The conservative Tax Foundation is a Washington, D.C. based think tank with a long history of publishing research studies and comparing state tax policy. The foundation receives funding from big corporations and far-right political groups. Tax Freedom Day is the foundation’s point of the year when Americans have earned enough money to pay for taxes. […]

In a recent Harvard Business Review, Tony Schwartz once again admonishes us about multitasking and offers some tips offering multitasking relief in the context of meetings, response expectations and taking breaks. Why is multitasking “suddenly” the hip thing to rail against? I suspect it’s a reflection of a number of things – including the economy, […]

Don’t you just love election season? Have you heard the blitzkrieg of anti-Rehberg ads paid for by Citizens For Strength and Security? You know, the ones about the feds (Homeland Security) grabbing tens of thousands of square miles of our land, fencing us off from hunting and other uses and hazing us with helicopters when […]

Excuse me, “The War on Women” (April 4 Beacon letter). What happened to responsibility? I’m sure, in this great nation we all call home you can still have as many precious children as you want. If you pay for them … Are you asking other citizens to pay for yours? I have two beautiful children […]

Following former Montana State University head football coach Mike Kramer’s firing in May 2007, the school’s leadership willingly provided their opinion on his dismissal. In a press release provided to media, Athletic Director Peter Fields said, “Looking at the football program as a whole and in light of the recent criminal activities of former student-athletes […]

You’ve been reading about the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, and Trout Unlimited, saying that lake trout are exploding and bull trout are almost extinct and therefore they need to net lake trout. I think just the opposite is true! Redd counts are the number of spawning beds made by the adult bull trout in […]

Finally. A mainstream, old school consumer product company figured out how to make it easy for customers to use their product at the recommended interval and do so with as little labor/friction as possible. Rather than rolling their own, they used Amazon’s infrastructure to deal with payments, shipping and subscription management. From Amazon.com: “Amazon Subscribe […]

Golly gee, yet another U.S. Forest Service project has been blocked in court, this time on the Custer National Forest. Yet again, for what seems like the millionth time, the plaintiffs were Alliance for the Wild Rockies, an Earth First! spinoff; and the Native Ecosystems Council, a one-woman show run out of a former KOA […]

All this back and forth over re-districting is a political distraction contrived by members of the phony “two-party” system, dividing up the state to lessen one group or another’s political strength. This is nothing less than disenfranchisement by design, completely defeating the strengths and values of members of our state who are not of those […]

A decision in the U.S. House of Representatives may have a disastrous impact in Montana that could result in teachers and road workers across our state losing their jobs. The House of Representatives is stalling much-needed legislation that ensures Montana’s rural communities and schools receive the support they need through the Secure Rural Schools and […]

Last week, Americans spent almost $1.5 billion on the Mega Millions lottery for a chance to win a record $656 million payout. That’s nearly $5 for every person in the country. Three people overcame the exceptional odds of one in 176 million, matched all six numbers and will share the enormous prize. The rest of […]

Back in November of 2008, a little known report entitled, “The Transition to Green” quietly emerged on to the public policy domain. The 391-page report was the work product of 28 national environmental organizations. The manifesto highlighted priority environmental recommendations and described how “the administration could resume Federal leadership on critical energy and environmental challenges […]

While the questions are different for the bakery, appliance store, law firm and butcher shop – much less a software company or SEO firm, the need is the same. These 5 questions can make your business different in the eyes of your customers – and they’re what you’d call attention to if you could do […]

In the next couple of years, middle-class Montanans are eligible for a sizable tax credit from the Affordable Care Act. It is refundable so taxpayers who have little income tax liability can still fully benefit. The credit can be paid in advance to a taxpayer’s insurance company to help cover the cost of premiums. All […]

The Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act (HR 1581/S. 1087) will be considered this week by the U.S. House of Representatives. Congressman Denny Rehberg is a co-sponsor of HR 1581. In the state of Montana alone this would remove federal protections from about 5.5 million acres. This would have a detrimental effect along the Rocky […]