Opinions

In the mail

Work together To the editor, OK, we’ve gotten over our big sad from reading the front page of the May 2nd Tribune. We got the impression that barriers are pretty

Social Security is the Titanic. 2022 is the iceberg. Anybody see a lifeboat?

In 2022, Social Security’s trustees report, the US government’s retirement income program will begin paying out more in benefits than it receives in tax revenues. By 2034, a year short

In the mail

The views of our readers Supports Tester To the editor, Senator Tester has made me proud to be a Montana citizen and retired Navy veteran. He has insisted on: 1)

In the mail

Having taught statistics and used statistics professionally for close to three decades, I am concerned. I am concerned enough to try to set the record straight on how to present

Battle of letters in Helena – GOP v. COPP

April 18, 2018 Dear Commissioner Mangan, We write to request that you immediately remove Gene Jarussi from any and all active cases in which he represent the Commissioner of Political

John Melcher “benefited farmers, miners, the elderly, the hungry and a constituency of the world’s poor”

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Former U.S. Sen. John Melcher, who died Thursday in Missoula at age 93, was a leading congressional supporter of federal farm bills and programs to fight hunger here and around

What is going to happen?

What’s going to happen? Will this country ever learn from past mistakes? President Trump said he was concerned about the gassing of civilians in Syria, so he ordered military strikes

Momentum against unconstitutional USDA Checkoff Program continues with Ninth Circuit ruling

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit today upheld a lower court ruling that the USDA’s Beef Checkoff program is being administered in a way that interferes with ranchers’ First Amendment rights, and that the government should be enjoined from collecting funds for the program without rancher consent.

Heard Around the West

In the Northern California town of Auburn, population 14,000, a wildlife drama began when careless humans threw away a large plastic jar with something yummy still adhering to the inside. The odor tempted a coyote, who had clearly not read Winnie the Pooh, to investigate by sticking her head into the container. Then — surprise! — her head got stuck and she could no longer clearly see. Dozens of people tried to help catch the jar-headed canine, reports KTXL. Yet the wily coyote eluded them for 10 days, and though unable to eat, still managed to continue drinking at streams.

PILT is not fair to rural Montana it with wholehearted

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As the chair of the “Federal Land Payments Subcommittee of the National Association of Counties”, I feel it my duty to write this letter after hearing and reading about Mineral County, Montana sending a tax bill to the United States Forest Service, Department of Agriculture. This letter and tax bill was stimulated by the delay in the funding by Congress of two very important programs for local government. They are Secure Rural Schools (SRS) and Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT).