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I Saw (and copied) a Poem About Taxes
This is the time in April where this poem seems worth sharing – I think it’s old and definitely coming from the farming community. TAXPAYER’S LAMENT Tax his cow, Tax his goat;Tax his pants, Tax his coat;Tax his crop, Tax his work;Tax his ties, Tax his shirt; Tax his chew, Tax his smoke;Teach him taxing is no joke.Tax his tractor, Tax his mule;Tell him, Taxing is the rule. Tax his oil, Tax his gas;Tax his notes, Tax his cash.Tax him good and let him know,That after taxes, he has no dough. If he hollers, Tax him more;Tax him till he’s…
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What is unfolding in Washington is not merely bad policy. It is a test case for how far government can go in criminalizing livelihoods and overriding elections without triggering public resistance. Montana would be especially vulnerable to this kind of encroachment—not because our laws are weak, but because they are strong and therefore threatening to…
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Veterans have earned their benefits through service and sacrifice. Unfortunately, there are individuals and companies that see those benefits as an opportunity to make money. These groups are often referred to as “Claim Sharks”, businesses or consultants who charge excessive fees while promising to help veterans file or increase VA disability claims. The VFW and…
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For most of my life, I have listened to the idea that the Constitution is a living document, needing new interpretations to keep up with social change. Now I’m seeing a bit more of what they term “originalist” thought – what did the Constitution mean when they wrote it? I think of the judge who…
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Nothing is more proletariat than a bunch of farmers, bus drivers and truckers organizing a blockade. Sure, farmers are capitalists, and owner-operator truckers are capitalists – but the road blockades in Ireland are working class protests. Academicians need not apply – though the photo does show one guy on a bicycle going through. Having a…
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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…
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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.…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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Now it takes a single click to get the data. So what does it mean? I measured the record lows back in 1977 – this chart, from the Grave Creek site, shows how the critical snowfall that brings us up to normal or above occurs between the February measurements and April 1. I don’t know…
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The USDA has updated plant hardiness zones, and despite last winter’s impressive cold, we’ve jumped up a zone (to 5a from 4b in 2012; the average low went up by 6 degrees) Hardiness zones are a (partial) climate description that’s been in existence for a bit over a century, though the government didn’t get involved…