After a second Libertarian candidate filed for U.S. Senate, Montana Secretary of State Linda McCulloch had a choice. She could hold a primary for which the cost to counties would total between $350,000 and $390,000. Or she could simply place both men on the general election ballot. She chose the latter. What this means is […]

Most American homes today are energy pigs that, as fuel prices continue to increase, become more burdensome to their owners every year. They leak warm air out of every nook and cranny, have inefficient mechanical systems (that probably need a filter change), old light bulbs and water heaters, cold windows, and not enough insulation. Compared […]

The reaction by some claiming to represent Montana’s resource industries to a recent conference entitled “power shift” at the University of Montana is both sad and short-sighted. Apparently they were offended by the fact that much of the program dealt with environmental problems associated with resource development. Thus, we read opinions bearing the titles, “Universities […]

In late February, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in PPL Montana, LLC v Montana, a case which Montana seems to have lost, badly. The flap started in 2003 with a federal citizen lawsuit by two “parents of schoolchildren” (actually professional environmentalists), claiming rent was owed to Montana’s school trust on the riverbeds under 17 […]

When something is viewed as an expense, your instinct is to reduce it to the smallest possible amount. Doing this to your marketing is not unlike choking yourself. Marketing as an expense The most obvious clue that a business treats marketing as an expense is that they cut back on it when things get tight. […]

Entrepreneurs are often surprised when investors refuse to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) or confidentiality agreements when offered an opportunity to read the entrepreneurs’ new business plans. After all, every new startup features secret ideas, partnerships, intellectual property and/or technology. Why won’t investors sign NDAs? Investors are pitched for funding by as many as 5,000 startup […]

Prior to FDR, the primary reason the federal government went into debt was to finance war. Since then, the government has made it a habit of going into debt to finance peace. When in power, liberals have created numerous financial incentives for women to bear children out of wedlock. These incentives have caused an explosion […]

It has become traditional for the president of our country to get around the law making power of Congress be issuing. “Executive Orders.” Why this function has not been challenged by Congress or the Supreme Court is a mystery for me, but it gives powers to the president not provided in our Constitution and should […]

A record number of Montanans have filed for higher office in 2012 and while that bodes well for democracy, it could also make for some messy primary races. Among legislative contests, several local Republicans are vying for the same seats, some of which are in conservative districts where the primaries may be more hard-fought than […]

Memory often flirts with a singular episode from one’s past. This year’s presidential primary campaign has me remembering a political season from my teen years. Intrigued and inspired by politics done right, I was captivated by the 1952 Democratic and Republican conventions. Many candidates sought their party’s nomination but only two held the imagination and […]

Some of the simplest advice I give is the most powerful: “Do at least one thing today to get, or keep, a client.” It’s as simple as it sounds. Even if you can only spare 15 minutes, invest it every day doing something that attracts new clients or helps you keep the ones you have. […]

Title X is the federal grant program that provides comprehensive family planning and other health-related services to people. Two-thirds of the patients live in poverty and have no health insurance. In 1969, President Richard Nixon said, “It is my view that no American woman should be denied access to family planning assistance because of her […]

There is a lot of misinformation being bantered about concerning H.R. 1581, the Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act of 2011. Contrary to what opponents may have you believe, the bill – which is now being considered in Congress – wouldn’t open 43 million acres of public land to interests that would decimate it. The […]

I am the President of the Network of Environmentally Consicous Organizations and I am writing on behalf of our organization. We were a key sponsor of the 2012 Rocky Mountain Powershift Conference. At Montana State University, we work to promote sustainable living on campus including responsible use of natural resources, community development and fiscal responsibility. […]

Does money really buy elections? We’re told that it does. I have previously written about the consequences of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision and how third-party and corporate money could have an outsized influence on our elections. Sen. Jon Tester and the man challenging for his seat, Congressman Denny Rehberg, have traded accusations […]