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Listen to Llew – public trust funds make good sense
A widely published column by Rep. Llew Jones, who will chair the House Appropriations Committee in the coming legislative session, deserves serious attention by Montanans and our legislators. Why? Because Jones, R-Conrad, is breaking with 50 years worth of Republican opposition to establishing trust funds for state government. He says they make good sense for […]
‘Clean and healthful environment’ is the Supreme Court’s gift to ‘present and future generations’
In the darkest days of the year, the Montana Supreme Court shines brightly with an enlightened ruling upholding the Montana Constitution’s “inalienable right to a clean and healthful environment” in Montana for “present and future generations.” In the landmark and far-reaching decision authored by retiring Chief Justice Mike McGrath, the court overwhelmingly validated the earlier […]
‘Pay to pollute’ plan? Montanans have been there, done that
Ever since Congress enacted the Superfund law nearly half a century ago, the phrase “polluter pays” has meant that individuals corporations, or entities responsible for polluting the environment will be held liable for the costs to clean up their toxic disasters. But comes now president-elect Donald Trump’s promise that “polluter pays” has an entirely different […]
Mother Nature will continue to limit growth in Montana and the West
“For there is not sufficient water to supply the land.” – John Wesley Powell, 1893 The basic tenet of capitalism is that continuous growth is necessary for the economy. And indeed, our politicians from both major parties wholeheartedly and without question embrace the unrealistic concept that you can have infinite growth on a finite resource […]
The welcome demise of the ‘conservation’ collaboration fraud
One thing seems certain following the elections on the national and state level — resource-rich states like Montana are going to be on the edge of the bulldozer blade. That future will present daunting challenges to maintain the wild lands and clean rivers that continue to sustain the same native species that were present when […]
The great disengagement: Picking up the pieces and going home
“Did she make you cry Make you break down Shatter your illusions of love And is it over now do you know how To pick up the pieces and go home – Fleetwood Mac, “Gold Dust Woman,” Rumours, 1977 It’s been three weeks since the election that gave Republicans total control of government at […]
Ignoring climate change will not make it go away
Republicans have decided climate change is, as our incoming president claims, a “scam” and “Chinese hoax” intended to cripple the U.S. economy. Simply put, that’s hogwash and the evidence is stacking up day by day, year by year, disaster by disaster worldwide. Yet, at both the state and federal level the GOP majorities have budgetary […]
Montana Democrats must clean the house or go extinct
If “democracy was at stake” in the election, I guess we can conclude that democracy is toast, saddle pals. While there will be no shortage of whining and finger-pointing coming up in the foreseeable future, the grim fact is that the Democrats’ sorry “centrist” strategy has failed again — and the first convicted felon in […]
Election 2024 and the sounds of silence on important issues
By this time next week one of the worst election seasons in the nation’s history will be over. There are already plans being laid and voices being raised that, once again, intend to claim virtually non-existent voter fraud if a certain party or candidate doesn’t win. We’ll see how all that shakes out, but in […]
Red haze, blue smoke and money can’t buy you love
Here we are a couple weeks out from election day and Montanans find themselves struggling with red haze, blue smoke and a candidate finding out money can’t buy you love. The haze and smoke are not coming from the wildfire started by Governor Gianforte’s Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks and Department of Natural Resources […]
Gianforte is wrong: Montana is not a ‘product’ and government is not a ‘business’
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte has boasted that “Montana is an easy product to sell” and recently referred to himself as our state’s CEO. He’s dead wrong on both counts. Montana is a state, not a product — and government is not a business. We have elected officials whose duty it is to serve the people […]
What counts is the language of the law, not who wrote it
The recent brouhaha over trying to discover who was involved in a bill introduced in the Montana legislature is a huge distraction from what really matters — and that, in simplest terms, is the language that became law. Why? Because, in the end, it’s the language of the law that all Montanans will have to […]