| Missoulian Editorials |
City to discuss panhandling solutions - Sunday, July 5, 2009
People are sleeping under the Higgins Avenue bridge. Families are living in their cars, parking them in different places at night in Missoula. Others are sleeping at one of the local homeless shelters, or camping out in the forested areas around town. Do more than write; file for office by Thursday - Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Every day the Missoulian receives some reader comment on local government, ranging from scathing criticism of our current cast of elected officials to those who generally like the way the city is being run but nonetheless see room for improvement. Interlock devices a no-brainer - Monday, June 29, 2009
You walk out to your vehicle, keys in hand, buckle up your seatbelt, put your keys in the ignition - and then blow as hard as you can into a tube that runs into a device that will screen your breath for alcohol before it allows the car to start. Development dead-ends at rail property - Sunday, June 28, 2009
Missoula and Whitefish have had a lot in common recently as both communities have been wrapping up downtown master plans. Safely drop off unwanted prescriptions - Friday, June 26, 2009
It's time to clean out your medicine cabinet. DUI sentences vary too widely - Monday, June 22, 2009
In Montana, the crime of alcohol-related vehicular homicide could get you 30 years in the slammer - or none. It all depends, and far too much on factors that are entirely up to chance. |
| Guest Columns |
Now is the time to save native fish
Monday, July 6, 2009
Now is the time to conserve, protect and restore our native bull trout and westslope cutthroat. In the Flathead and Swan valleys, the single largest immediate threat to these highly-prized fish is the non-native lake trout that prey upon and compete with our native species. Long-term services need to be part of health reform
Monday, July 6, 2009
While most people are arguing over whether health care should include a public option, cover all people, have mandatory employer buy-in and on and on, there is a group of people and services that have not even made it to the table for discussion. These people are those with disabilities and who are aging, and the services are long-term services and supports. Long-term services are one of the costliest, fastest-growing programs in Medicaid. Noonan's hiring at FWP raises many questions
Sunday, July 5, 2009
In late April, when Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks director Joe Maurier announced that the FWP would be reorganized at the top, all sort of scratched their heads. They wondered what it meant and how it would work out. Nobody really knew the answer. Here’s to a happy Fifth, from the ER
Friday, July 3, 2009
It’s not that those of us who work in the emergency department completely hate holidays n only those that we have to work. Since I am working this Fourth of July, I hate it already. Take precautions for pets during holiday week
Friday, July 3, 2009
Fireworks are very much on everyone’s mind this time of year n they’re exciting, they’re colorful, they’re fun to watch, they’re our traditional way of celebrating the Fourth of July. Unfortunately, they are also very loud and frightening to many family pets. We don’t need more government in health care
Friday, July 3, 2009
Sen. Max Baucus is the point man for President Barack Obama’s government-run health care reform plan. The Obama administration knows that if Sen. Ted Kennedy n who has been pushing to socialize medicine for many years n were the point man, most folks would simply reject the plan. 'Clark Fork 320' float highlights river revitalization
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Many of us who live, work and play near the Clark Fork and its tributaries dream of a day when the entire length of this historically hard-working river once again runs as crisp, clear and clean as it did 200 years ago. More and more, we have reason to celebrate coming a little closer to realizing our dream. Actual change necessary for health care reform
Thursday, July 2, 2009
I am writing in response to Sen. Max Baucus’s June 14 opinion piece on health care reform. Accountability key to ABCs of health care problem
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
As a business owner here in Missoula I, along with you, am frustrated that America is and has been struggling with the issues of health care and Social Security for such a long time. They both involve all Americans; both have out-of-control costs, and the debate in looking for the solution always gets deadlocked on the question of who pays for it. I believe the solution to one is the solution to both. Health care system inequitable
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Matt Himsl, longtime state senator from Kalispell, had a great influence on my political thinking. Beginning in my teen years, I spent many enriching hours exploring ideas with him. Matt presided over the Flathead County Republican Central Committee for over a decade. He was a Goldwater delegate to the 1964 Republican National Convention, and chaired the Montana effort to nominate Gov. Nelson Rockefeller in 1968. In Flathead County he was “Mr. Republican.” Bison slaughter violates Montana’s conservation ethic
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Open letter to Gov. Brian Schweitzer: |
| Syndicated Columnists |
In U.S., we are unprepared for when we cannot be independent
BOSTON n This is probably not the best week to air any reservations about the American passion for independence. After all, we don’t have fireworks for Dependence Day. We don’t hold parades to celebrate Interdependence Day. We don’t get a holiday for Connections. Fawcett struggled to prove she was like rest of us
Anyone who attended a coed college campus in the late ’70s likely remembers running into Farrah Fawcett. Race: Issue that won’t go away
WASHINGTON - The implicit message, delivered by the Supreme Court majority in two of the most important decisions of the term that ended this week, is that racial discrimination is no longer as big a problem as we once thought. Americans want modern medicine at a nostalgic price
WASHINGTON - “In the beginning,” says a character in a Peter De Vries novel, “the earth was without form and void. Why didn’t they leave well enough alone?” When Washington is finished improving health care, Americans may be asking the same thing. Certainly the debate will compel them to think more clearly about this subject. Iran events show flaws and power of the Internet
BOSTON - From time to time, a message pops into my e-mail announcing that someone is “Following You On Twitter.” In fact, I don’t go anywhere on Twitter, having signed up just to get squatter’s rights to my own name. I have enough trouble limiting my thoughts to 750 words let alone 140 characters. Twittering is just frittering. Sotomayor’s vision of empathy in courtroom
Suddenly, America is all atwitter over what a woman thinks. 'Blame Bush’ is not a great strategy
WASHINGTON - In a conversation the other day with a White House official, I heard something I’d never expected from an employee of Barack Obama’s. “I wish,” he said, “George Bush would speak up a little more.” |
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| Letters - Online Only |
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Americans must learn more about single-payer Far fewer need health insurance than Obama believes Follow U.S. tax money to Canada and beyond Health care reform must start with our children Public needs to hear the truth about ranching A complaint about letters of complaint Social Security worked before politicians borrowed funds Letters against abortion reveal desire to control women Road reconstruction projects must consider history Baucus must explain why US is not providing health care U.S. should stay out of Iran’s demonstrations Moral relativity is causing a shift in society Real change would mean health ‘assurance’ Courageous Blue Mountain Clinic staff deserve support Dissension in the U.S. appears to be inevitable True pro-lifers are no threat because they do not kill What MT really needs is a jobs forum Conservatives must make voices heard Government-run health care will only cause problems Tiller’s murder should not be used to silence anti-abortionists Congress must allow workers to sign up for unions MT governor’s remarks before Virginia primary not acceptable All U.S. citizens should have access to health care Government should provide health care just as it provides roads Report exposed relationship between politicians and elite Bicyclists want to keep trails open, not open more Missoulian photographer excels at capturing life New parking lot for equestrians is appreciated Visitors notice memorial park is not being cared for Single-payer health care is too big a gamble NREPA could keep Montanans out of public lands
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Missoulian letters policy: The Missoulian welcomes and encourages letters to the editor on topics of general interest. Letters should be no more than 300 words. The Missoulian reserves the right to reject or edit letters for content and length. The Missoulian prints as many letters as possible, but cannot print them all due to space considerations.
Submission of letters and other commentary consitutes permission to publish in print and online editions of the Missoulian. Letters must contain the writer's name, city of residence and telephone number (phone numbers are for verification, not publication).
Letters may also be mailed to Missoulian letters at P.O. Box 8029, Missoula MT 59807-8029, faxed to (406) 523-5294 or e-mailed to oped@missoulian.com.
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Every day, the Missoulian receives far more letters to the editor than we have space for on the Opinion pages. It's a testament to our readers' level of engagement, and we are proud to offer a forum for this ongoing, informative and always lively community discussion.
In the past, we have run as many letters as we could and then been forced to discard the rest. Fortunately, we now have unlimited space available online.
Last year, we created an "online only" letters section on our Web site, missoulian.com, in order to give readers the opportunity to view the letters we didn't have room for on the printed page.
We consider every letter that meets our guidelines - no profanity or personal attacks, please - for publication in the print edition of the Missoulian. We schedule them for print in the order in which they are verified. However, if we receive a letter from someone who lives outside of western Montana, that letter will stand a better chance of being published online only. Similarly, if a letter exceeds our 300-word limit, it will probably be posted online.
Of course, if you have any questions about where your letter went and why, feel free to contact Opinion page editor Tyler Christensen, at 523-5215 or oped@missoulian.com. |
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