The Bush administration inherited a budget surplus from the Clinton Administration. What happened? Costly and unfunded programs, such as the prescription drug bill, post 9/11 security spending and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars were undertaken at the same time tax cuts were implemented. Congress knew those tax cuts were unaffordable at the time and so […]

The snowballing national debt which is now over $13 trillion pencils out to over $31,000 for every living American; but as things stand now Americans not yet living will end up paying for most of it. Outrage over the debt and its burden on our children and grandchildren was a leading cause of the Republican […]

Recently, the NY Times published a story about the turmoil over prices for printed books compared to their electronic counterparts. In some cases, the electronic version is priced higher. In particular, the story focused on comparison pricing occurring at Amazon.com for books published both in paperback and for the Amazon Kindle electronic book reader. The […]

Election night in Flathead County is a singular experience. As a reporter and political nerd tasked with covering election results – and by my rough calculations I’ve covered six in the valley so far – it has the vaguely exciting feel of childhood holidays: You’re excited about something; you’re not sure why, but at the […]

First of all, allow me to introduce myself. I am an avid hunter and sportsman from the state of Michigan. I have had the opportunity to hunt your great state for the last eight years as a nonresident – each time with Upper Canyon Outfitters in Alder. I was able to hunt for the first […]

I read publications, punditry and blogs from many different industries. Reading only the trade publications from your industry is dangerous, dangerous, dangerous. An awesome blog post by Ken Doctor based on comments made by Netflix founder Reed Hastings is a fine example. I don’t have a digital business As you read “Savor the economics of […]

Our latest election had millions of Americans voting at least partly because of worries over our national debt. Government runs deficits because too many politicians are willing and happy to rob Peter (and Peter’s grandchildren) to pay Paul. To score Paul’s vote, they approve objectively stupid expenditures (on Peter’s dime) for projects and programs that […]

From town halls to debates, from PACs to advertisements, voters were schooled by another brutal election season. Here’s some of what we learned: That midterms are, apparently, immune to economic downturns when the electorate is this polarized. A week before the election, outside spending had already topped $264 million, more than that spent during the […]

Kids across America love Halloween; they get to don wild costumes and wander house to house collecting candy into the late evening hours, for no particular reason. But in truth, this is a mutually beneficial night, allowing parents to reconnect with neighborhood kids and marvel at the wild costumes for the small price of a […]

Historically, my Scout troop does ok on our annual popcorn sale fundraiser. The guys have done well enough over the years that a number of them managed to pay for their campouts pretty much year after year. One of them earned enough to buy himself a high-quality down sleeping bag comfortable to well below zero. […]

Our state recently unveiled a new economic development website aimed at attracting businesses. It’s called “Innovate Montana,” and the accompanying commercials are impressive. There’s just one problem, according to the state GOP, almost every one features Gov. Brian Schweitzer. “You’ve got to admire a shameless self-promoter like that,” Sen. Jeff Essmann, R-Billings, told Lee Newspapers. […]

When schools, parents and communities collaborate for the improvement of the local schools: everyone wins. At the “packed house” cross town football game our community supported the activity programs from both high schools with their presence and by purchasing raffle tickets for the Toyota Scion, donated by Kalispell Toyota, which was given away during the […]

Many hunters are rightfully angry that a federal judge has put the gray wolf back under federal protection based on legal technicalities. Taking management away from state authorities allows wolves to multiply and spread. Wolves are already so plentiful they are cutting down herds of elk, moose and deer and are also killing livestock and […]

I have often heard investors state that they do not read business plans, implying that entrepreneurs need not write them. I disagree. Entrepreneurs need to write business plans for two reasons: • Most entrepreneurs are totally focused on their products and technology and have given little thought to the other critically important aspects of their […]

A common question I’m asked is “Should I use ‘bright shiny object of the month’ to market my business? Lately, the question tends to be asked in the context of Facebook, but quite frankly, the answer is the same regardless of the “magic solution” you’re asking about. As usual, the answer is “Fish where the […]