Opinion
Editor, As of mid-February, Republican legislators in 43 states have proposed over 250 laws that would limit mail, early in-person and Election Day voting. Montana House Bill 176 would end same day voter registration. Under current law, the registration remains open until polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day. This bill would overturn a referendum passed by Montana voters in 2005. Senate Bill 169 would change ID requirements for voting to make it harder for certain types of voters to vote. The voting process in Montana is running smoothly. There have been few if any substantiated cases of fraud in Montana elections. The proposed restrictions in Montana and other states cou...
Editor, It probably takes some adjustments for many of us to suddenly, after four years of the Trump administration, adjust to our new less theatrical presidential leadership style. President Biden’s personality, his leadership style and his verbal delivery are much less theatrical ...
Editor, This past weekend, the U.S. Senate passed a $1.9 trillion “COVID relief” package. The House is set to vote on it this week. What you may not know is that tucked in the Democrats’ “COVID relief” is a provision that would pay up to 120 percent of USDA loans to socially ...
During the first half of the 67th Montana Legislature, the Republican Majority logged important achievements, keeping the promises we made to our constituents. We tackled the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic by implementing the first hybrid session in Montana history. This hybrid model...
I am very pleased to announce that we have expanded our hours. We now have regular, year-round hours and have even added two extra hours each week from where we were pre-COVID. Our new hours are Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. We are reserving the hour of 9 a.m. to 10 a...
Editor, In my Valley Journal Feb. 3 letter, “New cooperative entity could improve irrigation,” I discussed how a new cooperative agreement between the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and the Flathead Irrigation District could improve management of our irrigation project, but irri...
Editor, The Governor has signed into law a bill that allows concealed firearms to be carried in most places in the state without a permit. The Montana University System was among the opposition to this bill, citing important safety concerns. Under the new law, guns can be carried on college campu...
Editor, The Republican Party has campaigned on freedom for individuals, more local control and decreased involvement of government in our daily lives. Why, then, are we seeing so many bills in our state legislature that bring the state into our lives, in some very intimate ways? As a retir...
Editor, People of Montana, thank you for taking your science seriously. Because of you, we have some of the lowest rates of COVID-19 infection in the nation. Because of you, we have lost fewer Montanans, per capita, to coronavirus than almost any other state. And what do we even mean by science a...
Editor, Reading the Valley Journal yesterday highlighted the differences in how we think; for example, there are those claiming a mask requirement goes against our fundamental American rights of free choice at the same time our legislature is working on restricting women’s rights to exercise f...
