Research is good, ignorance is not
In the interest of promoting efficiency in government, Sen. Barry Usher (R) has introduced legislation to reduce the number of Justices on the Montana Supreme Court from 7 to 5. His explanation is noteworthy:
“I’ve always wondered how much work our Supreme Court does,” Usher told the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday. “So I did some research and it was amazing to me that California, which has got 39 million people, has the same amount of Supreme Court justices as a state that has 1 million people.”
Not that it would ever have occurred to Sen. Usher, but had he done just 2 minutes additional research, he could perhaps have discovered that California has an intermediate court of appeals divided into six districts with 106 appellate judges. He also could have discovered that the California Supreme Court has discretionary jurisdiction over all except death penalty cases.
On the other hand, Montana has no intermediate appellate courts and the Montana Supreme Court is required to hear every case that is appealed to it. In 2021, the Montana Supreme Court issued 139 Published Opinions and 204 Memorandum Opinions. The California Supreme Court issued only 59 written opinions — for all 39 million Californians.
Research is good. Ignorance is not. That’s worth bearing in mind both when you read quotes from your elected representative and, more importantly, when you’re deciding who gets your vote.
Gene Jarussi
Billings
Delta products a threat to youth
Delta products are derivatives of legal hemp and many within the hemp industry previously argued that the language in the 2018 Farm Bill — which legalized hemp and its derivatives — would extend to delta as federally regulated and legal. However, the DEA states that delta products are not naturally derived from hemp, but must be chemically synthesized and thus do not qualify as derivatives.
Other counterarguments to delta’s legal status have cited the Federal Analogue Act, which states that any chemical that is substantially similar to a Schedule I or Schedule II controlled substance will be treated as if it were scheduled if it is intended for human consumption.
By not being exactly the same as Delta-9 THC, other chemically synthesized delta products have existed in a nebulous space as far as legality is concerned. This gave some entrepreneurs the cover they wanted to aggressively pursue the development, marketing and sale of delta products outside of the state legal cannabis regulatory framework. This week the DEA acted to clarify delta’s status.
Since its development in 2020, delta sales research report estimated that delta-8 products generated $2 billion in sales and delta products are being sold widely outside of dispensaries in conventional retail, often gas stations and convenience stores. The products are technically unregulated, have been blamed for one death and have triggered over 104 overdoses including overdoses in Billings high schools.
What will Billings City Council do to protect our children?
Jason Smith
Billings
Thank you, Pinocci and O’Donnell
Montana Dakota Utilities (MDU) recently filed for a rate increase with the Public Service Commission (PSC). The proposal would increase rates for residential electricity customers by 19.2%, small businesses by 15.1%, and large businesses by 12.9%. By MDU’s calculations, electricity bills will increase by over $200/yr. for the average residential customer. The Dawson Resource Council opposes this excessive rate hike and asks the PSC to deny it.
While waiting for a decision about the permanent increase, MDU asked for an interim increase of 2.6%. Sadly, the PSC voted 3-2 to approve the interim increase, but Eastern Montana commissioners Randy Pinocci and Tony O’Donnell both voted “no.” Dawson Resource Council thanks them both for standing up for working families.
MDU already raised rates over 15% in 2019 and 2020. Either this new proposed increase is a predatory move or MDU is running its business negligently. Either way, Montana families shouldn’t bear the burden of yet another unnecessary rate hike. Our budgets are already stretched thin.
If approved, this rate increase would drain millions of dollars from Eastern Montana communities in utility bills alone. This would cause inflationary price increases for all goods and services as grocery stores, meat processors, farm suppliers, etc. negotiate higher costs that they’ll be forced to pass on to consumers. Our communities cannot afford this. MDU’s shareholders and executives should not be allowed to use the PSC to artificially inflate profits on the backs of working families. Please deny the rate increase.
Melissa Holt, chairwoman
Dawson Resource Council
Glendive
All change is not progress
In the words of Ellen Glasgow, “All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward.” A central characteristic of our new republic was an apolitical Supreme Court. This provides an essential component to our unique democracy featuring essential checks and balances, at both the state and federal levels.
A quote from Ron Chernow’s book, “Alexander Hamilton” reads: “Give all power to the many.” Fearing aristocrats as well as commoners, Hamilton wanted to restrain abuse by majorities and minorities. To curb abuse, Hamilton recommended, “a Supreme Court that would consist of 12 judges holding lifetime offices on good behavior.
In this manner, each branch would maintain a salutary distance from popular passions.” If I heard right, our recent state Supreme Court election process included a $50,000 donation from a political party for the election of their desired candidate. This, if true, was a blatant attempt to politicize the judiciary. How sad.
It seems to me future elections should curb this abuse of principle. Also, I ask our current legislators to deny any effort to decrease the size of the Montana Supreme Court. The current size provides appropriate opportunity for relevant debate resulting in decisions consistent with our beautiful Constitution. To paraphrase Glasgow’s quote, all change is not progress, and all movement is not forward.
David Krueger
Billings
Racicot is man of integrity
The Tuesday, Feb. 21, Billings Gazette carried a story about former Gov. Marc Racicot being essentially “kicked out” of the Montana Republican Party. This is astonishing to say the least.
Marc Racicot is a former two-term governor of Montana. He also served as the state of Montana Attorney General prior to that time. And after his terms of office he went on to serve our country in various capacities and did so in a manner that brought pride to our state.
For the state of Montana Republican Party to disown him is indicative of their unwillingness to moderate their mission and to work together with other political factions in our state government.
Marc Racicot is a man of intelligence, integrity and great concern for the welfare of the people of our state and our country. He also was a champion of the values upon which our state and country were founded.
The Montana Republican Party demonstrates a serious lapse in judgment by this action. And also it is a very indignant thing to do to an older man like Marc Racicot who served his state and country with honor and dedication. He was a true statesman and could probably be compared to Mike Mansfield, another Montanan who serviced our state with great skill and rigorous honesty and integrity.
The current Montana Republican Party looks more like an adolescent social club than an organization of statesmen and women. They are in fact pathetic in regard to their indecency and callousness toward Marc Racicot.
George Sorensen
Billings
We must defeat Russia, MAGA
This is a “David and Goliath” story carried out in real time, “President Zelensky and all Ukrainians remind the world every day what courage is. They remind us that freedom is priceless. And worth fighting for. For as long as it takes.” (words of President Biden).
“David and Goliath” is a metaphor for an underdog (Ukraine) who nevertheless is victorious over a more powerful opponent (Russia),” World History Encyclopedia. We can do more than just hope the metaphor holds and Ukraine wins back its freedom. We, as America, won our own freedom from England in 1776. We can do it again — eliminating MAGA tyrannical extremism in our own country and tyranny from Russia in Ukraine — in real time.
Edith Sloan
Roundup
Choosing ‘woke’ over alternatives
Let me say at the outset that I am not a wordsmith nor master of the English language, and I have been having a hard time understanding what this whole “woke” concept means. The best word association in English that I could find is the past tense of “awake” or having a sense of awareness, as in: “I woke up yesterday,” which is not necessarily a bad thing. If this is true, then the opposite of “woke” would be sleep, unawareness or worse yet…death. Therefore, I think I would choose “wokeness” over the alternatives.
Marv Keller
Billings
Who is NWE’s plant really good for?
I am adding to a conversation started by J.W. Knell, Feb. 12, ‘NWE deserves gratitude’. My question: if methane powered generation is such a good thing, who is it really good for? The need for the facility in Laurel was supposedly spawned by the need to purchase power from outside NWE’s owned facilities for 64 days during one of the coldest winters in Montana history.
Never mind that the makeup energy was available and easily acquired from the market. So, what was the response by NWE? Build a methane powered generation facility at a projected cost of a third of a billion dollars. Supposedly this is for our benefit, but it forces us to pony up the funds by increasing our rates and adds insult to injury by tacking on the sale of methane at a very profitable competitive market rate as part of the process. Does anyone think this facility will sit idle over 300 days a year? NWE’s business plan apparently allows export but never the import of energy. Is there a plan to reward the ratepayers if this happens?
In exchange for allowing a monopoly to operate in Montana, we were promised that our government would oversee NWE and assure that we were treated fairly. I feel like this promise has been broken. If my above speculations are wrong, why isn’t there a single government authority willing to give us the opportunity to ask these questions and get answers about NWE’s intent?
Larry Bean
Billings
No longer claiming to be Republican
Dictators do not tolerate any difference of opinion from theirs. Dictators control what is printed and said every way they can. Democracies encourage difference of opinion and listen to different views to arrive at best decisions. Do you think our Republican leadership in Montana is now acting like dictators by ousting Mark Raciot because he does not support everything they want?
How small minded it is to think everyone must go along with you, or they are not your friend. I have been a Republican for a long time, although I do not often vote a straight party line. I will no longer claim to be a Republican and no longer support that party with donations. And I will not support their censorship. Time to change our primary voting to get rid of the stranglehold small minded party leaders have on primary voting. We need to vote for the candidates we respect regardless of party. We need leaders with good views that they are not afraid to present for debate. If your view is strong it can stand up to challenges. That is the American way.
Tony Seitz
Billings
Putin’s cruelty acted out by others
The first segment on “60 Minutes” recently covered the war in Ukraine, and the Ukrainian people’s refusal to give in to Putin. As I watched, I admit I had tears flowing — not only from seeing the physical devastation of cities, but also seeing and hearing what Ukrainians are having to deal with — shortage of food, little or no electrical power, no way to heat their homes. They are surviving on pure grit and pride.
My primary question has been, why? What drives Putin to such brutal lengths — killing and torturing innocent people, knocking out the entire power grid of Ukraine, and destroying the very land he wants to rule? It is well beyond any rational explanation.
But that put me on the path of considering all the violence, robberies, theft, destruction of businesses, and riots taking place across the cities of the United States.
Somehow, the people who are committing these crimes, stealing or destroying other people’s property, justify themselves by saying they are taking what is rightfully theirs. I’ve long maintained that if you were to take something from a known thief or crook, they would kill you on the spot in the name of justice.
The fundamental truth is that we have little Putins running around every day all over the United States, stealing, taking from others, destroying others’ lives. Just the other day, a lady killed another lady, arguing about a parking space. Putin is doing the same thing at an unimaginable level.
What’s also worth noting — once they accomplish whatever their mission or actions were, they won’t be happier, or satisfied, and will only pursue their next victim. When will this madness end?
Edward O. Hoem
Billings
SB 137 aims at cyclist safety
Driving on the congested streets of Bozeman is an exhausting task. The added danger of running over a cyclist makes it all too important to pay attention while driving. On many intersections (like the intersection on Garfield and 19th Street) you must merge into the bike lane to turn right onto the next street. This makes city biking — and driving — a dangerous endeavor. Biking at night is a treacherous experience if you do not wear the appropriate equipment, i.e. a “lamp on the front emitting a white light visible from a distance of at least 500 feet to the front,” reflective wear and a lamp facing the rear. While biking day or night in Bozeman you seem like an invisible pedestrian within a growing city of around 55,000 people (as of the census 2021).
Passing the Senate Bill 137 will support the safety of cyclists within the city of Bozeman. The bill proposes the right of way for bikers to be protected and the enforcement of protective equipment during night biking. With thousands of cars adding to the growing congestion of Bozeman’s streets it’s more important now than ever before to protect the safety of the community of bikers in Bozeman.
Keelin Monaghan
Belgrade
Horse slaughter is barbaric
As the Montana state director for a nonprofit focused on animal wellness, I was horrified to read a new comprehensive report on horse slaughter that largely ties into our great state. The report may be accessed by this link: http://bit.ly/3lmwzvq and includes a graphic and detailed view of what is actually happening to our American horses that are being hauled off to slaughterhouses on foreign land to be packaged as meat for non-Americans to eat.
The report focuses on auctions in Montana and other states that are especially cruel to horses.
Billings holds one of the largest slaughter horse sales in the country. After the Montana sale, the slaughter horses are seen put into pens where they stay overnight, without access to shelter, even in the harsh Montana winter months. It is the kill buyer’s responsibility how and how many horses he loads into his trailer, and there is no oversight by the auction. There are severely overloaded trailers and excessive force being used (slamming gates on the horse, beating, hitting over the head with a stick, poking) to get the animals into the trailer, the report documents.
This report, which was jointly done by Animal Wellness Action, Center for a Humane Economy and Animals’ Angels, shows photos of horses with bloody injuries even before they reach the border, and then it gets worse.
Why keep such a revolting industry on life support when we have much better choices that afford equines the dignity and respect they deserve?
Carolyn Hall
Whitefish
Where did common sense go?
It has come time for me to paint the target on my own back. But the question needs an answer and I can no longer fail to personally ask it. I own guns. I freely admit it. My father ran a gun shop. I was a lifetime member of the NRA. That said, those things happened back when the NRA was not just a gun lobby organization. I took lessons, my children took lessons — gun safety was the priority.
But, that is no longer true. The NRA spouts the hardline view, “They are trying to take your guns!” Hogwash! Not even possible. Those of you who donate to any lobby in which such obvious deception is prevalent, help to lock our children in their classrooms fearing for their lives. Can any of us step into a grocery store with no fear? Why? Common sense is gone. If six out of 10 of you do not even own a gun, why can we not pass common sense gun control? Military grade weapons, ammo, etc. belong in the military, not the hands of a neighbor, a hunter (overkill) or a child (too often). I ask you all to think for the safety of my family and yours. Can we not act as individuals? Must we hide behind a huge lobby organization?
Judy Thompson
Thompson Falls