Columns

Twice a year - every year - we succumb. In the spring we spring and in the fall we fall. Seriously, you couldn’t make this stuff up. Somewhere, at sometime, someone (supposedly a real person) invented the practice. It probably made sense at the time.. And time is exactly what we are talking about here. The daylight of time. The saving of time.  Daylight saving time. What does that even mean, really?  Are we saving the daylight? There is only so much of it to go around, and no way - in any way - can any of us bank time or to put it in a safe place for later use. Performing a switcheroo of the numbers that describe the time does nothing to impact the actual d...

In our minds, Montana is already the greatest state in the nation. However, our state will be even greater by the end of the 2025 legislative session. At the halfway point of the session, the Senate is working harder than ever to move critical legislation across the finish line and keep Montana the Last Best...

In Montana, the following statement rings true now more than ever: “Whiskey is for drinking, and water is for fighting.” Although the quote is often misattributed to Mark Twain, the adage’s creator was highlighting a perennial issue in governance out west – water rights. In 2025, exem...

In Montana, the following statement rings true now more than ever: “Whiskey is for drinking, and water is for fighting.” Although the quote is often misattributed to Mark Twain, the adage’s creator was highlighting a perennial issue in governance out west – water rights. In 2025, exem...

To provide a better understanding of what climate change means for Montanans, we are hosting a new monthly series, entitled Montana Climate Matters. Each month, you’ll hear from experts knowledgeable about climate science, impacts, and solutions.  Our goal in this endeavor is to facilitate unders...

It’s hard to predict which direction the 2025 Montana State Legislature will take. One path encourages Montanans to be divided and angry, fighting for scraps and looking for scapegoats. The other is a path towards prosperity, freedom, and a better future. Legislators who would trample Montanans&rsqu...

Serving 16 years in the Montana legislature taught me much about the do’s and don’ts of crafting a state budget. Legislators are charged with deciding how to use hard-earned Montana taxpayer dollars to make government work for the people. It was our job as legislators – Republicans and Demo...

Montana is at a crossroads in our management of wildlife. We will either maintain our decades-long tradition in which everyone has equal opportunity to enjoy our public wildlife, or we hand control to a handful of wealthy landowners and outfitters to pick who gets to hunt.  A bill pending in the stat...

Montana is at a crossroads in our management of wildlife. We will either maintain our decades-long tradition in which everyone has equal opportunity to enjoy our public wildlife, or we hand control to a handful of wealthy landowners and outfitters to pick who gets to hunt.  A bill pending in the stat...

Dreams and goals - I think it’s safe to say we all have both. And that’s wonderful, and necessary. Because what would life be without dreams and goals?  In a word: hollow.  I used to set very specific goals for myself. I used to dream of what I wanted to accomplish with those g...