Missoula's Pattee Canyon
This is an informal post.
I guess that means we try a little less.
Let the hair down…take it easy…casual Friday…these are all ways we can show up to work without really doing any work.
So that’s the strategy on this site today.
I guess that means we try a little less.
Let the hair down…take it easy…casual Friday…these are all ways we can show up to work without really doing any work.
So that’s the strategy on this site today.
Our Montana Poll
I’d like to discuss the poll we did on Friday.
I asked what you wanted to read about and the 14 people that voted said this:
I asked what you wanted to read about and the 14 people that voted said this:
One vote came from around Denver, one was around New York City, one from Lewistown in Idaho, and another came from west of Boston.
One came from Livingtson, one from Unionville, two from Missoula, and one from Ronan.
I don’t know where the other 5 votes came from.
For the most part, people want me to just keep doing what I’m doing.
I’m not surprised by that, as I knew most people would choose that when I put it as a choice.
Other than that, the governor’s race has some interest and then a bit on Missoula issues, some of the statewide races, and a bit on the presidential race.
No one cares about foreign policy or Montana history.
The House Race
I see on Logicosity today that they’re saying this about the Zinke/Juneau race:
“Most observers now say the D will pull 41 to 43 percent of the vote against a weak member whose sole interest is serving and advancing himself.”
Alright…who are “most observers?”
Typically when I put a poll number out like that I link to it, as it adds validity to what I’m saying.
Today I guess we’re just supposed to accept those numbers.
Hey, if it’s on an anonymous site that’s too afraid to use it’s real name, why not?
Why not just accept those numbers, accept the fact that Juneau will lose by several points?
I think we all know the answer to that question – because we’re not stupid.
Very shoddy reporting.
“Most observers now say the D will pull 41 to 43 percent of the vote against a weak member whose sole interest is serving and advancing himself.”
Alright…who are “most observers?”
Typically when I put a poll number out like that I link to it, as it adds validity to what I’m saying.
Today I guess we’re just supposed to accept those numbers.
Hey, if it’s on an anonymous site that’s too afraid to use it’s real name, why not?
Why not just accept those numbers, accept the fact that Juneau will lose by several points?
I think we all know the answer to that question – because we’re not stupid.
Very shoddy reporting.
The Wage Gap
Twitter was all atwitter yesterday about Bullock’s plans to do away with the wage gap.
As you know from reports we did twenty-two months ago, women make 67 cents for every dollar a man gets.
Now Bullock is unveiling plans for Equal Pay for Equal Work, as the IR is reporting.
Bullock was at a coffee shop in Helena and Cooney was at a distillery in Butte.
Both were pledging to “close Montana’s wage gap.”
Alright…how?
According to the article, this will come about because the governor “signed an executive order asking businesses” to “lead by example.”
Another strategy is to have employers “file complaints and sign a pledge to close Montana’s wage gap.”
I don’t see much on forcing businesses to pay equally, however, which is pretty much what the name of the program implies – women will be paid equally.
That’s just not the case.
I do see the governor had a newfangled page set up on the larger mt.gov site to address this issue, however, so I’m sure that’ll change some things.
It seems to me that the real purpose of this gubernatorial push is to reward loyal women with state money.
As you know from reports we did twenty-two months ago, women make 67 cents for every dollar a man gets.
Now Bullock is unveiling plans for Equal Pay for Equal Work, as the IR is reporting.
Bullock was at a coffee shop in Helena and Cooney was at a distillery in Butte.
Both were pledging to “close Montana’s wage gap.”
Alright…how?
According to the article, this will come about because the governor “signed an executive order asking businesses” to “lead by example.”
Another strategy is to have employers “file complaints and sign a pledge to close Montana’s wage gap.”
I don’t see much on forcing businesses to pay equally, however, which is pretty much what the name of the program implies – women will be paid equally.
That’s just not the case.
I do see the governor had a newfangled page set up on the larger mt.gov site to address this issue, however, so I’m sure that’ll change some things.
It seems to me that the real purpose of this gubernatorial push is to reward loyal women with state money.
Or are task force members not paid?
Perhaps it’s just a resume booster.
Maybe they’re not paid for this task force, and if so, that’s ironic – we’re trying to boost women’s pay but we’ll have them volunteer to do that.
I see Missoula’s Diane Sands is on there.
When was the last time she had a job that didn’t pay out taxpayer money?
Union head Jacquie Helt is another common name we see when it’s time to open the nepotism jar.
And of course we’ll have Sheila Hogan and Pam Bucy, because let’s face it, if the women in charge of admin and labor couldn’t help fellow women in the past, let’s just keep ‘em swingin’ and hope this time at bat is different.
I dunno, I really have zero confidence that anything will get done to boost women’s pay.
I mean, you’re going for good faith and promises and employers ratting-out competing employers that aren’t paying women as much as you?
Lame-O!
More Yellowstone Club Connections
I gave you a story the other day on the Yellowstone Club’s massive sewage spill in March of this year.
I told you how spills have happened several times before.
I then began to question why top Montana officials continue to allow this to happen, and what they knew and when they knew it.
I’ll offer a few more names today, and ask a few more questions.
For instance, how about some water rights information?
Let’s consider Judge Russell McElyea.
He’s the chief water judge for the State of Montana’s Water Court.
What are his ties to John Morse, the water commissioner for the Yellowstone Mountain Club, LLC?
We know that Judge McElyea has a Senior Water Master whose job it is to assist Water Commissioner John Morse each year to inspect or answer any questions Morse has regarding the Yellowstone Mountain Club, LLC/Yellowstone Development Corp, LLC’s effluent pond #2.
Why didn’t Judge McElyea request that John Morse inspect the March 4 to 7 sewage spill that emptied 30 million gallons into one of our most prized rivers?
Does the judge have ties to any of the four CrossHarbor Capital Fund owners/partners from before his appointment by the governor?
I’d also like to know his ties to Tracy Stone-Manning during her time as head of the Montana DEQ.
Before he became a judge for the water court, was Russell McElyea tied to Tracy Stone-Manning while she was the DEQ director?
Remember, those would be the years 2012 to 2014.
What’s the timeframe there for the Yellowstone Club’s water rights issues?
An interesting side note is that the Yellowstone Club’s accounting office is the next door neighbor in the same building complex on Research Drive in Bozeman as the Montana Water Court.
An enterprising reporter might want to dig into the State of Montana standard lease contract #2119 between the state, the water court, and the Yellowstone Club.
The lease is for $180,000 a year and goes for 10 years. It was signed a month ago.
Yes – the Yellowstone Club actually serves as the landlord to the office space that the Water Court is using.
The agency contact for that lease is Russel McElyea.
His phone number is (406) 209-2144 and I called him up this morning to ask about these things.
I got the voice mail and left my message.
Primarily, I asked why the Yellowstone Club is renting out offices to a state agency that’s supposed to be deciding the club’s sewage spill.
I asked if this was one of the reasons why McElyea did not have John Morse do a proper investigation.
I asked, but not for one second do I think I’ll get a response.
An enterprising reporter might get a response.
I hope we hear more on this.
I told you how spills have happened several times before.
I then began to question why top Montana officials continue to allow this to happen, and what they knew and when they knew it.
I’ll offer a few more names today, and ask a few more questions.
For instance, how about some water rights information?
Let’s consider Judge Russell McElyea.
He’s the chief water judge for the State of Montana’s Water Court.
What are his ties to John Morse, the water commissioner for the Yellowstone Mountain Club, LLC?
We know that Judge McElyea has a Senior Water Master whose job it is to assist Water Commissioner John Morse each year to inspect or answer any questions Morse has regarding the Yellowstone Mountain Club, LLC/Yellowstone Development Corp, LLC’s effluent pond #2.
Why didn’t Judge McElyea request that John Morse inspect the March 4 to 7 sewage spill that emptied 30 million gallons into one of our most prized rivers?
Does the judge have ties to any of the four CrossHarbor Capital Fund owners/partners from before his appointment by the governor?
I’d also like to know his ties to Tracy Stone-Manning during her time as head of the Montana DEQ.
Before he became a judge for the water court, was Russell McElyea tied to Tracy Stone-Manning while she was the DEQ director?
Remember, those would be the years 2012 to 2014.
What’s the timeframe there for the Yellowstone Club’s water rights issues?
An interesting side note is that the Yellowstone Club’s accounting office is the next door neighbor in the same building complex on Research Drive in Bozeman as the Montana Water Court.
An enterprising reporter might want to dig into the State of Montana standard lease contract #2119 between the state, the water court, and the Yellowstone Club.
The lease is for $180,000 a year and goes for 10 years. It was signed a month ago.
Yes – the Yellowstone Club actually serves as the landlord to the office space that the Water Court is using.
The agency contact for that lease is Russel McElyea.
His phone number is (406) 209-2144 and I called him up this morning to ask about these things.
I got the voice mail and left my message.
Primarily, I asked why the Yellowstone Club is renting out offices to a state agency that’s supposed to be deciding the club’s sewage spill.
I asked if this was one of the reasons why McElyea did not have John Morse do a proper investigation.
I asked, but not for one second do I think I’ll get a response.
An enterprising reporter might get a response.
I hope we hear more on this.
