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At the recent Montana Republican Kickoff, something very strange happened. A GOP legislator from Billings suggested that he ought to be shot. Representative Rodney Garcia dropped a stink bomb in the middle of the gathering by insisting that it is our Constitutional duty to execute the socialists in our midst – or at the very least, lock them up in a dank dungeon somewhere. He sees them as too much of a danger for our free society to deal with if left on the loose. We need to ask our patriotic friend if he has looked at our Constitution l...
SEELEY LAKE - On Jan. 21 the Seeley Lake Elementary School Board voted 3 - 2 not to renew Superintendent Daniel Schrock’s contract. *See the Jan 30 edition of the Pathfinder for details* He is invited to re-apply. The hiring process has already begun and the school board is accepting applications. The hiring process is at minimum $8,000 and then another $4,000 is given to the selected applicant for moving expenses. This comes from your tax dollars. There is also the concern of starting over with new administration because it puts the kids in m...
We have a great school and staff at SLE. It makes me sad to see veteran teachers being smeared on social media and in the newspaper. I told myself I would take the high road, stay professional and not respond. But I can’t abide people who have no personal experience with me or my classroom saying hateful things about me and my fellow teachers. I’ve been a teacher for 30 years in three school districts under seven administrators. Never have I been accused of not doing my job or not being a team player. Quite the opposite actually. I love my job...
SEELEY LAKE - Members of SLE Board and To Whom It May Concern, As parents of a fourth grade student at Seeley Lake Elementary we would like to express our opposition on the motion to NOT renew Mr. Schrock’s contract. Understand that we have asked many questions and gathered as much info as possible including speaking with parents, teachers, students, Board members and Mr. Schrock. Since the presence of Mr. Schrock in our school system, we have seen a positive change in many of the children. Melissa substitutes on almost a weekly basis (for two...
SEELEY LAKE - A heartfelt Thank You to all who attended “A Western Burlesque Show.” Thank you for your support to the Seeley Lake Elementary Breakfast Program and Meals on Wheels for Seniors! I especially want to give my utmost gratitude to those who made it possible, including those who sponsored the event, created promotional material, decorated, donated desserts, helped setup, tear down and clean up. And most of all, thank you to all the actors and musicians who gave their time to practice their skits and made it possible for “The Show...
The Montana Water Rights Protection Act was recently introduced to the U.S. Senate as an “amendment” and “fix” to the flawed 2015 Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ Water Compact. Senator Dr. Al Olszewski of Kalispell, who is running for Montana State Governor, will not quit fighting for everyone’s rights. Senator Dr. Al understands. He is courageously offering a new solution. The solution to forego any sort of “fix” and to immediately create a Montana water rights defense fund. State sovereignty is clearly under siege. Citizens across...
This is a response to last week’s letter to the editor from Joan, regarding her response to an article the previous week regarding the impeachment proceedings. While I respect you both and acknowledge that both articles were passionately written, written according to both of your beliefs, I would suggest that it may be time in this country for us all to just step back and take a deep breath. I am neither taking a position to defend the president, nor the Democratic party for attempting to impeach him. As to our Constitution, I suggest we leave...
SEELEY LAKE - As Grandparents and community members of Seeley Lake we are very concerned and upset with the fact that our Superintendent will not have his contract renewed after only five months at Seeley Lake Elementary. We want to know what specific written expectations he was given when hired and what he needed to accomplish in this past five months to justify his contract not being renewed? What are the expectations that he did not accomplish in the five months that validate his contract not being renewed? It cost more than $8,000 and now...
Montanans save an estimated $37 million annually since we outlawed payday loan products and services in 2010. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is currently looking to roll back a common-sense rule that would ensure that borrowers can repay their loans before they sign on the dotted line. Short of a statewide payday loan interest rate cap, as our state and several other states have implemented, the rule was supposed to help keep average everyday people out of the debt trap. Luckily, some members of Congress are leading a bill that would...
Senator Daines seeks to create better public banking. Postal Banking would help Montanans gain better access to banking services. Federal law requires one post office per zip code, but this isn’t the same expectation for banks. US Postal Service can already complete banking services like check cashing and money orders; this bill would allow them to offer bank accounts and even offer short-term, small dollar loans. Representative Gianforte wants to stop robocalls by requiring telecommunications companies to “implement call authentication tec...
I have always believed that a good laugh is excellent therapy for a multitude of ailments. Because of that belief I wish to thank you for the occasional humor column you have added to the Pathfinder. I am of course referencing the letters from Roxie Sterling. I do however hope you will replace them with something humorous and enlightening as well....
I am writing to thank Seeley Lake residents for sharing the true meaning of Christmas with children in need this past holiday season. Because of the generosity of donors in Seeley Lake and across the United States, Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, collected more than 8.9 million shoebox gifts in 2019. Combined with those collected from partnering countries in 2019, the ministry is now sending 10,569,405 shoebox gifts to children worldwide. Through shoeboxes—packed with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene ite...
We all have our opinions. The hate you speak of - is that the same that you feel for the Democrats and those Republicans who are standing up for our Constitution of the United States of America? Do you really want our country to be ruled by a “king” who got his way into our government with the help of another country whose ruler he owes a debt? YOU are destroying our Constitution by supporting him. He is now trying to get support from another foreign country to put him in again for another four years so he can take over our country and rule us...
In water law, the most important thing is getting your water. Montana’s Senator Steve Daines has introduced the Montana Water Rights Protection Act (MWRPA) to provide federal settlement of the water rights claims of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT). Without this legislation, Montana will face years of expensive litigation and uncertainty in trying to resolve these claims and will assuredly reach a worse conclusion. This is due to the undeniable fact that in water law, a settlement allows you to structure protection for j...
The Democrats, the mainstream media and some Republicans have brought shame to the United States of America because of their hate for our President Donald Trump. Our President has exposed the evil of the deep state swamp and they hate him for it. Their hate of President Trump has deranged these people and their behavior has become irrational. I have never seen such lies, despicable words and actions against any other president before. If any other president had accomplished as much as President Trump, (mostly alone, I might add) there would be...
There are 21,000 Montanans living with Alzheimer’s disease, which is a growing public health crisis that threatens to bankrupt America. In 2019, caring for individuals living with Alzheimer’s or other dementias cost an estimated $290 billion. That is why I am joining the Alzheimer’s Association in thanking Senator Tester for voting to include an additional $350 million for Alzheimer’s research in the government’s 2020 budget. As someone whose family has been touched by Alzheimer’s disease several times, I understand the enormous burden this dis...
Life is something everyone reading this has. Where did it begin? Many of us wonder, many of us trust it is from God, and most of us can agree that it is sacred. I’d like to write briefly of what this means to me and invite you to come pray for life. Life begins at conception. But along the way there are many temptations to end this life. There are so many pressures for young parents to stop what has started and ‘wait until they are ready’. Let me tell you, you are never ready to be a parent. This is a process, not a moment. And it is amazi...
Montana’s national parks are some of the best in the country, but they desperately need repairs. Parks across our county, like those in Montana, are facing unreliable funding, record visitation and aging infrastructure. That’s why I am encouraged by a bipartisan proposal in Congress to address the $12 billion in national parks deferred maintenance. The Restore Our Parks Act (ROPA) would set aside $6.5 billion over the next five years to fix dilapidated trails, buildings, roads, bridges, monuments and historic markers in our parks. Ama...
SEELEY LAKE - The so-called “worst case scenario” monthly estimate for the sewer project? Yes, that is the worst case scenario for me, a resident in Phase 1. The following is part of a letter I sent to the Seeley Lake Sewer District Board Sept. 22, 2019. My comments for the Phase 1 sewer proposal: 1. I am not opposed to a sewer system for the business areas. I am opposed to making it mandatory for residences in Phase 1. 2. There must be an equitable way to address residences in Phase 1. 3. I am a single, 73-year-old woman living in a 500 squ...
SEELEY LAKE - I was sorry to have missed the sewer board meeting Thursday night due to an out of town trip. However, I heard Friday morning that it is going to be $130 per month per hook up. We probably won’t go broke with this fee but it is going to seriously impact the family that rents our extra lot. This fee will double their rent. I am sure that someone will be wondering why we would raise their rent to cover it, why not just absorb this increased expense? The answer is, the taxes already take six months of the rent and the balance goes t...
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe (CSKT) Water Compact took over a decade to negotiate with water users on and off with the CSKT nation. The CSKT will protect the rights of water users across Montana. It passed the Montana Legislature with bipartisan support and was signed by the governor in 2015. All major ag organizations support the CSKT. The first letter I sent as President of Montana Farmers Union was to Senator Daines asking him to reintroduce the CSKT Water Compact. Senator Tester had introduced the CSKT Water Compact to the Sen...
Montanans, it’s time to pay attention. In 2020, the person we elect to be our next governor will determine the fate of our public lands. On the ballot for governor of the state of Montana next year is mega-millionaire Greg Gianforte. He’s already run for governor once, and lost—in part because of his disastrous record on public lands. Before Gianforte ran for office, he was best known as a rich out-of-stater from New Jersey who sued the people of Montana in 2009 in an attempt to block Montanans from accessing a public river next to his prope...
I’d like to congratulate John Rice on his letter “Reopen National Forest Roads” run in the Nov. 7 issue of the Seeley Swan Pathfinder. He hit the nail on the head with a four-pound hammer. I lived for a short time near Thompson Falls and enjoyed rid’n my horse behind several gated roads look’n for stinky elk. Then along came the Forest Service and destroyed them. And I do mean destroyed them. You can’t even walk on them. At least you’d think they had enough sense to leave a walking path with the machine’s bucket. Like my dear mother used to...
Trump said when he got elected he would drain the swamp. He got duly elected by the American people. President Trump then began to drain the swamp. When you drain the swamp, the swamp animals are exposed. Adam Schiff reminds me of a swamp alligator, out to devour anyone that gets in his way. Alligator Schiff is hungry for attention, hungry for power, hungry for fame and hungry to fill his own belly. Nancy Pelosi reminds me of a swamp snake, subtle, sneaky but deadly just the same. Then there are the swamp rats. The swamp rats are always there...
In response to Seeley Swan Pathfinder’s Oct. 24 article titled “Illegal access to Forest Service roads needs community solution” as requested by Seeley Lake District Ranger Quinn Carver. The solution is as per my previous discussion with Mr. Carver. Simply, open up public lands to the public. The National Forest Service has closed thousands of public access roads to the taxpaying public for years using one environmental excuse after another. The result is always the same, once closed they never reopen. The destruction caused by the Rice Ridge...
