Columns

Having proudly served as former Secretaries of State in Montana, we understand how important democracy is to the people of our state. It’s not a matter of what side of the aisle you stand on – it’s a matter of what you value. Recently our state’s Supreme Court reaffirmed that Montanan’s right to cast a ballot is not a mere privilege – it is a right guaranteed by our Constitution. A coalition of lawmakers in Congress, including Montana’s Senator Tester, are working to uphold the integrity of our democracy through the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. The reintroduction of both these important bills comes at a...

I write to encourage a call to action. We must immediately address the illegal immigration happening in Montana. I, as well as many Montanans have seen the numbers – fentanyl confiscation in Montana up by 20,000%, sex trafficking up by 116%, illegal immigration at our northern border up 597% with over ...

If there is one thing every business owner, rancher, and manager agrees on, it’s that if you don’t have good people, you don’t have much. And if there’s one thing Montanans (and, increasingly, outsiders) know, it’s how good our hunting and fishing opportunities generally are....

No one plans to date after 50, but you never know the details life will hand you: divorce, death of a spouse, boredom, aloneness - it all leads to one thing. You find yourself being half of a couple in a couple’s world. Such a conundrum. You were once half the age of 50 and probably a couple, now...

Montanans appreciate locally grown food, from vegetables to fresh-picked huckleberries, raw honey, and grass-fed beef. Can we say the same about our wood products? Your community would rally to keep a local rancher in business… won’t you do the same to keep a local sawmill in business?  ...

Last month the President of the Montana Senate established a select committee on Judicial Oversight and Reform. We were appointed to that committee along with Democrat and Republican legislators and members of the public. Before our first meeting, partisan attacks were leveled at the President and the commit...

I read something today that changed my perception of the concept of confidence. It said something along the lines of:  “Confidence can’t be seen or heard. It can’t be created by anyone but you.” I found this profound.  I’ve always believed I lacked confidence....

One headline in the Salt Lake Tribune has stirred up the agricultural community across the West. It proclaims that hamburgers and cows are the culprits behind the droughts, and by eating fewer burgers, Americans could save the environment. Sound familiar? Last spring Ireland made international headlines with...

It was a serious day in the garden. Various vegetables gathered to witness the much-anticipated criminal fraud case against corn. Corn had filed a countersuit claiming defamation of character and vegetative discrimination. These historic proceedings would hopefully answer the question plaguing the human and ...

With the completion of the poll of the Legislature on whether to override the Governor’s veto of Senate Bill 442, I want to explain my consistent opposition to the bill, including voting against overriding the veto. The bill would have incorporated $16 million in annual expenditures for county roads in...