Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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Dear Editor, Last week I wrote a letter to the editor stating that “politicians lie.” I need to correct that thought. While we are used to politicians saying one thing to get elected and then doing another in office, that reference was too broad. In Montana, we are fortunate enough to have representatives in office who say what they will do and then do as they say. Or at least try to. This last session we were fortunate enough to have many. Theresa Manzella, Becky Beard, and Marta Bertoglio to name a few. I apologize to these people who are...
Dear Editor, Our country was built on the Constitution and Bill of Rights. It cannot survive the days when the government places itself above the people it governs. Our representatives that we elect are meant to be just that, OUR representatives. Not Washington's. The Governor we elect is OUR Governor, not Washington's representative. If you have any doubts about the wonders of our life under the laws that our forefathers created, look at other countries. Look at the life they have today. Look at the life they have lived in history. Skim throug...
On Sunday, October 15th, the Jefferson County Republican Central Committee held its annual Fall Harvest Festival at the Keffler Ranch, and what a dinner it was! 175 attendees enjoyed an evening that started with a Happy Hour to meet and mingle with the hosts and sponsors while Lance Handyside provided some great country music. The special speaker for the night was Nick Adams. Many stated that they were so busy listening to Nick that they forgot to take pictures. Nick Adams is the founder and CEO of the Foundation for Liberty and American...
Dear Editor, What is a Living Constitution? Since I have gotten political (my youngest daughter’s fault), I have heard from time to time references to the Constitution as a living document. I have always thought of the Constitution as the law of the land. What our great country was based on and without it, the United States would just be another kingdom or worse. And of course, the only way to understand something is to learn about it. After many hours of researching Living Constitution I have come to the conclusion that it basically means that...
Dear Editor, Whether you are for or against the Convention of States (COS), please take a moment to read this and consider heavily what I have to say. I was at the Helena Capital building to absorb the words of others and testify against the COS. As I listened to those in support, I could feel the strength of their belief. They talked of budget requirements, term limits, and restricting the federal government. That sounds so compelling, doesn't it? The supporters stated that those who oppose...
Dear Editor, One of the jobs the House side of Congress has is to plan a budget for the government to operate the following year. They are required to have this budget presented for a vote by the end of September, thirty days before the end of the fiscal year on October 31. Unfortunately, over the decades, those in charge have figured out that they can put it off until after the fiscal year ends and force a vote on a budget package that has little to do with the budget of the United States. This year is no different. Except for this year, the...
Dear Editor, Well now, this is different. I know that my letters are usually long, but this is in response to the letter last week wondering whether or not big corporations were going to get any more tax breaks when the republicans take charge of the house next month. I tire of this misleading dribble. I have a suggestion and this is to everybody, do not listen to the dribble from either party. When you hear garbage about anything in politics, Google it. Quick, easy, and very informative. Corporate welfare or research and development subsidies...
Dear Editor, As Vladimir Lenin said: control education, control the future. Well, it was something to that effect. Other nations understand this and use it to some extent in the United States. But no one has influenced education in the U.S. as China has. And yet most parents in America are unaware. A 2021 Lawfare Project poll notes that almost 60% do not know that China and other countries are major contributors to colleges. In 2021, the University of Houston received $32 million dollars from the Dalian Maritime University, which is run by the...
Dear Editor, A new alphabet soup set of initials has been floating around recently, ESG (Environment, Social, Governance). Simply put, this is the cooperation of the United Nations, countries, and corporations to change the world. Obviously, it is not stated that way. Environmental changes include moving to wind and solar from fossil fuels, and electric vehicles from gas. Social includes racial, gender, and economic equity, which includes diversity training for employees; and of course, gun control. Notice it is no longer about equality....
Dear Editor, The Dangers of Halloween: Halloween. Boy, oh boy. What great memories. As a child of the 60s (the 1960s) my brother Bob and I spent the days before Halloween planning what to be. Of course, I had been a Cowboy, Ghost, Soldier, and Cop. These are the ones I can remember. As an older kid, I went as a girl. The norm back then. Going door to door as a kid to get a variety of little candies seemed awesome. The best were the people that made popcorn balls, brownies, and caramel apples. I remember my mom having to check the homemade...
Dear Editor, I read with interest and sadness the Letter to the Editor (LTE) in the September 28th issue of the Whitehall Ledger from John Driscoll of Helena. It started off so well. He wrote about how all political parties and most media are about convenience to their agenda, whichever side their loyalties lie with. Obviously true. He refers to them as ‘grasstops’ politics, as opposed to ‘grassroots’ politics. Then he went on to label about every type of Montanan there is, thankfully omitting race, ethnicity, and sexual preference. The onl...
Dear Editor, Commissioner Bob Mullen is a wealth of information when it comes to mental health. He worked for the State for 15 years at the Addiction and Mental Health Department. He has helped to bring mental health training to county employees. I sat with him to see what was going on in mental healthcare at the county level. The State has started the Regional Community Mental Health Centers. So far, they are in Great Falls, Missoula, Billings, and Miles City with plans to expand. The Montana Association of Counties offers health and human...
Coming from a family which has been involved in every war from World War 1 to Vietnam, holidays honoring our military and civilian personnel during wartime past and present have always had a special place in my mind and heart. But none more than Memorial Day. It has been my honor for the past few years to stand with my fellow Whitehall area Veterans within the American Legion, and Veterans of Foreign Wars Honor Guard, at funerals and functions. This year as we stood on a windy, rainy, cold Monday, in line behind the graves of the fallen, my...
Dear Editor For the last two years, I have been following our County Commissioner (Leonard Wortman) around, getting an idea of how the system works and what is being done to Improve our little heaven in the United States. In doing this, I had the pleasure of meeting Lindsey Graham. Not the politician, but a gal working with the Jefferson Local Development Corporation (JLDC). When I visited with her, she told me that they were working to improve the daycare problem in Whitehall and Boulder. Daycare has become a problem nationwide since both...
When I ran for Senate District 38 in 2020, I spent a lot of time following the happenings in Jeff County and what all it took to make the county function. While I lost by 57 votes, I got an education on what goes on behind the curtain in keeping the county operating. Being county commissioner is no easy task if you do it right. I had always thought of it as roads, bridges, the dump, and using your money to pay the bills. But it is so much more. To do this right, you have to be actively involved...
Dear Editor, For years we have watched as our government becomes less involved with our southern border. Now it is to the point where the border is wide open. People are coming into this country and we have no idea where they are from, what they have done in the past, or what their intentions are. Many I know talk about the lives these people are leaving behind. The poverty, the threats from gangs, the crimes, and the sufferings they live through. What they do not want to hear about is the crime coming in with an open border. And it is an open...
Dear Editor, In the Whitehall Ledger on 3/23/22, there was an opinion piece by Jim Smith of the Daily Montanan pointing out Congressman Rosendale’s no votes. When Matt ran for office, one of the platforms he ran on was costs. When it comes to saving the taxpayer money, Matt is no stranger. As Montana Insurance Commissioner, he trimmed the fat and saved the Montana taxpayer a chunk of dough. Mr. Smith compared Congressman Rosendale’s no votes to a child suffering from arrested development. Then he threw in a bunch of bills that Matt voted no on....
Dear Editor, THE STICK AND THE CARROT: Dishonesty in politics is a given. Those running for office have always whispered sweet nothings into our ears (the carrot). Promises that once in office, they either can’t convert or they just blow them off (the stick). The carrot is also used to get public support for passing a bill. The bill is introduced by the talking heads heralding the good parts (the carrot), but you never hear about the sticks. The Build Back Better Act is no different. This bill is 2,135 pages. You have no doubt heard of the c...
No sex, lots of lies and plenty of video tape... “The judge. The jury. The defendant. It’s white supremacy in action. This system isn’t built to hold white supremacists accountable. It’s why Black and brown folks are brutalized and put in cages while white supremacist murderers walk free. I’m hurt. I’m angry. I’m heartbroken,” said Cori Bush, Congresswoman for the state of Missouri, after the Rittenhouse not guilty verdict was delivered. I have learned to never take any news report or talking points from any talking head at face value. Nat...
Dear Editor, In last week’s paper, I read with sadness a letter to the editor comparing election laws to Jim Crowe laws. I say sadness because this person has absolutely no idea what the Jim Crowe laws were. She was just parroting a political talking point. A talking point that is a lie and meant to do nothing more than divide the citizens of this country. Montana election laws, new and old, do nothing to stop anybody from voting. Need an ID? You can not do anything without an ID; voting should be the one thing that you have to prove who you a...
Dear Editor, Years ago, there was a battle about water meters, I remember it like it was yesterday. It helped to push me into the world of politics (damn it!) Lots of people were upset because water meters were being installed and they didn’t have a say. They didn’t know it was coming. I went to many council meetings arguing against the meters. Then one of the members told me I should check out the history of ‘meter meetings’. I found out that the meters had been discussed for more than 2 YEARS. I found out that notices about meters were se...
I read with interest last week’s letter to the Editor about the Senate and House bills that will endanger public lands. I have been watching what goes on in Helena and for the life of me, I didn’t remember any of those bills on the agenda. So, I decided to look them up; I will do this in the order of their claims. Let’s start with HB320. The claim was “a bill to pave the way to transfer public lands out of public hands.” When I looked HB320 up, I found that it was actually “AN ACT PROHIBITING FUTURE SALES OF LAND GRANTED OR TRANSFERRED...
By now I am sure that anyone who watches the news has seen the spat about the revamping of Georgia’s voting laws. I listened as the President stood at the podium and made many claims about the bill – calling it Jim Crow on steroids. That is anti-American. I see now that the MLB has pulled the “All Star Game” because of it. It that warranted? Major companies are squawking. Warranted? I heard a lot from both sides, so I decided to look at the bill for myself. All 94 boring, word salad pages. Let’s look at the questions one at a time. CLAIM: Po...
Picture yourself standing on a scenic overlook, overlooking the Rio Grande at four in the morning in the Texas town of Roma. Next to you is a Counterterrorism Specialist. Across the river is the town of Miguel Aleman, Mexico and you can hear the rapid fire of automatic weapons, the boom of grenades and smaller caliber weapons mixed in. It is a war zone. It sounds intense and long lasting. This a is a battle for control between two rival cartels, The Gulf Cartel and the Las Zeta Cartel. This is not the scene from a movie. This is a segment from...
This is not going to be sugar coated for the sake of the "woke". Growing up through the 60s and 70s, I have seen the struggles of what being a different color means. I witnessed what being of a different sexual orientation created. This was a time when real 'woke' people were working to rid our nation of the ugliness of racism. A time where people realized that being female didn't solely mean that you had to get married, have kids and meet the hubby at the door with his pipe, a drink, and his...
