Columns

Bashing China is fashionable these days. But one cool thing is that the Chinese word for “crisis” uses 2 symbols that mean “danger” and “inflection point” (or “pivot”). These symbols frame global climate change well: Ignoring it poses great danger to our kids and grandkids, but pivoting to nonpolluting energy is an opportunity to leave them enriched and grateful. The energy transition is sometimes misunderstood as entailing deprivation, requiring that we sacrifice comfort, or do without things we enjoy. But the pivot to clean energy doesn’t just help us avoid bad stuff. It gets us on a path that allows our descendants increased prosperit...

“ It is what it is.” I’ve said this phrase quite a few times - many even. So much so that now, when I hear someone else fall back on these five words, I understand their secret, sorrowful, message. It is what it is.  What it means: I can’t change my current circumstan...

Since the 2023-2024 respiratory season began Oct. 1, 2023, 77 Montanans have died due to COVID, and close to 700 COVID hospitalizations have occurred. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, more commonly referred to as SARS-CoV-2, reared its proverbial ugly head in Montana four years ago, in...

For the last 14 years, I have had the honor of serving as a member of the Montana Legislature. In each session, the Legislature has passed bills which the Governor has vetoed. While many members of the Legislature find vetoes frustrating, a vote to override a veto is an opportunity for the Legislature to ...

Montana beer is a unique industry. Local breweries are dedicated customers of Montana farmers, buying locally grown raw agricultural ingredients. They brew those ingredients into a wide array of delicious, value-added, made-in-Montana products that routinely win national awards.  Breweries have becom...

I’m a recent transplant - from a northern state to a southern one. I now spend winters in Florida, but for most of my life, I endured the (harsh, frigid, bitter, unending, Arctic, hyperborean) winters of Minnesota, aka Minnesnowta (cold nose, warm heart).  I like to think it made me stronger. H...

Gallatin County is a close-knit community, and as one of your commissioners, I see so many helpers across our communities working to support their vulnerable neighbors and make our community safety nets stronger. A recent act of goodness came in the form of a successful mill levy in 2022 that voters approved...

(This column is part of a seven or perhaps 11-part series.) Chapter one, number one. You know what they say: sometimes you just have to laugh. And why not? Laughter can be healing. It can be an escape. It lowers stress. It gives a boost to your immune system. It is relaxing. It is stimulating. It ...

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began just over two years ago, and the devastating war that has followed has been a catastrophe for Ukrainians and Russians alike. Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians have been killed, tens of thousands more have been wounded and maimed, and an almost incomprehensib...

The Credit Card Competition Act has emerged as a controversial bill that Congress is expected to take up early this year.  Under the guise of increasing competition in the credit card market, this legislation presents some serious threats to small businesses and credit card users.  As is so often t...