The Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act (HR 1581/S. 1087) will be considered this week by the U.S. House of Representatives. Congressman Denny Rehberg is a co-sponsor of HR 1581. In the state of Montana alone this would remove federal protections from about 5.5 million acres. This would have a detrimental effect along the Rocky […]

Women are an endangered species under Republican legislators and governors. We no longer have the right to control our own bodies. We cannot decide for ourselves whether to limit the size of our families through contraception. We are having obstacles put in our way when we want to terminate a pregnancy because of rape or […]

It would seem that Mike Jopek believes any program supported by the government and paid for by you and me, is a good program (March 21 Beacon: “Out of Touch”). I beg to differ. It is ironic that a student in a Jesuit university, supported by a Catholic religion that doesn’t believe in birth control […]

Prior to FDR, the primary reason the federal government went into debt was to finance war. Since then, the government has made it a habit of going into debt to finance peace. When in power, liberals have created numerous financial incentives for women to bear children out of wedlock. These incentives have caused an explosion […]

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 […]