Media reports about the impact of the federal government shutdown have interestingly focused on one public impact more than any other – the loss of access to public lands. Barricaded monuments, chained gates at national parks, and refuges closed to hunting became the most visual – and often most emotional – representation of the shutdown. […]

Call me miffed at the National Park Service’s ham-handed federal shutdown management. But you can also count me as grateful the Park Service hosted an event on the Washington Mall. With everyone else banned, an immigration rally went forward, complete with stages, lighting and a popular Norteno band. It was classic Animal Farm two-facedness, with […]

Dan Kennedy is known to say something to the effect of “If I wake up at 2:00 am thinking about you or your business, you’re in trouble.” I can relate. For me, the “are you worth it?” measuring stick is often drama-related. Drama happens. It’s part of life. On the other hand, if you intentionally […]

I really don’t care what party you claim to belong. Have you seen the latest news as to what has happened because of the government shutdown? If I recall correctly when the Republicans were running for seats in the House, their main cry was jobs, jobs and jobs. I didn’t know they were going to […]

By John Fuller On or about Oct. 17, the United States government reaches its debt limit. With the government borrowing more than $2 billion a day, it was inevitable that we would reach the congressionally pre-determined debt ceiling. President Barack Obama and the Democrats claim that unless the debt ceiling is raised the U.S. will […]

The Democrats need to smell the coffee and change their idiosyncratic philosophy to make it more friendly to the free market and less hostile to it. Since President Lyndon B. Johnson, the Democratic Party has never missed a chance to turn this county from a nation of laws into an administrative state not unlike the […]

Hate Congress? Sick of reading descriptions of our U.S. governing body accompanied by words like “stalemate,” “dysfunction” and “broken”? Well, then you should consider running for office. That might sound counterintuitive, but your country needs you. Unfortunately, the recent shutdown and standoff over raising the debt ceiling is having the opposite effect. Since Republican U.S. […]

Montana is lucky that cities like Whitefish, Columbia Falls and Kalispell do not suddenly close local parks or defund the health department in ideological fights over another law. State fiscal analysts project that Gov. Steve Bullock is faced with another two-year budget surplus, this time over $500 million. Former Gov. Brian Schweitzer maintained an average […]

What does being professional mean to you? To some, it means “Not being an amateur”. So how does the public differentiate amateurs from professionals? In some circles, money is the key. Amateurs don’t get paid, professionals do. For example, an amateur golfer typically isn’t eligible for prize money in tournaments. Once they decide to go […]

Rather than viewing the recent slight uptick in the economy and leveling off in the national debt as a harbinger of a positive future, John Snow believes it is diverting national attention from the debt crisis that continues to pose a mortal threat to our country. Snow, who served as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury […]

Amidst the stalemate that has befallen our federal government, it is refreshing to see a bipartisan approach stand up to the test of Congress. Recently, the Congressional House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environment Regulation heard from Congressman Steve Daines, and Whitefish City Councilman John Anderson, on the value and importance of our […]

Now in the second week of the “shutdown,” I believe that the true agenda of the Obama administration and his extremist cronies in the congressional Democratic leadership (Reid, Pelosi, Schumer) has never been more clear. They insist on maintaining their “no negotiation” stance despite efforts by conservatives to fund for mandatory items. We’ve seen the […]

By John Fuller In recent days during the government shutdown and continuing-resolution fiasco, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) became a household name for his 21-hour speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Like James Stewart in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” Cruz attempted to persuade the Senate, Congress and the nation of the necessity of […]

With our U.S. debt and liberal entitlements front and center in Washington these days, our inability to hammer out sensible and responsible solutions, both here in Montana and in Washington, is ultimately going to be blamed on the split in the Republican Party if we’re not careful. Most Republicans have common goals: limited government, fewer […]

I’m probably supposed to write something about the dysfunction in Washington, D.C. You know, how the government shut down, closed Glacier National Park and furloughed a bunch of federal employees. But you’ve likely read enough about that, and my opinion is unlikely to change yours. Instead, as I read about political gridlock, this “new normal,” […]