Category: Opinion
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Canary in a coal mine ….
By Senator Steve Daines Over the past two years, Montanans watched the President’s attack on oil, coal and natural gas bring our nation to the brink of an all-out energy emergency. Gas prices rose to more than $5 a gallon and many Montanans are worried about how to heat their homes without breaking the bank. We…
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A Real Entrepreneurial Lesson From Montana Railroad History
By Lawrence W. Reed “Montanans can be rightfully proud of the state’s direct connection to James J. Hill, one of American history’s greatest entrepreneurs.” When Canadian-born James J. Hill died in 1916 at the age of 77, he left a monumental legacy of achievement. Builder of the Great Northern Railroad (now the Burlington Northern), he…
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Economy Not as Good or Bad as Some Say
By Dr. Timothy G. Nash The U.S. economy is not as good as President Joe Biden has stated over the last year — nor is it as bad as many Republicans would argue it to be. The U.S. unemployment rate is at a multi-decade low while job growth continues at a strong post-pandemic pace. [Following…
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Guest Editorial – How Dare They?
By Rob Natelson Preliminary note: Public discussion within Montana about the merits of that state’s 1972 constitution is dominated almost entirely by those who benefit from its terms. Many of their depictions of the constitution are imprecise or sanitized. Neither the local media nor public programs typically offer dissenting views. When Montana state lawmakers recently…
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Letter to Legislators: – Koopman
Warm greetings, Representative . Thank you for allowing me to share a few critically important and objective facts concerning HB 284, aka, The Blackmail Bill. I do not use the term blackmail loosely. I chose it very carefully. For indeed, if I were still sitting in one of my old seats on the House floor…
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Letter to the Editor – McLane
Once upon a time, in a land where our leaders tended to have more concern for their constituents then they do now–-though nothing as per their job descriptions in Thomas Paine’s Common Sense–-established the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The purpose of the FTC is/was to curtail potential monopolies causing a lack of competition in various…
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So What’s This Thing Called The American Dream?
By Roger Koopman They called him Reinhart, but he would one day change his name to Ralph to sound more American than German. Huddled with his parents and three siblings in steerage class, he arrived at Ellis Island at the age of one. He grew up on Pitkin Avenue in Brooklyn, while his father scratched…
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Letter to the Editor – Regier
Dear Editor, During a legislative session, there are over a thousand bills, amendments and motions a single legislator will vote on over a course of 4 months. It’s our job to accurately represent you, the people of Montana with each vote. However, our Montana Constitution provides for another way for the people’s voice to be…
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Towing Not a Partisan Line, We Are Down the Middle
By Brad Molnar In 1992 Marc Raciciot was the underdog against Dorothy Bradley in the general election to be Montana’s new governor. Instead of carpet bombing each other with mindless 30 second commercials they agreed to a debate in each of Montana’s 56 counties. That was cut short as all the questions had been asked…
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ALEC Ranks the Governors
Nine Republicans and one Democrat made the American Legislative Exchange Council’s list of 2021’s 10 best governors in a new report on economic freedom. Montana Governor Greg Gianforte made it into the second tier of Four-star governors who “have competitive policy grades but fall just behind five-star governors.” All but two governors fall in the top 20…