Sorted by date Results 697 - 721 of 1188
Medicaid expansion through I-185 is a bad deal for Montanans and presents serious issues for future legislative sessions and state budget discussions. In 2015 when Medicaid expansion was passed, there were months of heated debate between both sides. It was eventually passed but only after both sides agreed to include a “sunset clause” that provided a statutory appropriation through 2019 and would require the 2019 legislative session to re-approve the program. This was done so that the legislature could take a serious look at the pro...
Imagine a ballot initiative that would give every citizen in Montana $1,000 each year. That initiative would be very popular and would likely pass. But with a $1 billion price tag, it would result in a serious deficit for our state budget and require massive tax increases or cuts to other services. The authors of our Montana Constitution were wise to prevent these types of situations from occurring. Monetary appropriations by ballot initiative allow special interests to use the initiative process to reap windfalls of tax dollars and could bust...
The word ‘bamboozled’ isn’t one we use often nor is it understood anymore. However, if I-186 passes we’ll get a darn good reminder of its proper use. Bamboozled means the use of a ploy, ruse or scheme to achieve a specific goal. An example would be, “Tom Sawyer ‘bamboozled’ the neighborhood boys into doing it for him.” The proponents behind I-186 are presenting it as a much-needed solution, when in reality I-186 creates more problems than it solves. I-186 is a proposal to stop the future of mining in Montana that is being pushed almost e...
I am a proud Montanan and a veteran, and I support voter initiative I-185. About one in ten Montanans is a veteran, one of the highest per capita representation among all the states in America. Including the less fortunate among us Montanans, an estimated 9,500 veterans stand to lose their current healthcare coverage through Medicaid if I-185 does not pass. As a veteran I know first hand the sacrifices made by those who chose to serve our country, and the least we can do is provide healthcare coverage to those who have given up so much for our...
Imagine that you are returning to your vehicle after a day of hunting with your child. Before you put your rifle in the gun rack, you push the safety off to open the bolt and remove the round in the chamber. The moment you hear the click of the safety mechanism the rifle goes off in your hands. The bullet ricochets and kills your child standing nearby. Imagine the damage a bullet designed to bring down an elk will do to a nine-year-old boy. It’s a memory I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. Sound crazy? It happened. Something similar hap...
I strongly support Alex Beal for Justice of the Peace. Not only is he highly qualified but his opponent, the current judge, is an embarrassment to the judiciary. Alex has been a prosecutor, public defender and attorney in private practice for 13 years. He serves as an assistant Municipal Court Judge in Missoula and has proven that he can keep a court functioning efficiently, handling a high volume docket with minimal wait. His opponent has made a mess of her court. She is frequently unexpectedly absent, throwing the court calendar into chaos. T...
Lee Bridges may be more prepared to run for the Montana Legislature than any other past or current candidate. She hit the ground running in February, right after registering for House District 92. Since then, Lee has been meeting people from all walks of life every week in the Swan Valley, Seeley Lake, Bonner and East Missoula areas. I’ve seen Lee at several community events, meetings and businesses, face-to-face at the Hungry Bear and most recently at Liquid Louie’s. I’ve watched her chatting with just about everyone, listening and getti...
As a pediatrician, I am alarmed by statistics that show that a rapidly rising number – now 30 percent – of Montana teenagers are using e-cigarettes or vaping. Without prompt action to reduce the appeal of these new tobacco products to teens, we’ll be raising the next generation of nicotine-addicted kids. We know nicotine exposure in adolescence can harm the developing brain. As a society, we all pay the millions in health care costs associated with tobacco use. Aerosols involved in e-cigarette use are harmful; they contain heavy metals and o...
As a firearms owner and active big game hunter for more than 55 years, the right to own firearms is important to me. Recently, I saw a Greg Gianforte television ad attacking Kathleen Williams’ position on firearms. A pistol-packing young woman claimed that if Williams is elected as Montana’s congressional representative, she would take away her right to defend herself. Not only is this misleading, it is an outright lie! I have gotten to know Kathleen during her campaign, and have had in-depth conversations with her about her position on fir...
One name to remember when voting this fall is Lee Bridges, who is running for House District 92, which includes Condon, Seeley Lake, Greenough, Potomac, Bonner, East Missoula and surrounding areas. I first met Lee 25 years ago when I was a building inspector checking the electrical and heating system that Lee had installed in her shop. That’s right, she did all of the work herself, to a level of perfection and craftsmanship that I had rarely seen before or since. Actually, I was so amazed that a novice was so good at this trade, that I e...
There are three contested statewide races on the ballot this year: US Senate, US Congress and a third one that receives little public attention, Clerk of the MT Supreme Court. While the office is obscure to most people, it fulfills an important role. The Clerk is charged by state statute with managing files and cases, overseeing the appellate process and keeping the Court’s records. The Clerk also licenses Montana’s attorneys, issues writs and certificates and protects public access to court records. Rex Renk has been part of this office for...
Montana is a state in which 10 percent of our population are veterans and a high percentage are 65 years of age or older. While serving in the Montana Legislature, Matt Rosendale supported privatizing the Columbia Falls Veterans’ Home. He also opposed a new veterans’ home in Butte. Montana is about one-third federal public lands, over 27 million acres. Real estate developer Rosendale is on record advocating transferring these federal public lands to the state, which could then be sold, and then posted “No Trespassing, Keep Out.” In general...
Healthcare policy is at the top of many Montanans concerns as we enter the upcoming elections and rightfully so. Democrats’ first opportunity at addressing our healthcare system has obviously failed with the Affordable Care Act. Premiums have spiked and there is no certainty for consumers in the individual marketplace. Many Montanans are choosing to remain uninsured, instead of struggling to pay the ridiculous price tag associated with healthcare coverage. Without the Trump Administration’s clear “repeal and replace” plan, those on both si...
As a veteran, I am honored that this country is so dedicated to supporting those of us who have served. It's clear that this nation's commitment to help our veterans is natural and automatic. It's part of our creed, built into our culture and is one of many things that makes America so great. It’s unfortunate when this instinct is taken advantage of by special interests who use veterans as political props to sway voters to support bad laws. This is exactly what's happening in Montana with Ballot Initiative 185. The supporters of I-185 just rele...
Twenty-nine years ago my family was blessed with a beautiful baby boy who we named Jesse. He came to us with an extra 21 chromosome which makes him has Down Syndrome. He has brought joy and happiness to our lives. In our eyes, Jesse is perfect! People like Matt Rosendale don't see our son in the same way. While in the Montana legislature Matt Rosendale voted against HB318 which required health insurers to cover certain therapies for children affected with this genetic disorder. Rosendale obviously believes it is more important to save...
When I voted for the Montana Health and Economic Livelihood Partnership (HELP) Act, also known as Medicaid Expansion, in 2015, I did so for two reasons. First, to ensure that vulnerable Montanans had access to affordable health coverage. Second, to ensure that we were giving those same people the skills they need to get higher-paying jobs so they would no longer need to rely on government assistance. I continue to support Medicaid Expansion but I do not support Ballot Initiative 185 (I-185). I ask that you join me this November and vote NO on...
The color of a person’s skin is beauty created by the Hand of God. It’s not a person’s skin color that I pay attention to. It’s the color of their heart. Are people coming to America to be Americans or are they coming to take over America? Here is a thought. Instead of turning illegal aliens loose in our country never to report back to court, let’s place them in the homes of those who want open borders. Bring them home to their wife and children and pay for their food, clothing, medical, and education, and see that they get back to court. My...
HELMVILLE - I just returned from the Helmville Rodeo. I stood in silent prayer with several hundred people, every single person there stood with their hand over their heart as some little gal with the voice of a meadow lark sang our national anthem – while another one stood up on a barrel and did sign language for the audience. The tears that ran down my cheeks made me a proud man. I shall watch the NFL no more forever. Thank you God, thank you America and thank you Helmville, Montana....
The people of the United States of America have big hearts and open arms. That is a good thing if we also use common sense. I’m concerned about open borders and illegal aliens. I am not against people of different colors or race. One of my children is Asian American and I have African American, Native American, White, Asian and Mexican family members. Our foster children also were of different nationalities. Having said that, we must realize that we cannot allow illegal aliens to cross our borders. We need the wall and more law enforcement t...
I am writing in reply to Waldron’s letter criticizing and denigrating the owners of the Pathfinder before Andi and Nathan took over. Waldron has a very short memory. The previous owners were our daughter and her husband, Caroline and Dwight Jenkins. They increased the number of pages from the eight cited by Waldron to 24 at times. Dwight spent most of his time taking, publishing and winning awards for his photographs. Caroline introduced colored photographs for the first time. The paper during their ownership won multiple awards for its article...
I’d like to thank the Pathfinder and Biologist Scott Eggeman for last week’s excellent column exploring the history, ecology and growing importance of beavers. As we increasingly face the unpredictable stresses of fires, droughts and floods, I appreciate Eggeman’s nod to the rodent’s keystone role in a resilient ecosystem. I’m thrilled to know that Torrey Ritter will be helping FWP to integrate beavers into the agency’s goals for watershed health and native fish recovery. Since much beaver habitat is currently unoccupied in our region, I c...
We are fortunate here in Seeley Lake to have an award-winning newspaper published by two excellent journalists, Nathan and Andi Bourne, with the help of an impressive staff. As good journalists, they don’t invent the news, they just report it, even when it’s distasteful news. That is their duty and what we pay them to do. Shoot, they even publish criticisms of themselves. That’s integrity. There is too much negativity toward the news media around the country and even globally. This sad state is being encouraged by politicians pandering to th...
When I wrote my letter last week stating my support of the US Forest Service, the Seeley Lake Ranger District and the District Ranger, I intended it to be on the more general level in an attempt to offer a perspective of what government is, or rather isn’t, by stating it is not a business and should never be operated as a business, and the difficulties our land management agencies are facing now with severe budget cuts. With this much shorter letter I bring it to the local level. We are incredibly fortunate to have Rachel Feigley as the D...
The Pathfinder dated Aug. 30, 2018 certainly contained a great deal of controversial opinions on a variety of subjects. Those that seemed to generate the most emotion had to do with the petition regarding the way OUR ranger district is being run. We had just gone through an incredibly bad year of a fire that nearly cost us the very town we call home, followed by an incredibly good or bad snow year (depending on your winter activities). The beginning of our tourist season found that approximately 30 percent of the campsites available for our...
I’d like to thank Heather Richards for her heartfelt commentary “Strong Enough to Bend” in last week’s Pathfinder. Understanding the post-fire perspective of someone who has spent more than 30 years traversing the trails in the Bob Marshall Wilderness is very valuable. Her commentary demonstrates courage and flexibility. Wilderness is by definition, wild, chaotic and unpredictable. Without the wildness of grizzlies, bull trout and yes, wildfires, we lose our wildness. In federally designated wilderness areas, we humans don’t always get to de...
