I should love Obamacare. I had Hodgkin’s disease when I was 16, the cure paid for by Uncle Sam’s Air Force. Normal life resumed, and I picked up two bad vices, skiing and motorcycles. Since I’m not real graceful, off to the friendly insurance agency I went. And the next. This was in the prehistoric […]

Professional development mentors remind us that we must take care of ourselves first. They advise that we improve ourselves mentally, physically and emotionally – in other words, attend first to our overall health – so that we’re better prepared to perform well in our roles at work, at home and in our community. Personal finance […]

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 […]

By Joe Carbonari If the average American is strapped for cash — and we are — the demand for goods and services is too light to support the robust economy that is necessary to provide the standard of living that our society has come to expect. Our population continues to grow. Our economy must do […]

My uncle will call this week. More likely he’ll Skype as Wi-Fi now allows much better video quality around the world. My Mormon bishop uncle calls on Christmas Eve. I cherish these visits. We’ll talk about his traditional Christmas foods like beet salads, turnip casseroles, hams with mustard, liver casseroles, sweet breads and rice pudding […]

In politics timing is everything and that certainly appears to be the case with Lt. Governor John Walsh and Congressman Steve Daines. A year from now one of them will likely be a U.S. Senator, something unimaginable a year ago. Back then no one imagined Sen. Max Baucus would announce his retirement, let alone that […]

Print readers, see flatheadbeacon.com/images/uploads/SpaghettiOsPearlHarbor.png When I say “calendar marketing”, I’m talking about using the context of historical events and dates, holidays and current events to spice up your marketing. Done right, you can briefly tie what you do to the event, date or holiday, have a little fun and perhaps get the attention those about […]

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 […]

The national media left the state after Jordan Linn Graham changed her plea. Closing arguments were set to begin in her trial last week when the Kalispell woman acknowledged that she pushed her husband, Cody Johnson, off a cliff in Glacier National Park, killing him on July 7. Graham will be sentenced for second-degree murder […]

By Tim Baldwin The direction of our state and nation is at times determined by people who refuse to vote for the “lesser evil” candidate – effectively causing the majority to be ruled by the minority. Do these protest voters realize what they are doing? The Founders used the lesser-evil principle in politics. James Madison […]

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 […]

Polls consistently show Americans wish they could spend less on Christmas gift-giving. Well, a new study suggests their wish could come true, at least among younger people. Researchers who have tracked the attitudes of high school seniors over decades find the Great Recession of 2007-09 has caused a great reversal: These young people of today […]

I was going to go off on a tear about the ACLU, singing, Hanukkah, statues, retail-establishment customer-service greeting protocols – nah. Just have yourself an awesome Merry Christmas, okay? And a prosperous, healthy, felicitous Happy New Year while we’re at it. OK, now that the warm fuzzies are out of the way, here’s some more […]

Quite often, I talk with business owners about thinking ahead. Something happened Thanksgiving weekend that tells me that I need to change my terminology to “Doing ahead.” Why the change? Primarily, I’m concerned that small businesses are thinking ahead, but stopping there. Thinking ahead discussions often include strategic thoughts of putting yourself out of business […]