[voices]
Proud hunter
STREET TALK
by Cathrine L. Walters
Asked Tuesday, Dec. 23, near the corner of Pattee and Broadway. What do you think was the biggest news story of 2013? Follow-up: Who, in your opinion, was the newsmaker of the year?
Wally Sept: Obamacare, or more specifically, “Obamascare.” Health care is a private situation where government should not have any control or part of. Real American hero: [Edward] Snowden. People think he’s a traitor to our country but I think he should be given a medal.
Candace Trautwein: Probably the government shutdown. It affected so many Montanans and was such a needless thing to happen. Twerked: Miley Cyrus. I saw her in the news so many times I wanted to shut it off.
Ryan Slevin: The girl from Pussy Riot getting freed from prison yesterday. That was the best news story so far. Reformer: Bustlin’ Bill Lubots. He is the nemesis of Gary Marbut and a true Montana patriot. Bustlin’ Bill is working on immigration reform for foreigners who want to open restaurants in Missoula.
Kyle Jones: The black rhino. I’m a bio major and a lot of my classes emphasize the importance of endangered species and when a species is completely eliminated it’s a hard truth for any current species. Leader: Sadly, Nelson Mandela. That man was a beacon of what people would want to represent a country.
Ted Boushie: I like the stories of the new pope. He’s so diverse and accepting of everything. I’m a Catholic so I really appreciate that. Wrecking ball: I hate to put these two in the same sentence but Miley Cyrus. She’s so provocative and raises hell … she sticks in your head.
[4] Missoula Independent • December 26–January 2, 2014
Montanans have been protecting bits and pieces of the Rocky Mountain Front for 100 years. Starting in 1913, with the creation of the Sun River Game Preserve, the 1940s and the creation of the Sun River Game Range, the permanent withdrawal of oil and gas leasing along the Front in 2007 and now, the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act. The Front has been wildlife rich for eons. The Salish-Kootenia tribes traveled across the spine of the continent to hunt bison. Bighorn sheep across Montana and the United States are back in historic ranges due to the sheep of the Rocky Mountain Front. Elk hunters clamor for bull tags in districts along the Front and the mule deer of the Teton and Sun Rivers are still engaged in their rut activity thanks to the efforts of hunters and landowners to ensure that the Front will always be prime ground for wildlife. Only by working together for a common cause—keeping the Front the way it is—have we been able to ensure the continued viability of wildlife habitat while maintaining traditional agricultural and livestock related industries. It was hunters and ranchers who sat down with other parties to ensure that the Heritage Act reflected their needs and desires. Together, the Coalition to Protect the Rocky Mountain Front and Sen. Max Baucus put forward a bill that would do just what the postcards say: Keep the Front the way it is for future generations. Job well done, Sen. Baucus. Count this hunter as another supporter of a bill that really is made in Montana. Robert Wood Hamilton
Mean-spirited vote That our Big Sky state refused to provide basic health care for all feels mean-spirited and uncivilized (Senate Bill 395 went down 51-49, against expanded Medicaid). The result keeps low-income folks, anyone making less than $11,490 per year, caught in a downward spiral of poverty. We can’t work because
we can’t get treatment. Then ensuing struggles to get help from a broken system only foster hopelessness, depression and non-productivity, even bringing on needless death. Moreover, the people who manage to get coverage could, at any moment, due to unforeseen circumstances, suddenly be off on their own. This kind of widespread desperation leads us nowhere good. Why is there so much attention being focused on this matter now, rather than last spring when the vote was taken? Because most people, as it turns out, are totally stunned that our legislature could actually deny readily available health care to people financially strapped. All this the result of rejecting a billion-dollar federal investment in
“This kind of widespread desperation leads us nowhere good.” our state. (The insurance woman who finally succeeded in explaining the implications of the vote to me said that a big part of her job now is informing incredulously shocked people why they do not qualify for affordable health care.) As Montanans, we all need to come together, talk across party lines and discover the paths that leave no one behind. Alex Brown Stevensville
Fix the process The process that federal regulations go through from proposal to enactment is simply baffling. There are seemingly countless comment periods, public hearings and reviews. Keeping up with the process is simply impossible for any small business in Montana. But with 739 regulations that directly affect small businesses under consideration
by various federal agencies, it’s a process that Montana small businesses can ill afford to miss. When a regulation goes into effect, it’s in effect for everyone, from the largest conglomerate down to the mom and pop corner store. With teams of lobbyists and lawyers, big businesses can have a great deal of influence on how a new regulation is crafted. They have a voice in the process, but more often than not small businesses do not. And what’s best for a large organization isn’t always good for a small one. In my northwest corner of the Treasure State, regulations from federal agencies like the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service and the EPA have had a devastating impact on what once was a thriving economy based on natural resources. Too often in the world of mining permits, rules get changed and goal posts get moved in the middle of the game—leaving businesses to cope with the losses that result. Increasing the transparency and accountability of the regulatory process, formalizing the types of objective data to be used in the analysis and development of regulations, and studying the unique impacts that a regulation might have on smaller business are all reforms that would go a long way to improving the situation of Montana’s small businesses. There’s a growing sentiment in Washington for real regulatory reform. Let’s all encourage our Montana congressional delegation to get involved as early advocates for small business. State Rep. Mike Cuffe House District 2 Eureka Correction: In our holiday gift guide, published Dec. 5, our instructions for a handmade Mason jar candle called for buying, among other things, a wick holder insert. Turns out, you don’t necessarily need one of these to make the candle and, more importantly, the item is not stocked at Montana Ace on Brooks Street. The Independent regrets the error.
[Comments from MissoulaNews.com] Backtalk from “Sucker punch,” Dec. 17
Shedding light
Moving forward
Drowning
“Thank you Jessica and the Indy for bringing this story to the Missoula community.” Posted Dec. 18 at 9:06 a.m.
“The truly sad back story for our community and Russ Talmo’s unfortunate assault. Thank you Jessica Mayrer for this piece. I think moving forward with the healing process starts with raising community awareness of senseless violence around Missoula and helping raise support for crime victims like Russ.” Posted Dec. 19 at 7:34 a.m.
“Sadly we’ve seen many such cases just like this in Missoula before, and I think we’ll see them again. Montanans have a problem with alcohol.” Posted Dec. 20 at 4 a.m.
Strength to recover “This is truly an example of bad things happening to good people. Rusty is a very caring, dedicated person who must have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Thankfully, Rusty has the youthful strength and positive attitude to recover from the hideous attack.” Posted Dec. 19 at 12:17 p.m.
Punish him “God, I hope they find the bastard who did this and put him away for a long time.” Posted Dec. 17 at 10:01 p.m.
Cowardly jerk “My God! I hope this guy is going to be ok and the cowardly jerk that did this crime gets caught. We just don’t need this sort of trash running around Missoula.” Posted Dec. 18 at 9:21 p.m.