Category: Montana Politics

I have a question. Leadership, how do you define it and what makes a good leader? I see a good leader as somebody who leads from the front, who does what needs done without worrying about how they look. Somebody who stands up and makes the tough decisions whether they like them or not and…

<blockquote>Rep. Gary Branae, D-Billings, is sponsoring the legislation at the behest of the state Office of Public Instruction and introduced the bill at the first meeting of the House Education Committee. The bill calls on the state to send schools $1,000 for each certified staff member.</blockquote><br />n<br />nCan somebody explain to this dumb cowboy why…

The Democrats in our state our touting good-paying jobs as their top priority this legislative session. So how do they go about <a href="http://www.billingsgazette.com//index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2005/01/11/build/state/65-costco-bill.inc" target="_new">doing this</a>? <br />n<br />n<blockquote>The bill, sponsored by Sen. Ken Toole, D-Helena, would impose a 1 percent tax on gross retail receipts between $10 million and $20 million; a 1.5 percent…

<blockquote> "Those are the people who have the most trouble buying $2 gas."</blockquote><br />n<br />nHell, I'm having trouble paying for $2 gas, where's <a href="http://www.billingsgazette.com//index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2005/01/08/build/state/62-pay-raises.inc" target="_new">my raise</a>? I guess Governor BS is just keeping his <a href="http://www.billingsgazette.com//index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2004/12/29/build/state/25-budget.inc" terget="_new">"New Day in Montana"</a> theme going.<br />n<br />n<blockquote>Good-paying jobs, quality public education and stronger families are my priorities…

Sounds like Republicans aren't <a href="http://www.billingsgazette.com//index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2005/01/05/build/state/34-gop-votes.inc" target="_new">worried about the State of Montana</a>, just their agenda. Just because an idea comes from a Democrat doesn't make it all bad and the Legislators need to do what's right for the state, not just get in partisan disputes.<br />n<br />n<blockquote>Rep. Mark Noennig, R-Billings, said that while he understands…

There is a very interesting article in the New York Times this morning about <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/02/magazine/02WWLN.html" target="_new">Montana and it's politics</a>.<br />n<br />n<blockquote>In Montana, the new Democratic governor, a beefy-looking rancher named Brian Schweitzer, challenged what had become over the years a smug and clubby conservative power structure by choosing a Republican running mate who showed…

<a href="http://www.billingsgazette.com//index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2005/01/02/build/state/35-ethanol-bill.inc" target="_new">Ethanol bill would boost use in state</a><br />n<br />nIt isn't rocket science to see when the Government brings down it's jackboot and tells you the only thing you can but is ethanol based fuel that the demand for ethanol will go up. How stupid does the Gazette think we are.<br />n<br />n<b>Stupid is…

<blockquote>"I want to give Montanans a sense of pride again about their state and about their leadership," he told the Gazette State Bureau. "That sense of pride will equate to Montanans being more likely to stay in Montana, Montanans more likely investing in Montana, Montanans having a better capability of attracting new investment in Montana.…

Again I fail to <a href="http://www.billingsgazette.com//index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2004/12/29/build/state/25-budget.inc" target="_new">understand</a>.<br />n<br />n<blockquote>Schweitzer proposed spending $2.96 billion on his general fund budget over the next two years, for an increase of $45 million over the total general fund budget proposed by departing Republican Gov. Judy Martz. The general fund is like the state's checking account, with most of money…