The first few weeks in 2014 have already proven interesting. Starting the year off at 94 cents U.S., the Canadian dollar fell to 89.85 cents on Jan. 23, the lowest in four-and-a-half years. This begs the questions: Has the bottom fallen out of the high Canadian dollar? Has the Flathead Valley’s good luck finally run […]

Daytime temperatures at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, reached 61 degrees. The same day national news warned about a super storm at lower latitudes and 6,000 miles away in Virginia. News said to prepare for a “catastrophic event,” calling it a “beast of a storm.” This month’s local climate rally was bitter cold in […]

There are a few commonly-used phrases in business conversation that raise the hair on my neck. Here are three of my favorites, along with one (‘innovation’) that we hear bandied about in the tech press on what seems like an hourly basis. Industry Norms Best Practices Human Capital Innovation They sound like such good things, […]

Although not unanticipated, the news of Gov. Steve Bullock’s appointment of John Walsh to the vacated Senate seat of Max Baucus is a glaring example of the self- serving corruption we suffer here in Montana. It confirms partisan politics means more to our governor, senator and senatorial candidate than genuine concern for Montana and our […]

Petitions are circulating to put Initiative 168 on the November ballot. This “Sunshine in Political Spending Act” is “to bring integrity back to Montana politics through transparency and accountability of political contributions and expenditures…” Do we want to be a nation of, by and for secret PACs, or a land of, by and for the […]

After Gov. Steve Bullock chose Lt. Gov. John Walsh as Montana’s interim U.S. senator, David Hawkings with D.C. publication Roll Call pointed out that Walsh is the 51st member appointed to the chamber in the past half-century. “But of that group,” Hawkings wrote, “only 19 of the 36 who tried went on to leverage the […]

By Joe Carbonari Last week we wrote about the use of executive orders. I favored the use of the powers that are afforded the president. In response my colleague alluded to “tyranny” and asserted that the president’s … “job is to execute the will of the nation decided through Congress.” I don’t believe that this […]

Innovation is at the heart of the American agriculture success story. As a matter of course, today’s farmers and ranchers must constantly prepare and adapt to get ahead of tomorrow’s challenges. At USDA, we have a long history of fostering research and innovation that help agricultural production thrive. I am pleased that the 2014 Farm […]

Montana’s stupid campaign finance laws are a pet peeve of mine, and should be one of yours. Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote a column (Nader’s Montana Raiders) about two rather clever political operatives, Jonathan Motl of Helena and C.B. Pearson of Missoula, who have spent decades using ballot initiatives to game Montana’s campaign […]

All over the U.S., winter seems to be having a little fun with us. While the Flathead mostly has fun with it – a lot of places are pretty well shut down by this year’s winter road conditions. Without the staff and equipment to handle serious (for their area) winter storms, many communities are left […]

Ryan Zinke should curb his tone if he wants to be known as a person who serves the public instead of his own political ends. Zinke, whose middle name appears to be Formernavyseal, spoke vividly at a recent Republican meeting in Bigfork. Zinke is running to be the GOP candidate for the state’s seat in […]

Falsified science and physics have both become useful tools of political strategists seeking power, control and wealth. Claims of “man-caused” disasters calling for drastic, supposedly corrective measures keeps the citizenry beholden to the government. Research has found that unlimited supplies of hydrocarbon fuels are constantly forming within the earth’s deep, hot biosphere. False claims of […]

A few inches of snow dropped on the South last week, enough to effectively shut down the region and earn the storm the nicknames “snowpocalypse” and “snowmageddon” and other combinations of words that suggest the end of the world. While that didn’t happen, it was still pretty bad. Atlanta, one of the largest metro areas […]

By Tim Baldwin The president’s power is bound by the Constitution, which places all law-making power in Congress. Assuming power is one of the biggest dangers in a Republic. Madison and Hamilton said in Federalist Paper (FP) 20, reflecting on world experience, “Tyranny has perhaps oftener grown out of the assumptions of power … than […]

A bipartisan election commission led by the chief campaign lawyers for President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney has made recommendations for making elections run more smoothly across the country. Notably, the report presented by this presidential commission urges state and local election officials to achieve a “modern, efficient and responsive” election system that attends to […]