Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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This Op-Ed is in response to Jim Buterbaugh’s last two Op-Ed submissions to the Whitehall Ledger in the last several weeks. First, Jim was correct in stating that we civilly discuss political topics and usually agree to disagree. Although once in a blue moon, we agree on an issue or two. I thank Jim for the past invigorating and civil discourse. Ok, enough with the pleasantries, let’s get down to the nitty gritty. In last week’s Ledger, Jim stated that Senator Tester voted against auditing the Federal Reserve Banks, but he did not cite the law...
Has anyone had a chance to read the Republican Party platform? Its policies are mostly a collection of vague talking points out of touch with reality. Anyone who has read this document and is capable of analytical thought has probably come to a conclusion similar to mine: that this manifesto, as a whole, is an unmitigated disaster waiting to happen. What is distressing is not what it contains but what is missing. First, let me briefly critique a few issues mentioned in the platform. The platform has a lot of feel-good talking points on...
Dear Editor, Any uninformed or misinformed extremists who are spoon-fed their political views can save time and stop reading this short op-ed. Go ahead and turn to the comics section of this publication. My intent is to reach out to individuals who are open-minded, exercise a little forethought, and, most of all, are able to think for themselves. This week I have several comments based on the 2024 Social Security Trustees Report which can be read at SSA.gov. Thanks to a stronger economy based on wage and job growth, more money than expected is...
Dear Editor, I have read some opposition views on CI126, CI127, and Rank Choice Voting (RCV) in the Whitehall Ledger recently. One opponent cited Ballotpedia's explanation of RCV to support his opposition view. So, I compared Ballotpedia's explanation to the opponent's letter and found some discrepancies. I believe the author of the most recent letter misinterpreted Ballotpedia's description of RCV. He implied in his letter that voters would have to go to the polls multiple times over a period o...
Dear Editor, This letter is in response to a letter published in the Whitehall Ledger's April 19, 2024 issue, submitted by the Jefferson County Republican Central Committee (JCRCC). The JCRCC's letter states its opposition to rank-choice voting and ties it to Constitutional Initiatives CI126 and CI127. My intent is to use reliable sources to define the meaning of these initiatives more clearly. If approved by the voters, CI126 would combine the Republican and Democratic primaries into one open...
Dear Editor, I read the three letters to the editor in the Ledger's February 21, 2024 publication. The following is a brief response to all three. Jan Lombardi's letter on the increased property tax problem was both informative and right on. The state dropped the ball on addressing this issue, no matter whose fault. It is an example of a political lack of foresight in mitigating issues before they become problems. State government should be proactive in governance, not reactive. Would anyone be...
Montana winters can be harsh. Harsh enough that some of us may desire a brief escape. Traveling south is the usual remedy and for five weeks I did just that. I spent most of this time backpacking through Patagonia in both Chile and Argentina. Needless to say, I experienced a mild yet interesting cultural shock. I arrived in Santiago, Chile's capital, and spent a few days exploring this sprawling city of seven million people before continuing south to Patagonia. The beautiful architecture of...
Dear Editor, I recently traveled out of state visiting family returning to find a sign I posted on my property destroyed. The sign, posted along the eastbound lane of I-90, stated "Embrace Democracy - Reject Trumpism." I salvaged a portion of the sign and re-erected it. I am disappointed that there are those who would commit an act of violence in order to suppress First Amendment rights of free speech because they do not agree with opposing views. However, suppressing different opinions is one...
Dear Editor, I recently attended a talk on Democracy at the Mansfield Center at the University of Montana featuring former congresswoman Liz Cheney and former governor Marc Racicot. Despite the self-inflicted chaos and commotion infecting our nation, their overall message was encouraging. Both speakers thought our country would be able to survive these times of conflict and controversy. However, they added that in order for our Democratic Republic to endure, all of us need to play a part in...
Montana’s 68th legislature is in session and is considering over 1300 bills to date. Most of us will only take note of a few high-profile bills that will have a direct and immediate impact on our lives. For example, tax relief bills, a couple of which will pass with little opposition. However, there is one bill if passed that could have significant, adverse, and long-term consequences for our state and country. This bill is flying under the radar with little or no attention. I’m referring to Senate Joint Resolution 2, (SJ 2). SJ 2 aims to inv...
Dear Editor, I recently read an article published by foxnews.com where Florida governor Ron DeSantis slams woke Disney. I also watched a PBS NewsHour segment where Governor DeSantis stated that Florida is where woke goes to die. So, what is woke? Woke may be defined as: “aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social injustice)” (Merriam-Webster 2017). Governor DeSantis general counsel, Ryan Newsome, when asked what woke means stated in a recent trial that “It would be the belief that...
Dear Editor, Will congress enact more corporate tax cuts now that Republicans have taken control of the House of Representatives? Will they extend current corporate tax cuts? How about tax cuts for the rest of us? That’s right, 95% of us do not own stocks and bonds. The bottom 95% of us on the income hierarchy are subject to individual federal tax rates that range from 10% to as high as 37%! What about us? I understand the necessity of paying taxes. Infrastructure, Social Security, Medicare, and the military are some of the necessary p...
Dear Editor, I am encouraged by the outcome of the midterm elections. Not because all the candidates and ballot issues I voted for succeeded, but because winners and losers alike were, for the most part, gracious and accepted the will of the people. Civility may be making a comeback in politics. In my opinion, Americans chose democracy over autocracy in this election. So, why did a forecasted red wave turn into a red tide? Simply look at candidate quality. Swing voters certainly looked at candidate quality. They may have viewed Democrats as...
Dear Editor, The first amendment of the constitution is a beautiful thing! Freedom of speech and religion is as important as the second amendment. Maybe more so. Recently, I observed the Freedom Convoy rolling by Whitehall on I-90 protesting mandatory Covid-19 restrictions. Whether your car has a Biden/Harris bumper sticker, or you are flying a Trump flag, I strongly support our right to free speech, to a point. However, when protests violate the rights of others by burning and looting at one or two BLM demonstrations, deliberately disrupting...
Dear Editor, The Salt Lake Tribune recently published a letter to the editor by a young Republican who stated that an overwhelming majority of young, college-age Republicans are in favor of conservative leadership on climate issues. He is a proponent of legislation that will expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure and promote clean energy technologies, like carbon capture. Access this letter at https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/letters/2022/01/19/letter-young-utah/. Well of course young men and women are for mitigating the climate crisis....
Dear Editor, The science has been conclusive for decades. The polar ice caps are melting. Sea levels and temperatures are rising. Forest fires, hurricanes, droughts, and flooding are increasing in intensity and frequency. The human-induced climate crisis is real and is escalating out of control. The federal government is not taking the crisis seriously enough. The Democrat mitigation policies and spending included in “Build Back Better” is a positive step, however, would it not be better if congress considered a stand-alone bill mitigating the...
Dear Editor, Freedom House, a non-profit NGO conducting research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom, and human rights, recently reported that US democracy is in decline and has been for the last decade. They urgently recommend reforms to reverse this nefarious trend toward authoritarian rule. They listed several reasons for our decline, which, in my opinion, can be summed up to the extreme forces in play on both ends of the political spectrum. The far-left liberals and the ultra-right-wing conservatives, neither of whom understand...
Dear Editor, Most of us would agree that we need to invest in our crumbling infrastructure. What we disagree on is defining infrastructure and how to pay for it. A conventional definition, which would include upgrading roads, bridges, rail, airports, clean water and sewage systems is certainly the bare minimum that is needed. However, in a modern and quickly changing world, doing just the bare minimum is not enough to remain competitive with China and the rest of the world. Infrastructure should also include research, development and...
Dear Editor, If passed by the voters, HB 325 would amend MCA 3-2-101 to do away with state at large elections for supreme court justices, and provide for elections in newly created separate districts. In my opinion, the bill is severely flawed. The current state at large elections grants citizens the right to vote for all seats on the court. HB 325 significantly erodes voting rights, by restricting individuals to vote for only one seat on the court for the district in which they reside. For this reason alone, this bill should be rejected....
