Sorted by date Results 528 - 552 of 1183
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...
SEELEY LAKE - Sewer District residents have an opportunity to again protest against the proposed sewer project. The District’s engineering firm is asking to schedule meetings with residents to identify septic and line locations assuming incorrectly it has passed muster with residents. If you are opposed to the project DO NOT SCHEDULE an appointment with Great West Engineering. Let the Sewer Board know it needs to look at the alternatives....
ELBOW LAKE - There are so many things to love about the people and places around Elbow Lake. But in 1970, when our family bought 160 acres and an old homestead cabin from one of the early residents, what impressed us most was how business was often done with a handshake. These days, though, that handshake has been replaced with head-shaking and hand-wringing. Common sense and clear communication have given way to obfuscation and inaccuracy, most recently in the “Environmental Assessment of the Removal and Remediation of Elbow Lake Dam.” For...
It is a breath of fresh air when members of congress put partisanship aside and work across the aisle. I applaud Republican Senator Daines and Democratic Senator Tester for championing the reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) in February and recently supporting an amendment for full, dedicated funding of LWCF in FY2020. Congressman Gianforte needs to support the bipartisan bill in the House that would also provide full, dedicated funding. LWCF is NOT funded by taxpayers. It was a common-sense, bi-partisan commitment...
Commissioner Josh Slotniks’ suggestion that Seeley Lake create a Business Improvement District suggests a certain naivete, or to use a football metaphor, a rookie mistake. Seeley’s business community seems fine. That we have to commute to Missoula for better prices and cheaper gas is another subject. Mr. Slotnik does not appear to understand the underpinnings of a healthy a rural community. First, most rural residents reside where they live by choice. They do not want the hustle and bustle of a Missoula. Second, any community to prosper needs a...
ELBOW LAKE - I am a leaseholder at Elbow Lake, responding to the draft Environmental Assessment (EA) regarding the proposed removal of the Elbow Lake “dam” (more accurately “weir”). My lot is situated below the weir, so I may be personally less affected than some of my fellow Elbow Lake cabin owners. Nevertheless, while I support the goal of upstream bull trout passage, I am opposed to removal of the weir for the following reasons. 1. Elbow Lake has existed as a lake at least since the mid-1950s, when some of the first state leases were is...
ELBOW LAKE - This letter is a response to the Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) of the proposed removal and remediation of Elbow Lake Dam. The project title itself is a contradiction to the proposal because the title refers to the name of what the state wants to eliminate, Elbow Lake. I have had my State Lease on Elbow Lake since 1998. I acquired it from my friend Anna Lukens who had the lease since leases were created at Elbow Lake in the mid 1950’s. It was called Elbow Lake, with emphasis on the word “Lake” because it had been a lake since...
