Last Best News (https://montana-mint.com/lastbestnews/category/opinion/page/16/)
This time of year is full of honors for some pretty amazing kids. Valedictorians are celebrated for hard work, dedication and scholarship. Those kids represent the best of the best in our high schools and they deserve all the accolades they get. Congratulations to all of them, many of whom are brilliant and will go on to do amazing things. Some of them are children of our friends—parents who endured the stress of test prep, college applications, etc., etc., etc. Continue Reading →
The mail-in ballot for the School District 2 mill levy election is burning a hole in my table, crying out for a decision. Election day is May 2. (more…) Continue Reading →
In a national survey of 4,000 high school and college students and 100 in-depth interviews conducted by political science professors Jennifer Lawless and Richard Fox, young Americans were found to feel completely alienated from politics. In their book “Running from Office,” Lawless and Fox report that the mean-spirited, dysfunctional political system that now characterizes American politics has wrought long-term, deeply-embedded damage on U.S. democracy and its youngest citizens. (more…) Continue Reading →
My older brother, Keith, would have been 51 years old today, if he’d made it this far. He died exactly two months ago, on Feb. 21. I got the news in a motel room in Minot, N.D., and my emotions splayed out in all directions. Sadness, certainly, for the all-too-short life of someone in my family. Continue Reading →
When Lee Enterprises bought two Bozeman-area publications in 2004, Billings Gazette Publisher Mike Gulledge said the publications “will extend the reach of Lee’s daily newspapers and other publications in western Montana, and we’re excited to welcome them into our family.” (more…) Continue Reading →
The recent attempt by Senate Democrats to keep Neil Gorsuch off the Supreme Court puzzles me, largely because the results were predictable, and even Democratic senators should have been able to see that. First, the tactic the Democrats used, the filibuster, has never been successful in defeating a nominee for associate justice of the Supreme Court. (more…) Continue Reading →
Ask a simple question, and you may get no answer at all. I began trying a week ago to get an answer from Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., to an obvious question. I’m still trying. (more…) Continue Reading →
The Billings Gazette on Monday turned over most of its editorial page to the three candidates for the U.S. House to replace Ryan Zinke. If you haven’t already read their columns, you should skip them because they might make you sick, and these guys have no idea what to do about that. (more…) Continue Reading →
How would it feel, while filling out the usual paperwork in the waiting room, to sign a waiver that you won’t sue your doctor? Under a pair of bills recently introduced by Republicans in the U.S. House, that is what would happen without your knowledge or consent. Congress is seeking to pile federal regulations pertaining to medical malpractice on top of 40 years’ worth of Montana laws that already protect doctors. (more…) Continue Reading →
Some studies suggest that about 70 percent of all rape victims know their attackers. For victims college age and younger, that number increases to between 80 and 90 percent, depending on the study. However, there’s something wrong with what I just wrote. (more…) Continue Reading →
