Letters to the Editor
Voices from the community—reader-submitted letters sharing opinions, concerns, and perspectives on local and statewide issues.
OPINION: We aren’t mad enough about PFAS in Montana’s rivers
For many Montanans, rivers and lakes are more than scenic landscapes.
OPINION: Liberal vs. conservative: What distinguishes them?
Before the primary election, this paper printed many letters in support of citizen candidates and most of them used words such as principled conservative, thoughtful conservative, realistic conservative, proven con…
OPINION: Three keys to overcoming obstacles in any life
Montana is currently the state that holds the third highest suicide rate in the nation. When we as a society try to reason why the suicide rate is so high, we immediately think of the drug problem or the long and g…
OPINION: No lone wolves among jihadis
Within hours of the terrorist attack in Orlando, President Obama, members of his administration and media pundits joined with representatives of the Council on American Islamic Relations, the Islamic Society of Nor…
LETTER: Don't just rubber stamp spending on new projects
I’ve read some of the job descriptions of our county commissioners, including “juggling priorities and concerns in such areas as housing, environmental protection, transportation and economic development ...” But, …
OPINION: Swiss voters reject economic stupidity
Give Swiss voters credit — well, at least 77 percent of them. In a recent national referendum, they overwhelmingly rejected a proposal that would have guaranteed each Swiss adult a monthly payment of $2,560 from th…
LETTER: Schools asking for too much money
Kalispell Public Schools seek $54 million for new schools and renovations. The state is building the new bypass, at a cost of $36 million. This bypass includes five bridges/overpasses. If we taxpayers allow Distric…
OPINION: Muslims are like all other people
I’m extremely disappointed in the letter “Real Muslims won’t really assimilate?” being published by my hometown newspaper. My family still resides in Montana and has lived in Montana for generations.
LETTER: Don't over-do the punishment
Please tell me why Flathead High School has taken the rights of passage away from so many children. Did we not go through the last 12 years with these kids, only to throw their lives away over some garbage? Do they…
OPINION: Legalized Marijuana: What Montana can learn from Colorado
Montana will soon have the opportunity to decide if it wishes to join the ranks of states where the possession and growing of marijuana is legal. A number of pot-related drafts, including the Marijuana Legalization…
LETTER: Why land policy needs to change
Tony Johnson’s response to my letter relative to the issue of state control of public lands illuminates the culture of fear generated from a lack of facts and perspective so wanting in our discussion today. Money i…
LETTER: Common-sense gun restrictions?
Having grown up as a South Dakota farm boy, I have had a long and affectionate relationship with guns. I have dispatched rats, cottontails, jackrabbits, gophers, pheasants, raccoons, skunks, ducks, geese, deer, elk…
LETTER: Mixed signals
OK, so I am confused again! The president is speaking about gun violence and the terrible effects it is having and escalation surely to happen without immediate action! I get it ... BUT Obama has released killers, …
LETTER: How do you stop shootings without ban?
I carried an M-16 for a year in Vietnam, and upon returning home a high school friend wanted to know if I had smuggled home a selector switch, which apparently can be installed in an AR-15 for full automatic capabi…
LETTER: Will governor prevent influx of refugees?
Wake up, Montana!
LETTER: Gianforte is best for governor
My wife and I have lived in Montana for 16 years. We have been a small business owner in a small town and today work for myself and family. I have spent the last 30 years in industrial automation and most recently …