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Opinion

Opinion

Abolish the Death Penalty?

By John Fuller Amidst the debate and growing movement to abolish the death penalty, several facts are ignored. Opponents of capital punishment claim that execution is not a deterrent, is too expensive, too great a risk of a mistake, cruel or unusual, and it takes too long. These are not moral arguments against capital punishment. […]

By John Fuller | Joe Carbonari
Letter

LETTER: Stop Dragging Feet on New AOA Site

I am having a hard time understanding why any of the Flathead County commissioners are dragging their feet on agreeing to a new site for the Agency on Aging. The AOA provides many services to our elderly citizens. The need to have a safe and adequate building to do this job is important to all […]

By Roxy Larsen
Guest Column

Shedding Light on Dark Money

Montanans are tired of dirty politics, nasty mud-slinging campaigns, and personal attacks. I believe they’re even more disgusted with the fact that many of these tactics are hidden inside dark money organizations that are unaccountable to the voting public. In addition Montana voters need to know that their voice counts most, and we need to […]

By Senator Jim Peterson
Closing Range

Ready for Big Data?

I’m getting a new computer. This time, I dang well will set it up to lessen the amount of information going out, as it seems like Al Gore’s Internet is learning a little too much about Dave. Why else would I see so many obviously-targeted adverts for guns, politics, AARP and bikini contests? Trust me, […]

By Dave Skinner
Business Is Personal

Planning and The Ides of March

So…it’s almost the end of March. Seems like the day before yesterday, the new year started. Like many, you probably thought over some goals for the new year and made plans to make them happen. Maybe you even got started on the work required. But again, it’s almost the end of March and in just […]

By Mark Riffey
Letter

LETTER: Are Montana’s Legislators in Bed with Big Oil?

According to Montana’s Board of Oil and Gas we now have over 11,000-plus active oil and gas wells in Montana, which include 750 new wells in the Bakken since 2000. It appears that the saying “If you have it, they will come” rings true with oil and gas. Unfortunately for Montana taxpayers, in 1999 our […]

By Craig McClure
Opinion

Gun Control Revisited

By John Fuller Once President Barack Obama was re-elected, he no longer had to stifle his anti-Second Amendment beliefs. Seizing upon the atrocity in Connecticut, Obama and Democrats have mounted a full-court press on American citizens’ right to “keep and bear arms” with a plethora of restrictive bills. Claiming to curb “gun violence,” not one […]

By John Fuller | Joe Carbonari
Letter

LETTER: Concerns Over Water Ski Subdivision

As a longtime resident and homeowner on Rose Crossing, my neighbors and I are deeply concerned about the proposed manmade water ski lake and Rosewater subdivision planned for our area. Our concerns deal with the PUD overlay on the property that is zoned SAG-5; and the safety and suitability of this type of development with […]

By Jane Burleson
Guest Column

Some Breweries Becoming Non-Licensed Bars

In Montana all taverns are licensed for the retail sale of alcohol, with different privileges available depending on the license held. Breweries in Montana are licensed as beer manufacturers. Since 1999 breweries have been allowed to sell samples of their beer through a special exception to the licensing requirements. Tavern owners across Montana helped support […]

By JoAnn Fuller
Uncommon Ground

$6 Billion Decision

Next week Montana’s Legislature begins hearings on the most critical bills of the session. Lawmakers must choose whether to expand Medicaid in Montana, with the federal government paying for 100 percent of the cost over the next three years and 90 percent thereafter. Over the next eight years Montana’s economy could see a $6 billion […]

By Mike Jopek
Business Is Personal

For Those About To Sell, We Salute You!

You may not like to sell, particularly if you are a technical person. It’s even more likely if you’re a technical person who has built a job rather than a business – meaning you might be chief cook and bottle washer as well. It may be an overused stereotype that technical people don’t like sales […]

By Mark Riffey
Letter

LETTER: Another Perspective on Park Service Budget Cuts

I would like to offer a very different perspective on the budget issues in national parks stemming from my experiences working for the Park Service from 1979 through 1986. I realize that is some time ago but it appears that the same tactics are in place today. I worked in Yellowstone National Park on the […]

By Jim Marty
Letter

LETTER: Time for a New Senior Center

I cannot understand why some of the commissioners are procrastinating on getting the new building for the senior meals and programs going as soon as possible. I had my own business for over 50 years and the time to get prices and bids for a project was usually best when the economy was slow because […]

By Bruce F. Cook
Like I Was Saying

The Student-Loan Bubble

Last month, a legislative subcommittee approved a $28 million increase in spending on higher education, which will effectively freeze tuition for in-state students through 2015 if Montana’s universities and colleges meet certain performance standards. That’s a decent tradeoff, especially as student loan debt begins to resemble a bubble. The amount of money students borrow to […]

By Kellyn Brown
Opinion

Expanding Medicaid

By John Fuller Expanding the Medicaid rolls is Obamacare’s primary way of dealing with the uninsured. The law offers politicians the opportunity to pad Medicaid rolls because it promises 100 percent federal funding until 2018, and then 90 percent of the cost thereafter. In the past, states determine eligibility rules, but this expansion puts the […]

By John Fuller | Joe Carbonari