In 2011 the Legislature passed SB 426, sponsored by Bozeman Sen. Joe Balyeat. This referendum now goes to the citizens for a vote in the general election next November. That is unless the unions have their way. Legislative Referendum 123 (SB426) would create the Treasure State Taxpayer Dividend Program allowing taxpayers a refund of some […]

I agree with those who say good teachers, not physical facilities, are the most important factor in a quality education. But when kids in some Whitefish High School classrooms are sitting with their coats on, wastewater gurgles up in floor pipes, and rain drips through the roof, that’s ridiculous. Our kids will learn better in […]

As an American, I believe in America. If you pay attention to the reality of what is happening on a worldwide scale, you will see that many of our American young people are being pushed out by foreign entities. As a nation we have failed to see the importance of staying on the cutting edge […]

Contemplating running again for the Montana House of Representatives, I wrote a letter to Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. In this letter I wrote, in part: “I am proud to have signed the Americans for Tax Reform’s pledge several times in the past. But presently I am in a quandary and not […]

The government is a zero sum game. The government cannot create wealth, it can only redistribute it. That means for every person that receives something from the government someone else loses. This may seem well intended sometimes. but it always hurts the ones in the most need. Look at the Indian reservations and the inner […]

I don’t mind saying that we’re in the “Dawg House.” Our family was transferred from Texas to the Flathead Valley last June. Prior to our move, I spent a week here driving the valley wondering where we were going to settle. My husband works on Reserve in Kalispell, leaving north Kalispell and Whitefish our options. […]

Last October, according to CBS News, President Barack Obama described the Occupy Wall Street movement as a reflection of a “broad-based frustration about how our financial system work”’ and pledged to continue fighting to protect American consumers. CBS News went on to report that “the president, speaking at a press conference, said he had heard […]

As a Montanan who has worked near the international Border for more than 20 years, Rep. Denny Rehberg’s H.R. 1505, The National Security and Federal Lands Protection Act, leaves me scratching my head. What is he thinking? The bill, which Rehberg co-sponsored, would hand sweeping powers to the Department of Homeland Security and the Border […]

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s recent statements about Keystone XL display a blatant disregard for the facts about the Keystone XL pipeline and tar sands oil. In Montana the pipeline would cross significant portions of the Missouri and Yellowstone River drainages, posing an unacceptable risk to our communities, fisheries and agriculture. The risks of expanding this […]

Well, it seems like the fat lady has sung and 2011 won’t be the year that Montana finally breaks through the old timber war political log jams. Regrettably, we will have to wait until at least next year to see Sen. Jon Tester’s forest bill become law. Unfortunately, we have our lone congressman to thank […]

This Jesus statue business is such a shame. An outside group from Wisconsin is creating hoopla over a memorial to our Montana WWII veterans? What business do they have coming to Montana and telling us what to do? Thank God we have a congressman with a backbone who will stand up and fight for our […]

Much of the problem with the U.S. economy is that the Federal government has too much power. It has the ability to choose the winners and losers in the market place, and as we witnessed in Libya, in the international arena as well. This is the reason corporations and other special interest groups, like unions, […]

With 15 million Americans out of work, record home foreclosures, the largest number on food stamps and 25 percent of our school children living below poverty level, one might think it’s a good time to end foreign aid and instead concern ourselves with our own country. But no, foreign aid has become such an ingrained […]

Jesus of Nazareth is recognized worldwide among scholars, historians, archaeologists, even Muslims, Hindus, and Jews. His existence is indisputable, even by Dan Brown. So, one might ask, “What ‘religious law’ is established by a statue of this historical man resting on public property?” What about the memory of this man needs so desperately to be […]

The new ruling by the Montana Public Service Commission purportedly clarifies how “nonprofit” taxi services must operate and these new regulations will affect the services provided, free of charge, by the Ride Guy in Whitefish. The Ride Guy is a group of dedicated volunteers that seek to reduce to zero the number of people driving […]