If there is ever a time when you should really fear the tax man in Montana, it’s now. Especially if you do business here but live elsewhere, are a pharmaceutical company, online booking agency, oil lease trader or your last name is Blixseth. The rate at which the Montana Department of Revenue is raking in […]

The time has come to fill out the ballot! We have read as much as possible! We have listened whenever we could! We have tried to filter out the ambiguity! But recently; after hearing a detailed, sincere, well thought out and realistic program from a refreshing candidate for Flathead County Commissioner – the choice is […]

If Pam Holmquist and her supporters are to be believed, Brenneman has single-handedly wreaked havoc on Flathead County. That should come as a humorous surprise to the two other sitting and previous commissioners. It takes at least two votes for commissioners to take any action. Budget items require a unanimous consent. If Brenneman critics are […]

We have moved into October and the throes of this year’s political campaigns: the incessant television, radio, newspaper and internet ads, the charges and countercharges, the doubt, anger and meanness. Some voters seem in the mood to “throw them all out” as if every incumbent is the enemy. Taking measure of this fairly recent kind […]

Recently, I was privileged to speak on the subject “So, Ive got a website…now what?” at the monthly Columbia Falls Chamber of Commerce meeting. While it’s a valid question, this is not how I want you to be thinking about your site. A fair number of business owners think about their site as “Something I […]

America is a place of convenience. It’s where, if we so choose, we can have our groceries delivered to our doorstep and purchase clothes and home furnishings from the convenience of a laptop. It’s where people sell electric abdomen stimulators, those belts that allegedly turn your belly into a six-pack while you watch television (although […]

It seems like we fight many of the same battles year after year in the Legislature. Some of the issues faced by agriculture have been debated since statehood, and they’ll likely still be hot-button issues generations from now. Such is the nature of public policy. One of those issues that seems to keep coming back […]

Montana’s original 1889 state constitution had become increasingly out-dated and unworkable. The 1969 Legislature referred the question of rewriting it to the people, and in 1970, by a nearly two-to-one majority, Montana voters agreed with the need for a constitutional convention. A special primary to elect convention delegates was slated for September of 1971, with […]

Unreal. Last week I had to get on the phone to cancel an online service. Not because I wanted to use the phone to cancel, but because it’s a requirement. You see, you can sign up for this service online, but you can’t cancel it there. And you certainly won’t be doing it easily. Yes, […]

Federal judge Donald W. Molloy’s egregious ruling to keep those adorable wolves on the endangered list seems to have gotten some attention. Montana’s stalwarts in Congress are finally taking steps to change the law – or at least their press releases claim they are…. Congressman Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) has drafted a two-page bill which, as […]

Regarding the ruling that rescinds the funding agreement maintaining the Bison Range, I am grievously disappointed. It’s difficult for me to believe that in the years of dispute prior to this agreement that such an important document would not stand up under thoughtful review. There was simply too much at risk for both sides: US […]

Entering Lake County quickly reveals, based on the signage, which election is most important. While small campaign signs dot the landscape supporting potential state lawmakers, those are overshadowed by the 4-by-8 foot behemoths supporting one of the three candidates for sheriff. When I covered the cops and courts beat about seven years ago in Gallatin […]

Bill Schneider’s column of (Sept. 22 Beacon: “Tear Down the Border Stations”) regarding the vicissitudes of crossing the border into Canada brings to mind a travel story of my own: When I entered Botswana a couple years ago, the woman at passport control asked me how long I planned to be in her country. When […]

The term “the good old days” keeps replaying in my head triggered by recent news stories about the economy. Having been born and raised in Butte surrounded by mining activities and tramping through the woods and enjoying the rivers my entire life gives me a pretty good perspective. The state of the economy both nationwide […]

Last week, I got in your face about your responsibilities as both employees and employers. These two groups have been in conflict forever, something that continues today – despite the fact that they desperately need each other’s help. Both groups should avoid the temptation to continue that wasteful practice. The current employment/economy situation in general […]