Two bookends – the Republicans’ $1.9 trillion tax breaks on one end, the Democrats’ COVID relief package on the other – show how the parties differ March 8, 2021, 8:46 AM MST By Steve Benen At a superficial level, the Democrats’ COVID relief package and the Republicans’ 2017 tax cuts share some similarities. They both cost […]

“March 6, 2021 Heather Cox Richardson Mar 7 Today, after almost 24 hours of debate, the Senate passed the American Rescue Plan, designed to help America rebuild after the scorched-earth devastation of the coronavirus pandemic. The vote was 50 to 49, with all the Democrats voting yes and all the Republicans voting no. Senator Dan […]

Montana has generally been more thoughtful and reasoned in approaches to wildlife management than neighboring states. Unfortunately this tradition is vanishing with the onslaught of bills this legislative session permitting more unethical ways to kill more wolves and bears. Legislators are running far afield of past ethical wildlife practices and protections. Bills that have been […]

We are halfway through Montana’s short legislative session, and Montanans are still waiting for Republican legislators and Gov. Gianforte to get to work on creating the jobs and economic recovery they promised during the campaign season. In their absence, Democrats have led the way. Montanans are still reeling from the pandemic and expect legislators to […]

By MARK REYNOLDS AND KRISTEN WALSER Guest columnists A few weeks into the new administration, the federal government is off to a roaring start on climate change. Democrats have indicated climate change is a priority issue they intend to tackle. President Biden signed a raft of executive orders related to climate change, elevating the issue […]

GOP gives daily displays of hypocrisy in Helena “I want to support Montana’s values!” “We can’t have Washington DC telling us what is right for Montana!” I have heard these statements during every election cycle since I have lived in Montana for over 40 years. So, it is interesting to note that the current Republicans […]

By BECKY EDWARDS Guest columnist This week, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee advanced Congresswoman Deb Haaland’s nomination as Secretary of the Interior to the Senate floor for a final vote with bipartisan support. Rep. Haaland would be the very first Native American to hold this position. We have just two words to sum […]

The radical, short sighted Senate Bill 140 grants in a Montana governor — whether Republican or Democrat — the power to single handedly appoint judges to the district courts of Montana without the oversight of the people. It eliminates the judicial oversight committee composed of Montana citizens from all walks, poisons the judiciary with the […]

Making ranked choices is easy — we do it every day. When the store runs out of our first choice of candy, we choose our second. We also have third and fourth preferences, giving us a range of options that make us happy. With ranked choice voting, we can apply the same preference based advantage […]

The 1099’s have been coming in and I have been working on taxes. The “former guy’s” avoidance, disdain, and possibly criminal evasion of taxes troubles me greatly. True, in order to have food, shelter, clothing, communications, and other essentials, I need to have money in my bank account. I need it there because occasionally I […]