […]

Great article on Brock Osweiler and players in the NFL (Dec. 25 Beacon: “Land of Oz”). As a long time NFL fan, I noticed one key player missing from your list of Montanans in the NFL: Sam McCullum. He was a 1970 graduate of Flathead High School who played on the Flathead basketball state champion […]

I have been attending meetings and following the Whitefish City Hall and Parking Garage project for the past few years as the issue has been at the forefront of council business. This project will be important for the business and character of downtown Whitefish and deserves the attention it has received. As we all know, […]

The American people are becoming increasingly disenchanted with their government. Recent polls indicate the greatest dissatisfaction rate ever. Stupid laws, excessive regulation, exorbitant taxes, wasteful spending, immoral behavior by our leaders and corruption at all levels suggest to me either a high level of incompetence or else our elected officials are under the control of […]

When the state of Washington announced they were taking the unheard-of step of including Montana mines and transportation networks in the scope of an environmental analysis related to a costal port in Washington, a lot of Montana industries took notice. The move was designed to undermine coal mining in Montana, but the precedent it would […]

Allen Chrisman’s letter (Dec. 18 Beacon: “Work Collaboratively on Forest Plan”) defending the Flathead National Forest from criticism by Keith Hammer asserts that “The Forest Service made no commitment to the Whitefish Range Partnership that they would adopt our recommendation intact.” That’s correct — but Hammer never alleged such a commitment. He merely argued that […]

As a Constitutional Conservative, I find the Tea Party Express endorsement of Congressman Steve Daines for U.S. Senate openly hypocritical. The Tea Party Express claims “six simple principles” as part of their mission statement: • No more bailouts • Reduce the size and intrusiveness of government • Stop raising our taxes • Repeal Obamacare • […]