Opinion

Does your heart burn with God’s love?

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Shortly after the first Easter, two men were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They were discussing the things that had happened in Jerusalem – Jesus’ crucifixion and the rumors of his resurrection. I imagine they were trying to make sense of it all, and were having trouble doing so. Eventually, Jesus joined them as they were walking and asked what they were discussing. They were shocked that Jesus didn’t know all about it – after all, everyone was talking about it! Jesus went on to teach them that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things so that he could enter into his glory. He explained to them what the prophets had predicted. Once they reached the village of Emmaus, they invited Jesus into their home for dinner and to stay with them. Jesus took the bread that was served, broke it, blessed it and gave it to them. At once they recognized Jesus, who then disappeared from their sight.

Montana can benefit from renewables

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In almost any conversation about shifting to 100% zero carbon energy, it is inevitable that someone will bring up reliability of the electricity system: “The wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine.” What is left unsaid is that these energy resource limitations are only true to specific locations and apply to every type of energy resource. Multiple recent events in Texas show that gas doesn’t always flow. Closer to home, plants such as Colstrip are often down for both planned and unplanned repairs, including Unit 3 being down this April and May.

Community came together in the best way possible

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The story starts with confusion: the idea of a statewide convention held in Glendive. So far from everywhere, so remote, so small – or so I was told. The idea was four years in the making, chuckled at for awhile, questioned, dismissed as unworkable and then finally embraced as possible.

Gianforte let down Montana by keeping secrets

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On the same day that the fiftieth anniversary of the Montana Constitution was being celebrated in the Chambers of the Montana House of Representatives as producing the most open government of all the 50 states, it was revealed that the Governor of Montana was keeping a secret from the public: his location. He was, his office said, on a previously undisclosed “longscheduled personal trip” the location and timing of which were also undisclosed for “security reasons”. The deception was discovered because inconveniently, and simultaneously with the Governor’s “long-scheduled personal trip” the Yellowstone River decided to take leave of her banks and created some of the worst flooding in Montana’s history, requiring action on the Governor’s part. The Governor promptly declared a disaster emergency, but it was noticed that it was signed by the Lieutenant-Governor who has authority only when the governor delegates it. It then came to light that the Governor was not in Montana but in Italy, presumably on vacation.

Dwindling sources pose future threat of limited water

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From 35,000 feet, the white ring that marks the high level of Lake Powell looks just like the ring of an emptying bathtub. The only difference is the chalky top mark on this big tub, once the second largest freshwater reservoir in the U.S., is an unscrubble 1,900 miles around.

Election legislation is working

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Thank God our election crew was free from same day voter registration this year! Sometimes legislation comes home to roost in a good way.

There are relief options for disaster victims

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Montana is no stranger to disasters, both natural and man-made. The state has a long history of natural disasters including flooding, wildfires, tornados and drought. The recent flooding near Yellowstone National Park is an example of this problem. It is more important now for residents and small businesses to remember that the best course of action to limit damage from natural disasters is preparing before the disaster hits.

Do you know the difference between politicians and statesmen?

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I think the difference between a politician and a statesman is that the people believe a statesman will do what he or she believes is the right thing regardless of the political consequences. When it gets down to it, a statesman would rather be right than reelected.

Excess profit tax isn’t what’s needed to combat inflation

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Inflation has settled in for the American consumer and it’s nowhere more obvious than at the gas pump. Not so coincidentally, the only ones who are able to stay ahead of inflation are those companies which are causing the inflation itself, the oil companies whose profits have skyrocketed at the expense of the American consumer. It’s not just the price of gas. Since virtually everything produced in America uses some kind of petroleum product in its manufacture, not to mention the fuel to get their goods to the store, the high price of oil is causing price increases across the board. Because of those record profits there have been a couple of proposals to place an “excess profits tax” on the oil companies. In my opinion, this is a waste of time.

It’s hard to be a chicken these days

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Caution: This is a chicken-andegg story.

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