When I examine the first five years of the Obama presidency, I see huge government outlays for food stamps; unemployment compensation; subsidies for crony corporations; bailouts for multinational banks; the creation of even more bureaucracies; a continued outpouring of foreign aid; and, finally, the introduction of his signature accomplishment: Obamacare. This final extravagance will make […]

We’ve seen a lot of handwringing over coal trains lately. But frankly, railroads are an essential part of Montana’s growth, more now than probably since the first tracks were laid in the state more than 100 years ago. Whether coal trains, grain trains, lumber trains, or oil trains – it’s all good for Montana. It’s […]

Not much gets accomplished in American politics as the raging battle between the two political parties has gone on for my entire lifetime (70 years.) I started following politics as a very young lad (8 years old) who read the newspaper daily and watched TV news and met my first U.S. president, General Dwight David […]

Fossil fuel development is not going to develop Montana’s economy. Oil and coal companies are greatly overvalued, according to a new report by the Carbon Tracker Initiative. According to the report, if we are going to keep the Earth’s temperature from increasing more than 2 degrees Celsius, the limit which scientists have said is the […]

For many years, Montana has developed our natural resources – we can think of timber in western Montana, copper in Butte, coal throughout many parts of the state and again a resurgence of oil and gas in eastern Montana. At their economic peaks, each energy industry has created a quick demand for additional services and […]

The article headlined “Does Benghazi Matter?” (May 22 Beacon) was most enlightening. I was especially intrigued by the opinions of Joe Carbonari. He asked two questions: 1. Should a more vigorous military response have been ordered? And 2. Was a politically motivated cover-up attempted? Carbonari’s observations of the Benghazi issue seem to be in agreement […]

We have come a long way. And have a long way to go. When I was a young boy, my grandparents took me and my two sisters on a summer road trip from our hometown in northern Wisconsin to my aunt’s place in southern California. Before that trip, my family’s meager means prevented us from […]

Have you noticed, lately, just within our own country the number of controversies, sensible and non-sensible hearings on Capitol Hill, protests and outright outrage among “We The People” on things important to our nation’s health? Look at just these: (1) “Citizens United’s” faltering stand on “corporations are people.” Los Angeles just joined 175 other cities […]

It’s true that Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has suggested due to overwhelming public outcry they will revisit the walleye suppression issue in Noxon Reservoir, but it has not yet announced a decision to stop attempted eradication. In the interest of accuracy, it truly is speculation as to how walleye were introduced. FWP’s Draft Environmental […]

Thanks to the Flathead Beacon for the excellent reporting of the Flathead County Commission meeting at which the Agency on Aging Director Lisa Sheppard’s position was discussed (May 8 Beacon: “Commission Keeps AOA Director as Employee”). It is apparent Commissioner Gary Krueger did not take in account the vital support the AOA provides to the […]

There are presently 2 million incarcerated in U.S. prisons. This is 1/4 of the entire world’s incarcerated. Most of the incarcerated in the U.S. are serving terms for crimes that are drug related. It is odd that laws prohibiting the use and sale of “illegal” drugs were enacted considering the utter failure of the prohibition […]

Last month the City of Whitefish formally asked Flathead County to participate in a joint corridor plan for doughnut property along U.S. Highway 93 south of the city limits. Seriously? This is the same Whitefish that has sued Flathead County twice to tie up our doughnut properties for the past five years in ongoing litigation. […]

Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks has met with public opposition over their plan to suppress illegal walleye in Noxon Reservoir. In response, Region 1 said they “will most likely respond by drafting a new EA and providing more public inclusion.” Let’s make one thing perfectly clear; the population of invasive walleye in Noxon Reservoir is […]

An article in the newsletter “Quarterly” was shown to me that highlights yet another wilderness bill. This one is HR 1187, introduced in 1992 and presently sponsored by New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney. The bill (Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act) calls for an additional 24 million acres of federal land in Montana, Wyoming, Oregon and […]

Looking around at the audience of the National Geographic Magazine global warming film documentary showing of “Chasing Ice” in Whitefish, one could see the usual crowd of environmentalists and Democrats, but not a Republican or Tea Party member was to be seen as they must have done their typical covering of eyes and ears, along […]