While in the House, Congressman Denny Rehberg has voted for every budget busting tax cut for his fellow millionaires that comes before him and to involve us in unneeded wars. And yet he then votes for budgets that strip funding for veterans and first responders’ healthcare. When I was seeking help with the VA I […]

The time may be ripe for dispensing with political parties altogether. It’s fall, the harvest is in, and we’re all waiting a bit tensely for the results of November’s political contest. Everyone feels that there’s a lot at stake in this year’s election outcomes. The down economy; conflicts over domestic policy; an uncertain international arena. […]

Earlier this month, federal judge Charles Lowell issued a declaration blowing out Montana’s campaign-finance limits. In the six days between his ruling and a Ninth Circuit Court stay, the Montana Republican Party threw a half-million dollars at Rick Hill’s gubernatorial campaign and another 30 grand to Tim Fox, the Republican attorney general candidate. Democrats, of […]

Recently I was doing a little business with a large Microsoft distributor – a sale that required a license agreement. Initially, the deal couldn’t be finalized because I use a PO Box for my business address. Trouble is, they “don’t allow” license agreements with a business that uses a PO Box. Irony: That I can […]

At the 2009 state Legislature lawmakers overwhelmingly endorsed the so-called “castle doctrine.” The law made it clear that Montanans have no obligation to retreat when they feel threatened before using deadly force to protect themselves or their homes. Just months after the session ended, a dispute between Walmart employees in Billings over the length of […]

By John Fuller Beginning Jan. 1, 2013, Americans face a dramatic increase in their taxes that conservatives have begun calling “Taxmageddon.” The expiration of the “Bush Tax Rates,” the expiration of the patch on the Alternative Minimum Tax, the expiration the payroll tax cut, and the increased taxation from Obamacare, will result in a 7.6 […]

I have followed with interest your recent coverage of the election. However, one key fact has been underemphasized in your reporting. Please remind your readers that our current president has had four years to dig us out of the economic slump, and has not done so. In fact, President Barack Obama’s “spend now, pay later” […]

While you have ably covered the upcoming election, I feel you should better highlight some important context. Four years ago, America faced its greatest economic crisis in generations. Employment was plummeting, and a second Great Depression appeared possible. Since taking office, President Barack Obama has worked tirelessly to stabilize the economy and rebuild America’s middle-class. […]

Montana parents want and need choice in K-12 education. Fifty percent of Montanans would choose an option other than traditional public school for their kids, if possible (see EdChoice.org/MTpoll). So we were not surprised when the ACE Scholarship program we launched earlier this year was wildly oversubscribed. ACE provides partial funding to families with financial […]

Recently I had a tech conversation with someone I’ve known for at least a decade and have great respect for. During a dumb conversation we didn’t even start, we disagreed about spaces in file names and software that doesn’t support them. My friend is like the NORAD of user interface look and feel. His work […]

A conservative U.S. Supreme Court transformed Montana elections into spending sprees. Suddenly secret, corporate and unlimited dollars flooded Montana with negative political advertising. Sharla Tester wrote, in an email about her husband Sen. Jon Tester: “But in this election, he’s not only running against an opponent – he’s fighting against outside special interest spenders who […]

Mitt Romney wants to take the lead in the Middle East? Maybe he wants to arm the potential terrorists so they can kill thousands of Americans once they kiss and make up with each other. It’s a really bad idea and history tells us we’ll take it in the shorts. Oh man! I hope people […]

Like many Americans I watched some of the events at both the Democratic and Republican Conventions. I was not greatly inspired by either party; however, I was shocked as I listened to one session of the Democratic convention when the presiding chairman, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, was desperately endeavoring to lead the convention in […]

By John Fuller During the Great Depression (FDR’s, not Obama’s), the Keynesian approach to restore prosperity was to “prime the pump” by massive government spending for the “alphabet agencies” of the era such as the W.P.A., P.W.A, T.V.A., A.A.A., and several other bureaucratic creations. These were supposed to provide “relief, recovery and reform.” The objective […]

It’s not unusual to meet someone outside the office, tell them what I do for a living and for them to immediately want to talk about politics. They want to engage about the state of the races for higher office, policy discussed in the last city council meeting and why they agree, or disagree, with […]