Voices

Recently, two wealthy Californians who moved to the Bozeman area decided that Montana should import California’s problems without bringing any of its great features. CA-121 is a proposed Constitutional Amendment that is modeled on California’s Prop 13, which has been a disaster for California. It benefits rich property owners at the expense of everyone else. It cuts off … [Read more...] about Viewpoint: Montanifornia or Calitana? Beware of ‘Prop 13’

On May 5, the Missoula County Commissioners set in motion the final steps to update our zoning regulations. Remarkably, this hasn’t been done since the mid-1970s. I am grateful to the Commissioners and the County’s excellent planning professionals for their impressive effort to bring us into the 21st century. The updated zoning code – and mapping it on the land surrounding … [Read more...] about Viewpoint: High praise for Missoula County’s updated zoning regulations

This is in response to Sen. Duane Ankney’s recent op-ed. The recent opinion editorial extolling the benefits of nuclear energy sounded very familiar, and Senator Duane Ankney contends that nuclear energy is the key to Montana’s energy future. But let me provide a few words of caution from Utah, a neighboring state where six large municipal utilities initially committed to … [Read more...] about Viewpoint: Beware of shiny new (nuclear) objects

In Montana and across the country, electronic payment methods are more essential than ever before. From our smallest rural towns to our biggest urban cities, consumers depend on safe and accessible payment methods. Right now, there is a major threat to Montana consumers making its way through Congress: proposals to extend the routing mandates of the 2010 Durbin Amendment. … [Read more...] about Viewpoint: Changes to the Durbin amendment would devastate Montana consumers

As rising costs add pressure to families and the economy continues to recover from the shocks of the pandemic, we want everyone — Black, Brown, white, and Indigenous — to have what they need to overcome these challenges and build on the momentum of our recovery.  During the lowest point of the pandemic, emergency relief helped families and workers survive the crisis, but even … [Read more...] about Viewpoint: Congress must act soon to help families