montana round-up, bear style.
view from newly opened potomac bar taken on sunset christmas eve by s.o. with her blackberry.
by problembear
we have a long way to go before we get out of this depression we are in. montana has taken a licking this year. the closing of smurfit stone and it’s loss of hundreds of well paid jobs was especially hurtful. macy’s building is still empty. notices of more furniture store closings in the news today. but, perhaps if certain politicians and boosters out there can be believed there are some signs of hope on the horizon.
i am thankful that tester’s logging bill died a sudden death in congress. little good was coming from that bill regarding protection of wild lands and much harm was possible toward management of public lands with the inclusion of it’s heinous logging mandates.
republicans won their legislature back but they will need to get past schweitzer to get much done. hopefully, this will ensure that not much gets done. same holds true for congress. not getting much done usually is better for most of us.
take health care reform for instance. a lot got done because democrats were in the majority but it was written by health insurance lobbyists so expect that in the long run what got done won’t be good at all for most of us.
we were able to at least pass a citizens initiative that drove the payday loan slime devils away from montana’s borders. that was true democracy. the people spoke and the powers that be had to listen….. a rare occurence these days.
mostly they don’t listen to us anymore.
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December 26, 2010 at 10:01 pm
i didn’t want to make this its own post, so if you don’t mind p-bear, i’m just going to lay it here.
i didn’t run across this until yesterday, but according to this article in the Missoulian last week, Mountain Water Co. was just snatched up by the infamous Carlyle Group.
so check out who now has their grip on the nuts of our water supply.
not good.
December 28, 2010 at 6:53 pm
Wow, liz. Carlyle Group rang a bell but I couldn’t put my finger on it until your comment. Thanks. This, obviously does not bode well for Missoula. I’m guessing Carlyle doesn’t give a sh*t about Missoula. And with the new members on the PSC, I imagine there isn’t going to be a lot of oversight.
December 28, 2010 at 7:49 pm
you are most welcome, mr. talbot.
and it’s important to realize this is indicative of an insidious trend that’s been happening nationwide. apparently all kinds of American infrastructure is up for sale.
for example, can you believe a middle eastern sovereign wealth fund owns Chicago’s parking meter revenue?
just another ugly facet of the economic crisis.
December 27, 2010 at 3:25 pm
As long as we are handing out thank yous for the year, PBear, let’s not forget former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi:
December 27, 2010 at 5:07 pm
How ’bout rounding up some Zombies?
December 28, 2010 at 10:11 am
Did you see this story of rural unemployment? No news to us, but should get more play. http://prorevnews.blogspot.com/2010/12/rural-unemployment-higher-than-urban.html
December 28, 2010 at 5:19 pm
Feral Cat, I know the answer because I can read a map, but I’d really like you to expound on how those counties most poverty stricken voted in 2010?
As a follow up question, could it be that the anti-Democratic progressive message is missing the point a bit?
problembear, it’s a little twisted to lament the closing of employment opportunity while then celebrating the closing of employment opportunity. Wilderness means jack to those who can’t afford the gear, gas or time to enjoy it. Whether it’s liked among the progressive intelligentsia or not, Wilderness is yet another hand out to the affluent at the expense of the working class.
This has not been proven or shown at anytime or in anyway. It is based on the belief that what benefits people we don’t like must be bad. They must be punished, and we must be rewarded. That is the same angry thinking behind the extension of tax cuts for the rich.
That actually put people out of work as well, and likely hurt those poor people stuck in the debt cycle. The slime devils took the money and ran. That’s what slime devils do. Montana got higher unemployment. But that kind of Democracy is okay, and yet Democracy/Republicanism that favors both the rich and middle class is somehow bad because the rich get what they want and we don’t want them to?
the people spoke and the powers that be had to listen….. a rare occurence these days.
What do you mean “rare”? The people spoke and gave the Republicants the Montana House by huge numbers and the National House by equally huge numbers. And now, when these folk screw with your desires, you will complain. But wasn’t that the people speaking? Isn’t that what you value most of all?
That is true Democracy. No weak attempt to ‘progressivize’ Democracy will make it anything other than it is. There is no “True Democracy” and a fake one that you don’t like. There’s only the one, and it has not been friendly here of late to liberal values. I blame Jon Tester and Barrack Obama, of course.
December 28, 2010 at 11:44 pm
rob- you and i have had this discussion. if our elected representatives had listened to the ones who elected them two years ago, all of this lament as you call it, would be moot.
instead, the ones we voted for in those heady days of ’08 when the country was ready for some change after bush, went all flaccid and limp on us when confronted with an obviously corporatized astro-turf campaign by the companies who sign checks entitled “the tea party”
when you are the top dog in ’08 and you have the upper hand, and a bunch of idiot racist chihuahuas yap at you, you simply mash it into the turf and then pee on the remains. you don’t turn tail and run. that only gives them courage.
the jackasses who turned tail and ran when they could have led this country failed us. that is why the tide turned and you come barking at my shaggy ass to get some revenge. and i back slap you once again into tomorrow.
maybe when a wolf sees stars, he can sense reality.