Latest

  • Ukraine

    I saw this chart on AWOL and desertion in Ukraine: I don’t know the size of the Ukrainian army, or have any data to compare and contrast, but the chart does make me wonder. This may answer the sixties question, “What if they held a war and nobody came?”

  • I am woefully ignorant about highway engineering safety – but we need someone whose knowledge is better than my ignorance. Across from Trego School is the “Tee” – probably the most likely spot on Fortine Creek Road for a single-car accident. Maybe for a multi-car accident. Part of our problem is probably the name –…

  • This pie chart showed up in my email

  • That may classify me as right wing. I suppose that’s OK. I do hold a soft spot for Claus von Stauffenberg, who tried for Hitler with a bomb – Claus had lost one eye, his right hand, and two fingers on the left while serving in the Wehrmacht. The ethical quality of assassins has gone…

  • Every time these “nationwide protest days” roll around, we’re told the same thing with a straight face: peaceful, organized, principled. Just people gathering to make their voices heard. Nothing to see here. And every time, like clockwork, the fine print shows up later, burned storefronts, blocked roads, businesses boarded up, police in riot gear, and…

local

  • Earlier this week, a meeting was held to formalize the existing long-term relationship between the TFS Community Hall and the TFS Fire Department. Tables were set to form a circle, and the meeting began with introductions. It was a joint meeting meant to prevent future problems, without any reason to expect them. The issue: an…

  • Meth in the Trego Teacherage?

    An emergency school board meeting was held at the TFS Community Hall, Saturday at noon (which coincidentally is the time the Rendezvous Parade in Eureka began). The board acknowledged that they failed to provide adequate (48 hours notice) on the meeting, and cited the requisite MCA code allowing it in the event of an unforseen…

  • Property Taxes Incentivize Blight and Decay

    When I went to get some repair work done, the person I was consulting advised fixing the structural issues and then putting the same ancient dilapidated siding back on the building. The rational? Property taxes. Last summer, we joked about how much the nice flowers my mother had on their porch raised their taxes. They…

  • Back At The School Board

    I spent most of a year away from the school after I finished my term. I attended a couple of board meetings because I was asked – on one hand, there was, at the least, the appearance of an unlawful board meeting . . . unlawful because it appeared to violate Montana’s open meeting law.…

  • Historically, independent voters, and voters for minor third parties, do not get a large percentage of votes. Often, they’re considered “spoiler” candidates, who lose the election for someone by dra4wing critical support away during a close race. Or their thought of as simply “protest candidates” with no chance of winning. In Montana, for the presidential…

  • Not many years ago, if you were faced with a cluster of unacceptable clowns on your ballot, you could write a name in and cast a protest vote.  Hell, I guess you still can – the thing is, your write-in protest vote won’t be counted or reported.  With the elimination of subsection 7 last year,…

  • I’m having trouble summarizing this one, not least because I lost my notes. In short: The meeting did discuss prayer, but did not discuss a four day week. About prayer: The discussion was specifically with regards to having prayer on the agenda as a part of each school board meeting. The result- no. Community presence…

  • The proposed library district has me looking at taxation again.  One of the great things about Lincoln County is that, with three high school districts, it’s easy to figure out which communities provide the funds that keep our county going. Market Value Taxable Value Percentage Libby $1,687,186,708 $21,911,499 36.42% Troy $831,354,553 $10,966,329 18.23% Eureka $1,974,407,031…