- I finished up my work for one of my jobs this week already.
- It’s a bit rainy out, so I won’t go outside and do work on my other job today.
- I already worked at my third job last night.
- Then as usual, I wrote quite a bit on my current novel in progress first thing this morning.
So now I’m just sitting around.
How ‘bout we talk some things over?
Eager to Talk Meth
I’m really looking forward to the press reports we get from that summit.
Do you think they’ll be as good as mine?
If I were heading-up the TV stations and newspapers, I’d tell my reporters to take it easy.
All those editors should know that their staff can’t compete with me when it comes to in-depth reporting.
I’m also looking forward to seeing who testifies and what they’ll say.
- What kinds of facts will we get about meth, what kinds of numbers?
- Will anything be presented in the way of getting people off meth?
- What will be put forth when it comes to the reasons why people start using meth in the first place?
I suspect we’ll see lots of law enforcement, justice types, and drug counselors there.
Maybe we’ll get a recovering addict or two.
We sure as shit won’t get any current users. Maybe it’d be a good idea to bring some in from the jails so they can offer their opinions.
I doubt that’ll happen, though.
Anyways, you know you’ll have a much better understanding of meth in Montana after you read my site next Saturday afternoon/evening.
Colstrip and Their Coal
It started around election time and it promotes the benefits to Montana that Colstrip’s coal brings to us.
For instance, they have a video up today saying that each coal train rolling across Montana brings in $30,000 worth of taxes to the state.
That’s pretty good.
I went ahead and asked Colstrip United why poverty-ridden service industry workers like myself should care about Colstrip and their coal.
I haven’t gotten a response yet, and I probably won’t.
Mainly…why should I care about this?
Yeah, the state gets money from coal.
So what?
Why should I care about that?
I think if people pushing coal want me to care about them and their problems, they need to explain to me how they benefit me now.
- Yeah, giving lots of taxes to the state is great…but how does that benefit me?
- Yep, creating lots of jobs that pay high wages to those employees is great…but how does that benefit me?
- Sure, digging up coal gives us energy and powers our homes…but how does that benefit me?
If Colstrip closed tomorrow, what in my life would change?
Not much.
My power bill might go up a bit, but besides that…what?
- Will I lose my home?
- Will I lose one of my crappy jobs?
- Will my car break down?
- Will I suffer a medical emergency?
- Will the low sum in my bank account suddenly disappear?
Because if none of those things are going to happen, why should I give a damn?
Democrats and Their Fears
Trump’s been in office for 3 weeks.
Why hasn’t the world ended yet?
I thought it was supposed to by now.
If you’re listening to all the ranting and raving from Democrats in this country, you might have thought that too.
Listening to them, the world was going to explode should Trump get into office.
Now, 3 weeks later, my life is exactly the same.
- I still live in poverty
- The jobs in Missoula still suck
- My healthcare is as worthless as it was in 2014
So…what has changed?
I guess for some people, things have changed.
For about a week or so, lots of people couldn’t get into the country.
Besides that…what?
Maybe that’s why you won’t hear a lot of complaining from me when it comes to Trump – nothing in my life has changed!
I don’t feel the need to get all worked-up and fearful and foaming-at-the-mouth like Democrats want me to.
I actually think Democrats are acting like spoiled little brats that should have been sent to the corner a long time ago.
Before the election I thought we’d see the usual midterm rebuttal of the Party in power come 2018.
Now I think we’ll see the exact opposite – Republican gains in both houses of congress.
If Democrats keep acting like the kid in the store that didn’t get what he wanted – kicking and screaming on the floor and making a scene so bad that even the parents are acting like he’s not theirs – then they’re not gaining shit in 2018.
If they can begin to act like adults they might fare better.
To be honest, I think the Party is done.
- From all indications, instead of going after rural areas they’re only going to write them off further.
- Instead of appealing to non-college-educated adults, they’re going to ignore them in favor of more minority groups.
Democrats are wonderful at winning the moral victories. They can’t win anything else.
Expect a lot more fear-tactics and crying foul from Democrats over the coming months.
And look closely at the special election nominating convention here in Montana.
We’ll know from the candidate which Dem factions have the most power in the state.
We’ll also know if it’s even worth your time being a Democrat in Montana anymore.
If they can’t win this one, well…what can they win?
Cities, I guess.
That won’t do it in Montana. With that strategy the legislature will always be under GOP control.
Maybe that’s not such a bad thing – the Montana Democratic blogs will always have something to write about.
Meanwhile your life will continue to get worse…or will it?
Much like Trump in Washington, what happens in Helena doesn’t really impact my life.
Oh, Democrats want me to think it does, but it doesn’t.
My income is so low I barely pay taxes and I sure as shit don’t own property.
What the legislature does has no impact on me.
Many, many Montanans are just like me.
Montana Blog Stats
We figure this out by going to Alexa and typing in the site to see what its level of both American and global traffic is.
Sadly, it seems Amazon has bought this company and they’ve fiddle with things.
For many of these sites, we’re no longer able to get US rankings, just global.
That’s why sites like Flathead Memo have fallen from around #5,000,000 to #9,000,000.
This is what things looked like today:
- Google: #1
- Youtube: #2
- Facebook: #3
- Amazon: #4
- New York Times: #24
- Washington Post: #39
- Billings Gazette: #13,436
- Missoulian: #17,151
- Great Falls Tribune: #38,118
- Independent Record: #41,442
- Flathead Beacon: #76,325
- MT Cowgirl: #102,885
- Missoula Current: #192,643
- Last Best News: #311,121
- Big Sky Words: #354,522
- Intelligent Discontent: #478,522
- Flathead Memo: #9.1 million
- Logicosity: #22 million
- Reptile Dysfunction: #26 million
- The Western Word: No ranking
If we compare those numbers to what we had in October, we see that:
- The Missoula Current has improved by about 2.5 million places
- MT Cowgirl has improved by about 100,000
- Big Sky Words has improved by 50,000
- The Flathead Beacon has improved by about 25,000
- The Missoulian has fallen by 4,000 places
- Intelligent Discontent has fallen by 50,000
- Last Best News has lost 50% of its traffic
- Flathead Memo has fallen by about 3.5 million
- Reptile Dysfunction has fallen by 11 million
- Logicosity actually ranks now
- Western Word lost its ranking
The big problem for most of these sites is their content.
It’s dated.
Three years from now, do you want to go back and read any of their old articles?
Probably not – they’d no longer be relevant.
On my site, however, my most popular articles are from three years ago.
That’s why I’d encourage these sites to put up the occasional, not-so-political post that will draw in visitors for years.
These require more facts, less opinions.
We call this evergreen content – get on it!
Quick Bits at the End
- I have no idea how employers are going to pay for their new moms to take a few months off while they also have to pay a new employee to do that job.
- Trump’s border wall will be paid for with a 20% tax on goods that consumers will pay and Democrats don’t like this. Democrats do like the idea of consumers paying 20% more for goods if that means workers can make $15 an hour, however.
- Dissatisfaction with government is the #1 problem facing the country, according to a recent Gallup poll.
- The bill to increase gas prices by 10 cents a gallon comes before the legislature next week.
- It took weeks, but we’ve finally learned the name of the governor’s infrastructure bill – HB14. It’s more than $200 million and you can see a good breakdown of it here.
- The 5,000-member Little Shell Tribe might be able to finally get free federal money soon. The Feds just need to realize that yes, they are indeed Indians.
- Montana might join South Dakota and Vermont in getting rid of Columbus Day in favor of a less-racist-sounding holiday.
- I saw a city work truck fixing potholes outside my house at 10:15 last night. I’m so glad I moved to a richer area of town!
Finally, I’d like to once again apologize – to rural MT Democrats especially – for what you’ve been reading on MT Cowgirl and Intelligent Discontent.
I know a lot of people in the state think that’s what Democrats need to sound like today.
It’s not.