Last Best News (https://montana-mint.com/lastbestnews/category/opinion/page/19/)
In the fall of 2012, I was diagnosed with a rare cancer of the bladder. At that time my partner worked full time as a teacher in public schools. I was under-employed (an adjunct instructor) at two institutions and had a third job when I was diagnosed with cancer. I had no access to employer-provided insurance at that time because of my part-time designation at each place. (more…) Continue Reading →
A bit over a year ago, I wrote a satirical piece for Last Best News about Donald Trump’s idea of building a wall along our border with Mexico. I suggested that what we really needed was a wall between us and Canada. At the time, Ed Kemmick and I had a conversation about whether readers might actually take this as a serious proposal. Satire isn’t always understood by everyone, as I knew from experience. Over 40 years ago, the first piece of satire I ever had published was in a Catholic family magazine. Continue Reading →
I looked at the fishing pole he handed me. He looked so excited when he placed it in my lap. It was my birthday. My mind was swimming. I came from a family where fishing was done one week of the year when we vacationed on a lake in Wisconsin. Continue Reading →
Last month I received my very first Social Security check from the United States government. At long last, I am officially on the dole. I’ve already learned one thing: All of those conservative politicians were right when they said government checks discourage hard work. I haven’t felt like doing a darn thing all month. The world owes me a living, after all of these years, and I intend to cash in. Continue Reading →
Gov. Steve Bullock’s request to the current Legislature to expand and upgrade the 65-year-old Montana Historical Society facility has been misrepresented by some as unneeded “pork. “ This characterization is both wrong and ridiculous. Fortunately, however, members of both political parties recognize the real and critical need to care for and provide access to priceless collections belonging to the people of Montana and provide continuing economic development—jobs during construction and development of enhanced tourism dollars in the future. (more…) Continue Reading →
Greg Gianforte, the failed gubernatorial candidate now seeking the U.S. House seat that Ryan Zinke presumably will soon vacate to become secretary of the Interior, is all on board with President Trump’s agenda. “He’s draining the swamp, nominating outsiders that will dramatically change how Washington operates, and working everyday to Make America Great Again,” Gianforte said in an email on Wednesday. He asks email recipients to answer a one-click poll question: “Should the Senate confirm Judge Neil Gorsuch?” (more…) Continue Reading →
To all my liberal friends: I get it. Everything about Trump is terrifying—his short temper, his us-and-them mindset, his affinity for hostility and war. I understand the way your stomach drops when you see that he has issued yet another executive order. (more…) Continue Reading →
Without saying a word, a friend handed me a folded copy of the front section of Sunday’s Billings Gazette. No words were needed. The copy was folded to an ad that spoke volumes. (more…) Continue Reading →
Donald Trump has been legitimately elected president of the United States, and Democrats need to get over it and move on. But so does Donald Trump. Although Trump had a big victory it is apparently not big enough. He is now claiming that he should have gotten the majority of the popular vote as well as the Electoral College vote and is claiming that millions of people cast ballots illegally, and all for Clinton. This is the first time I have ever heard of a winning candidate claiming voter fraud. Continue Reading →
Just about the first friend I ever had shared a school bus with me to first grade. The friendship didn’t last. I figured out pretty soon that nearly everything he told me was an out-and-out lie. By the time he made his most outlandish claim of all—that he couldn’t do his homework because a steamroller had run over his textbook—I was so inured to his tall tales that I remained skeptical even after he showed me the book, which looked a lot like a steamroller had run over it. (more…) Continue Reading →
