Cut ‘em out?!

The Montana University system seems to be facing a budget crisis. Not as bad as California, where the universities are raising tuition by 32 per cent, but enough that all employees, professors and staff, are seeing a wages freeze.
So, it must be time for some bold ideas – either cut some significant costs [...]

Can conservatives love public transportation?

Political conservative, transit advocate, William Lind argues that public transportation enhances national security, promotes economic development, helps maintain conservatives values, builds community, and gets people to jobs.
Click here: http://www.streetfilms.org/williamlind/
(An excellent 4 minute video, that I wish I could embed.   It is based on Lind’s book, shown below.)
 

Vote early?

I got my election ballot today. I considered the candidates for Citywide office, marked my choices, sealed the envelope inside the envelope, signed it, and … then what?
I thought of putting it out for the US Post to collect, but I don’t want someone to see my ballot sitting outside my fence and [...]

Granny flats for all!

Ryan Morton, candidate for Ward 1, would have liked the recent Missoula zoning update to have included, “the option for ADUs in all districts“. If elected, Morton would, “probably bring [granny suites] back up and start addressing through performance standards the issues people are concerned about“.
Well, I am honored that Ryan reads and [...]

Whiners

It happens every time properties are re-assessed for their worth – wealthy landowners complain it is unfair. For some reason, it made front page of today’s Missoulian.
In a fine piece of puff journalism, we learn of poor poor Donald and Georgia Forney who are worried about whether the government is going to take [...]

40,000 IOUs

.

Clouded behind the health-insurance debate this week was the announcement by the country’s highest military officer that we need to send more troops to Afghanistan. Surprisingly, I didn’t hear a chorus of fiscal conservatives bemoaning the fact that we will need to borrow trillions more dollars to do so.
While Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman [...]