The recent fouling of Montana’s Yellowstone River is a warning alarm that we must be more diligent to secure the integrity of our priceless waterways. Yesterday’s farmers, ranchers, miners and honyockers needed the rivers. Now, under increasing industrial and population pressures, the rivers need us. As with other states, Montana once mistreated many of our […]

President Barack Obama had apparently planned a trip to Whitefish last weekend. His near visit was news around town and local law enforcement for weeks had been preparing for his arrival. The president canceled, of course, after the debate over the debt ceiling ended how things in Washington do – with more debate. There are […]

Today I’m going off the beaten path a little bit, but trust me… at its core, this is all about business in Northwest Montana. You might have noticed a couple of weeks ago when editor Kellyn mentioned my gigging him on Twitter about his “all Canadians are pacifists” comment in his column about stereotypes and the […]

As President Barack Obama was sworn into office, America had an annual unbalanced budget deficit of $1.3 trillion. This was the result of previous years when Congress did not pay its way, including a Wall Street bailout. America has never been out of debt, except once. Former President Andrew Jackson holds the honor for detesting […]

There are so many questions surrounding the proposal to implement a so-called retail transaction fee to pay for Kalispell roads that it’s now clear the idea is simply an awful one. City Manager Jane Howington emphasized that the fee is just “the very beginning of a community conversation” about how to address the fact that […]

As the new Executive Vice President of the Montana Wood Products Association, I have been traveling around Montana and Idaho visiting member companies, touring facilities and visiting about issues and concerns. In addition to the importance of maintaining a favorable business climate at the state and federal level, addressing rules and regulations that create barriers […]

Seth Godin recently asked why ethical marketers wouldn’t be “eager to have aggressive, clear and well-defined regulations” (about marketing). He set the context by talking about the lies used to sell sunscreen, noting that lobbyists kindly helped the FDA water down proposed sunscreen regulations. To quote Seth: Why aren’t ethical marketers (of any product) eager […]

You might have noticed in May when a “Petition for Original Jurisdiction,” Barhaugh et al. v. State, was placed before our Montana Supreme Court. Because global warming will kill us all, and Montana has been “prevented by the Legislature from taking any action,” and because there is “not enough time […] unless immediate action is […]

It’s easy to condemn Whitefish’s ban on drivers using handheld cell phones as just another example of the “nanny state” gone wild. After all, we’re told she’s everywhere these days: telling us what to eat, where to smoke and who to insure. But was the council’s vote a real act of so-called protectionism? I saw […]

As I sit here and revel upon the beauty of where I live and watch the multiple hues of the clouds rolling by, with the quenching warmth of the rain as it drips from the brightly colored petals of the springtime flowers, I have to wonder what you would be wondering were you here. I […]

I was reading AJ Leon’s blog this morning and was thinking that sipping a cuppa joe in Shakespeare’s hometown while gnawing on a “legendary brownie” sounds pretty good. The term legendary struck me, as AJ probably meant it to. I don’t stumble across things of that quality every day, but I guess that’s the nature […]

Joseph Dixon was the seventh governor of Montana. In 1923 the Republican enacted the nation’s first old-age pension program. Twelve years after Montana passed a safety net for seniors, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Social Security into law as part of the New Deal. Even as we face $14 trillion in national debt, Social Security […]

Last week following the Boston Bruins’ win over the Vancouver Canucks in the NHL Stanley Cup Finals, Canadians took to the streets to riot away their disappointment. The images were surreal: smashed storefronts, burned cop cars, dozens of injuries. I mentioned, mostly joking, on my Twitter account: “I always thought Canadians were pacifists,” to which […]

Ever notice that when you decide to buy a new red Corvette (or a blue F-150, for that matter), you start to see your chosen new vehicle everywhere you go? For me, the last month has been like that. No matter where I turn, in person or on the Net, I’ve found myself running into […]

Well, sporties, are you ready for 4,200 to 7,300 wolves in the Northern Rockies? Back in April, you’ll remember that Congress stuffed a “bipartisan” rider (Section 1713) into the 2011 Appropriations omnibus (Public Law 112-10). This rider supposedly de-listed Rocky Mountain gray wolves outside Wyoming, by reinstating the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) so […]