City groups need help to help you
Inter Lake editorial
The Whitefish Kiwanis Club is suffering a malady shared by several other nonprofit civic groups throughout the Flathead Valley - not enough members to carry out the organization's projects. In this case, the Kiwanians may have to end a 31-year tradition of erecting American flags in Whitefish on patriotic holidays and days of historical significance.
Kiwanis membership has dwindled from 75 in the 1990s to less than two dozen, and it's a big job putting up 300 flags on 12 different days at the crack of dawn, then taking them down at day's end. In a last-ditch effort, the club is holding a meeting at 7 p.m. Feb. 20 at Mountain West Bank in Whitefish to recruit prospective members. We hope there's enough patriotism and civic pride left in these parts to bring a few people forward.
And there's more than just the flags at stake. Whitefish Kiwanis gives back every dollar it collects to the community, most of it for youth projects. If the club folds, our children will feel the ripple effect the most.
The Kalispell City Council voted this week to approve a resolution calling for politeness, respect and broad participation in public meetings.
Imagine that.
But what is really interesting is that four members of the council voted against the resolution, which passed by a one-vote margin. We sincerely doubt that those council members are in favor of rudeness, disrespect and closed doors.
Maybe, instead, the four opponents had in mind all of the public meetings throughout history that have been characterized by something less than politeness and respect, but which have nonetheless been vitally important in the advancement of freedom.
We can think of a few ourselves, such as the Constitutional Convention, when some of our Founding Fathers had to be pulled apart to prevent fisticuffs.
And by the way, "broad participation" at that historic meeting in Philadelphia consisted of shutting all the windows tight and posting guards outside the door.
No, we aren't in favor of people yelling at each other instead of talking civilly, but we also aren't in favor of silly resolutions that serve no purpose except to insult the citizenry and pander to political correctness.
BNSF Railway Co.'s $54.4 million capital improvement program for Montana tracks this year is a solid economic boost for the state and areas such as Northwestern Montana, where the railroad remains a vital part of the economy.
The railroad company will hire more than 100 additional employees statewide. Since the average railroad job industrywide pays $60,000 a year, the economic trickle-down effect of those jobs is significant.
BNSF will spend $2.75 billion this year on improvements and expansion in response to an unprecedented demand for freight rail service. This rail renaissance bodes well for a country that is looking for ways to reduce energy consumption and make our transportation systems more efficient.