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We made it through another week. Next week is a school closure week. My son will be at home for 12 days in a row until he’s allowed to go back. Who knows what’s going to happen with Thanksgiving. And then we have the election, which is nearly three weeks old. Doesn’t seem like Trump has much of a path to victory anymore. The Guiliani press conference yesterday was a disaster. But anything can happen.
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Look at us. 72% of Americans are overweight or obese. To put it another way, just 28% of Americans are healthy. Is it any wonder that over 10 million of us have gotten the virus, and nearly 250,000 have died from it? We’re lucky that 99.997% of people that get it survive it. Imagine if something serious came along. 72% of the American population is 236 million people. If something with even a 10% death rate came along, then 23 million people would be dead. That’d sure bring housing prices down! Mostly, I’m tired as hell of this virus, these lockdowns, business closures, and the destruction to our families, our kids, and our mental health. Missoula’s a tough enough place in the winter with all the inversions and lack of sunlight...and now we’re likely going to have more closures? God, I’m sick of these tiny tyrants in local government! And then we have the work situation. When the feds were involved, I was getting $760 every week. Then it was just the state, and I got $160 and then that went down to $140 for the most recent weeks. Now I’m just getting $40 a week. All the fed money ran out and the state is exhausting its reserves. $40 a week? Thanks. It’s not like I had a hand in reducing my hours from 30 a week to the current 4 (this week will likely be zero). No, it was the government bureaucrats that did that. Each and every one of them is still collecting their full pay. There is no sacrifice in their households. Why should there be? They’re clearly better than us. Depending on your age and your health, you might or might not agree with me on all this. We’re destroying not only our states and our cities, but our country and our whole society. And it’s not we - we’re powerless to do anything about it. God it’s frustrating! But what can you do? That might be the most frustrating thing of all...how powerless we are in the face of such unbridled oppression and trampling of our rights. At least precedence has been set for businesses to overcome the mask mandate. In fact, if the state takes a business to court over the mandate and can’t prove the virus spread because of that business, then the state most likely will have to pay that business’s legal fees. This is a huge success for liberty, freedom, and the American way. Still...when will it end? God, it has to at some point...doesn’t it? Can Trump pull this off? Let’s face it - Trump’s not in a good position. That said, he’s not nearly in the dire straits that the media makes him out to be. Just think how much they didn’t tell you about covid. How much are they keeping from you about the election? Take Pennsylvania. Earlier today NBC called that race for Joe Biden, only to quickly retract it. The lead Trump had there on election night has evaporated. Why is this? Is it because of widespread voter fraud...Democrats putting a bunch of fake ballots into the mix? Or is it just that tons of people voted by mail because of fears of covid, and it’s taking time to count all that? I dunno. I do know that the Pennsylvania legislature passed a law in 2019 that said mail-in ballots had to reach the elections office by 8 PM on election day. One stipulation of that law is that if any of the 12 sections of the law are violated, the whole law becomes void. The law was violated when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court rewrote the law, allowing ballots to come in past that deadline. Judge Samuel Alito has already signaled that this is unconstitutional. Many conservatives are hoping that all the Pennsylvania mail-in ballots will now be thrown at, as the original law says. There’s a good chance this could happen. And there’s a good chance Biden could overcome it all and become president. I’d be fine with this. Maybe it’s time for a Biden presidency...time for us to move on from Trump. Either way, not much is going to change in my life. I do despise the idea of a nationwide mask order, and I don’t like the idea of the green new deal, but the GOP has the senate so I don’t expect Biden would accomplish much. You can’t say the same for Montana, where the GOP is going to get everything it wants and easily so. Elections matter. I’d like you to do me a favor - enjoy this weekend.
Do any of those things or anything else...just do something! Because after the election in a few days, this country is going to be fundamentally and drastically changed. Chances are good that if you live in a big city that’s not currently covered in snow, you might see some martial law. Good luck doing anything then. Here in Montana we’re lucky. Most people are sane, they work, and on top of it, it’s just too damn cold to go outside and make a fuss. Still, it’s getting down below 40 degrees each night in Philly, and they’re still rioting there. But then I guess it gets a little warmer when you’re setting vehicles and buildings on fire. I don’t know what’s going to happen next week, but I have some strong suspicions. How about you - any thoughts on what’s coming? The pendulum swings. The bureaucrats that are shutting down businesses? Soon, they’ll be shut down as well. When you close the businesses that are paying your salary...how long can that salary keep coming? The pendulum swings. 40 years in government for Mr. Fauci. Four decades of telling people what to do. Soon...he’ll be told what to do...if he even has a job come January (which I doubt he will). The pendulum swings. Hundreds of thousands of people are moving around the country right now, driving up property prices. But at the same time, millions can’t pay their rent and mortgage. The pendulum swings. Wait to see the housing market a year from now. Used to be D’s in the house...soon it’ll be the R’s. The pendulum swings.
Andy Westberry.
Some D.C. hack that’s working for Rosendale. Twice a day, Andy sends me emails that look like this: “Below is a letter to the editor that Jimmy Patelis asked that I send to you on his behalf. For verification purposes, He can be contacted at the email that is cc'd above, or by phone at (406) 671-9972 Jimmy Patelis is a retired Chief U.S. Probation Officer for the District of Montana. He resides in Billings, MT. Please let me know if there is anything else I can provide you. Andy Westberry (970) 286-1926” Andy's area code is from Colorado. Yep, a ringer. Some out-of-stater that doesn't give a hoot about your or I, they've just been brought in to help win it for Matt. Doin' a helluva job, isn't he? I finally had to block Andy. He simply would not stop. I never signed-up for these emails, never wanted them. But Andy doesn’t care. And neither does Rosendale - after all...he’s paying Andy to spam me. This is who Rosendale is. He’s a man that doesn’t care about you. I feel sorry for anyone that votes for him. I feel sorry for Andy, too. Imagine this being your ‘career’...sending out spam all day to nobodies like me. What a life. The Flathead’s Scaredy-Cat “This is Montana’s most important statewide election for Democrats. If they lose all of the other statewide elections, nothing changes. If they lose the governorship, they lose the veto pen that Brian Schweitzer and Steve Bullock used to protect the public from dozens of mean-spirited bills whooped through the legislature by Republican majorities.” Um...so what? Whether a Democrat or a Republican is in the Governor’s Office...how exactly does that impact my life? It doesn’t. I’m sorry, James...but whether it’s Gianforte or Cooney...ain’t nothin’ gonna change in my life. Know why? Because I work. It really is that simple, James. You see, because I choose to work, I don’t have to rely on the government for things like my food, my healthcare, or my housing. Know why? Because I have money. Know why? Because I work. So again...what the hell does a GOPer or a Dem have anything to do with my life? James, I’m sorry...but for old folks like you that sit at home all day long and watch the TV, yes...it might seem like this election is important. But for all of the people that are actually going to work each day, ensuring you get that Social Security check...well, it doesn’t make an ounce of difference. James, how is my life going to change in January...when Gianforte or Cooney takes office? It’s not, and you know that. So grow up and stop being so childish. You used to have a voice that people respected. Lately you’ve become weak, and scared. The rest of us are neither of those things. His Own Words I decided to go to Gianforte’s website to see what he himself says he’s going to do. His site is the same as all the others - some bio, some issues, some photos. Looking at the images on his site, I’d like to see Greg grow a beard/goatee again...like he had when his kids were younger. Might as well - come January, the years-long race is over and you can ‘let your hair down.’ Anyways, what I noticed the most on Gianforte’s site was his “Montana Comeback Plan,” which is actually a 16-page PDF document. Yeah, this guy is serious, and he’s prepared. What I love about the report are the numbers:
There are more, but that’s just an idea. And I love this one - “it took five years to build the Hoover Dam. But permitting has tied up the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project, which provides water to more than 58,000 acres of family farms, for a decade. We have to streamline the permitting process.” One of the things I also love is the rarity of this election. I mean...how often can you vote for the same two executive candidates you voted for last time? Yep, I’ll be voting for Trump and Gianforte again this year, just like I did in ‘16. Now, to be fair I had to go to Cooney’s site as well. Right away, you’re assaulted with a pop-up asking you for money. Gianforte’s site doesn’t hit you with that. Know why? Because Gianforte is winning. Wanna know another reason? Gianforte took risks and chances in the private sector, and that paid-off for him big time. Cooney played it safe and spent his whole life in the public sector, and that hasn’t paid-off. Cooney doesn’t have an issues page. He has a priorities page. I wasn’t interested in reading it. What a Joke When is this joke of a pandemic going to end? I know we have a lot of old folks that are afraid of dying...but the rest of us just want to live again. So how ‘bout this - all you old folks stay home and collect your Social Security...and all us young folks get back to normal so we can provide you with that. Consider hospital beds. Montana has 3,381 hospital beds and another 165 ICU beds. Currently we have 8 Covid patients in the ICU in both Missoula and Gallatin Counties. In total in the state of Montana, we currently have 177 people in the hospital for Covid. This represents 5% of our hospital capacity. When is this joke of a pandemic going to end? Here in Missoula my son was supposed to start going back to school 4 days a week beginning on October 12. But then that got pushed back to October 19 and then today it was pushed back to November 9. I don’t think my son will ever go to school full-time ever again. Why? Because if we opened up our schools, that 5% number could go up to 10%. And we couldn’t have that, now could we? Our Society’s Poison We got into a discussion about social media on RD this week. I loved this bit of a comment: “I’m increasingly viewing social media as the safety-safe of people who are so insecure and have so few productive places to put their energy that they constantly are checking their phones for people to tell them they’re right. Imagine being so needy for validation or blinded by ideology that you need a place to tell you how good you are and how bad other people are?” Nailed it. Insecure...needy...validation… I’m not a phone person - never have been, never will. I leave my phone at home. I like that people can’t get ahold of me. I like the freedom. I feel sorry for the people that have to carry a phone everywhere, checking it every few minutes. How empty their lives must be. It really is one of the leading addictions in this country, our phones. I think the damn things have made our lives worse. Killing It I told you back in March that we’d see more suicides due to the lockdowns. Tragically, we are seeing that. Two months ago the CDC did a survey and found that 11% of people were considering suicide, though if you looked at young adults, that number rose to 25%. They told us that 40% of all Americans were having negative health effects due to the lockdowns. Military veteran suicides are up 25%, while active duty suicides are up 30% from last year. We already had 20 veterans a day killing themselves for years, and now it’s more. Good job, government. It’s a huge problem all over the world. In Japan, celebrities are killing themselves. The suicide rate there is up 15% from last year. We’ve seen our anxiety rates go from 8% to 25% during the lockdown, and depression rates go from 6% to 24%. It’s not the virus that’s killing us; it’s ourselves. Cold and flu season - it is upon us. I’ve got a cough and am a bit stuffed-up. My 1-year-old has had a runny nose all week. That time of the year. I’m pretty sure it’s not Covid - I had a test for that last week. I hope to talk about that soon. Until then, what’s on your mind? Chances are extremely good that you won't comment. Alright, watch these videos instead. This is your country. What are you going to do about it?
First day of school.
On a Friday...before a long weekend...and then it’s just two days next week. Why are we funding teachers 100%? What am I paying for? Because the way it seems to me, I’m paying to keep my kid home three days a week. For two of those days, I’m expected to do all the teacher duties myself. I don’t get paid for this. I don’t get benefits or healthcare or retirement. All I get is a headache. But we’re still paying our teachers for doing a full-time job even though they’re not doing a full-time job. Teachers and their unions really shot themselves in the foot with this nonsense. My son’s school is a fine example. They usually have three kindergarten classes, around 60 kids. But this year 20 kids are doing remote learning. So one teacher is no longer needed. The chopping block. How long do you think we’re going to keep all these extra teachers on staff that aren’t needed because so many kids are staying home? What will the unions do when they begin to lose teachers, and dues, and votes? What will Amanda Curtis do? Parents are frustrated, and that’s putting it lightly. Teachers have made it abundantly clear that they do not care about me or my family. They’re forcing me to do their job 60% of the time. And their price for that? 100% of their pay and benefits package. People will stand up and say they’re not going to take it anymore. It’s coming. The blowback will be immense. Society will change fundamentally. The world will never be the same. Jaime Horn is his name. I’d never heard of him until he sent me an email a few days before the KPAX story broke. He was grasping at straws, hoping that someone would run a story on his little conspiracy theory. I looked at the image he sent and scoffed. It was clear the flag was framed and on the wall in some kind of museum display! But not to Jaime Horn it wasn’t...oh no, oh boy! “As a person of color with Jewish heritage, I am speechless and appalled at the nature of this image. My opponent's willingness to be indignantly seen in the same room as such a hateful, and evil symbol is offensive on many different levels. The swastika not only represents one of the worst genocides in human history, but also a war that claimed the lives of 418,500 Americans. If elected, I will be the first Latino legislator in Montana history, and will work in Helena to heal, not exacerbate as the current incumbent will, the racial divides tearing apart our communities.” Yep...identity politics. It’s not about what Horn is going to do for you; it’s about who he is. Don’t you want to send a message this November, telling how woke you are? That’s what a vote for Jaime means. Horn was born in Washington State and moved to Great Falls when he was in High School. He attended college there and now runs some kind of entertainment company. He’s filed 5 campaign finance reports since March when his candidacy began, and he hasn’t raised a dime from anyone nor has he lent his campaign any money. After the debacle-of-a-story broke on Wednesday, Horn tried to use it as a way to solicit campaign donations. He has no campaign website and relies on his candidate Facebook account, which was rather sleepy and had no comments and no likes until he created this non-story to try and boost his visibility. It worked, and now he has a few reactions and a few comments on his page. I don’t know if he’ll get any monetary donations out of this story, but I’m pretty sure Ed Buttrey will. I don’t think Horn stands a chance in November. Somehow he ran unopposed in the primary, garnering 1,217 votes. Buttrey ran against Sally Tucker and won, with both of them getting over 1,700 votes combined. I think a lot of Democrats will be disgusted by this story, if they even hear about it, and will be hesitant to vote for Horn. Buttrey was lauded by Governor Bullock for helping pass Medicaid expansion a few years ago, and has been known as a moderate (which both endears him to Democrats while at the same time alienating him from many in his own Republican Party). As for Horn, well...maybe next year. I really need to start adding up all the new taxes that are going to hit Missoulians this fall. We know the county is going to ask for $17.34 a year for better equity. The city’s bus service is asking $108. It really does depend on how much your home is worth. Most are pushing $400,000 these days, probably more. When it’s all said and done, I believe most homeowners will be paying an extra $250 this year. The city itself is not asking for more money because they can tap their slush fund, the MRA (Missoula Redevelopment Agency). All of these taxes will pass. Missoula always votes for them, and for all the people fleeing the coastal cities that are up in flame? It’s a helluva deal living here compared to the hell they’re escaping from. They’ll pay anything. What an amazing Convention! The GOP knocked it out of the park. I didn’t watch any of it; I listened to the highlights on radio the next day. I did the exact same with the Dem convention the week before. This is the big problem for Dems - they don’t stand for anything; they're just against. With the Dems you only get doom and gloom...all the time. The GOP gives you hope. Pessimism vs. optimism...darkness vs. light. Who do you think is going to win? Yesterday Bullock held a press conference to tell parents they can’t watch their kids play sports. <sigh> Do you really think this guy has any chance whatsoever vs. Daines? I don’t. I’m lucky I don’t have a TV so I don’t have to deal with the onslaught of TV advertising, but I do hear the ads on radio. And Bullock’s losing, big time. The latest highlighting the stimulus money that Bullock isn’t spending on the state’s citizens...but he is doling-out to his donors? What a piece of work, but nothing we shouldn’t expect from a career politician. Alas, Bullock and the $1 billion Trump gave him wasn’t enough - he had to get his slimeball buddy in Congress to help him dole-out the money to his bar owner friend in Missoula. Let me just repeat this if you don’t understand: Steve Bullock appointed people to his coronavirus task force that donated to his campaign, and then he gives federal stimulus money to those individuals. This is corruption. I decided to get some Trump regalia. This is quite tricky. Oh, not in finding the stuff or buying it - that’s easy - but in deciding what to display, and how. None of us want our vehicle vandalized, for instance. But you know if you put a Trump 2020 sticker on your bumper, there’s a good chance some angry and confused young liberal will break your window or knock your side mirror off or - if you’re lucky - just spit on your vehicle. I always have admiration for those brave individuals that do display Trump stickers on their car. They’re fighters. So I decided to do the same, and visited the Trump Store to see what they had. I settled on the following products:
I think these are safe choices. I think the ‘police’ one is the least controversial...but you never know - that might be more offensive to some people than a Trump sticker. I am leaning toward putting the ‘police’ one on my car, but I’m still on the fence. I think the ‘swamp’ one would be too much for many in Missoula to handle. I ordered those items a few days ago and I hope they arrive soon. I have one big regret, though. I wish I would have ordered this shirt...and you know what, I think I will. I need a good running shirt that hundreds of people can see each morning. Many will roll their eyes, but many others will be encouraged. 
I haven’t written on this site in over 2 weeks. There are many reasons for this. Here’s one: MT Post stopped listening. They haven’t allowed a comment in nearly 3 weeks. That’s how confident Democrats are. That’s when I realized Democrats aren’t going to win a single office this year. They’re so confident in themselves that they won’t allow other voices to ruin their party. That’s when I realized I didn’t need to do this anymore.
I must love torture!
Why else would I put up yet another open post...one I know no one will comment on, making me look stupid and unimportant and meaningless and like no one even visits this site? Why would I do that? Well...because it’s the truth. |
MT Book 7My final volume of Montana history, covering the years 1990 to 2020, is now on sale!
This blog began in March 2013 and discusses Montana politics. Popular PostsThe Evil of the California Street Bridge
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