Southwest Montana
It should be a slow and rainy day here in Missoula.
I’ll take my son to the movie The Secret Life of Pets today.
Besides that I’ll probably read a bit, work on some writing, and maybe do a bit of my puzzle.
I told you about that yesterday, and since then I’ve done a lot on my next volume of Montana history.
Here, I’d like to show you some real quick before we get into more modern stuff.
I’ll take my son to the movie The Secret Life of Pets today.
Besides that I’ll probably read a bit, work on some writing, and maybe do a bit of my puzzle.
I told you about that yesterday, and since then I’ve done a lot on my next volume of Montana history.
Here, I’d like to show you some real quick before we get into more modern stuff.
Montana in 1960
America had 180.7 million people in 1960, and Montana’s 674,000 people made up 0.3% of that.
Montana’s cities weren’t what they are today. In 1960 Great Falls had 55,000 residents, Billings had nearly 53,000, Butte had about 28,000, Missoula had 27,000, Helena had 20,000, Bozeman had 13,000 and Kalispell had 10,000. Together those cities accounted for 206,000 people, or 30% of the state’s population.
So who were those people and what did they do?
The 1970 U.S. Census tells us that 161,654 men were working that year, and nearly 4,000 of them were minorities, the rest white. Another 86,688 women also worked, and just over 2,000 of them were minorities. That means 248,000 people were working, or 37% of the state’s population.
More than 53,000 people were involved in wholesale and retail trade while almost 32,000 worked in agriculture or forestry. 18,000 worked in transportation or communications or utilities, almost 15,000 worked in construction, 15,000 worked in manufacturing industries, and 14,000 worked in public administration. Another 12,000 worked in personal services and over 9,000 Montanans had their business in finance. More than 5,600 people worked in mining. The largest segment of minority employment was professional and related services.
Most married households in Montana were making $10,000 to $15,000 a year at that point, while most single people were either earning the same or earning $3,000 or less.
Those were the numbers that the 1960s gave us and they show us a little about what Montana was like. The numbers by themselves are a bit dry, however, without people and personalities to liven them up. It’s the goal of this history, therefore, to provide you with those people and personalities, and a bit more.
We’ll get started right at the top with JFK then head to Dallas for that momentous day more than 50 years ago now.
Montana’s cities weren’t what they are today. In 1960 Great Falls had 55,000 residents, Billings had nearly 53,000, Butte had about 28,000, Missoula had 27,000, Helena had 20,000, Bozeman had 13,000 and Kalispell had 10,000. Together those cities accounted for 206,000 people, or 30% of the state’s population.
So who were those people and what did they do?
The 1970 U.S. Census tells us that 161,654 men were working that year, and nearly 4,000 of them were minorities, the rest white. Another 86,688 women also worked, and just over 2,000 of them were minorities. That means 248,000 people were working, or 37% of the state’s population.
More than 53,000 people were involved in wholesale and retail trade while almost 32,000 worked in agriculture or forestry. 18,000 worked in transportation or communications or utilities, almost 15,000 worked in construction, 15,000 worked in manufacturing industries, and 14,000 worked in public administration. Another 12,000 worked in personal services and over 9,000 Montanans had their business in finance. More than 5,600 people worked in mining. The largest segment of minority employment was professional and related services.
Most married households in Montana were making $10,000 to $15,000 a year at that point, while most single people were either earning the same or earning $3,000 or less.
Those were the numbers that the 1960s gave us and they show us a little about what Montana was like. The numbers by themselves are a bit dry, however, without people and personalities to liven them up. It’s the goal of this history, therefore, to provide you with those people and personalities, and a bit more.
We’ll get started right at the top with JFK then head to Dallas for that momentous day more than 50 years ago now.
Tester’s Timidity
I saw Mike Jopek share this Bill Moyers article on Twitter this morning. It’s called For the Senate, Transparency Is a S-l-o-w Process.
What we’re getting at is money in politics and the corruption it brings.
Tester “yearns for shorter campaigns and less time calling wealthy potential donors,” we’re told.
Tester then tells us that “people think I spend more time on the phone than I do.”
Well, how much time do you spend on the phone, Jon?
We know full well that most of the fools you serve with focus on raising money more than anything.
60 Minutes did a report in April that told us congress people have the main job “to raise $18,000 a day” for their reelection.
In 2013 Huffington Post told us that “four hours” of every congress person’s “nine or 10-hour day” is spent in “call time” and “another hour is blocked off for ‘strategic outreach.’”
Democratic leadership leaves “three to four hours” as “designated for the actual work of being a member of Congress.”
I guess Tester doesn’t have to put in that much time, since he’s got such a high level of seniority.
Still, we know he has to cold call rich assholes and grovel for money.
He gets paid to, and that money comes from you.
Not once has Senator Tester given me a call, and the reason for that is I’m not important – I don’t have money.
But Senator Tester has called countless people that don’t even live in Montana to ask them for money, and I bet he’s called some of them twice.
Jon Tester is just another puppet in the congressional machine, a man that’s expected to raise money and do as he’s told.
My, that’s pathetic.
Tester could change this. He could say ‘fuck it’ and he could say it loud.
What would that look like?
I don’t think Tester will do any of those things and I expect him to grovel for the rich man’s money as much as he can so he can get another 6 years in the Senate, maybe fill Mansfield’s shoes with majority leader status.
I’m not sure how that’ll help my life.
If money in politics is such an important issue, why doesn’t Tester care?
Get angry, Jon, because if you don’t someone will and they’ll take your seat.
We’re looking for someone to primary you, Jon, and the reason is simple – you don’t work for us, you work for rich, out-of-state assholes that you call everyday on the phone.
What we’re getting at is money in politics and the corruption it brings.
Tester “yearns for shorter campaigns and less time calling wealthy potential donors,” we’re told.
Tester then tells us that “people think I spend more time on the phone than I do.”
Well, how much time do you spend on the phone, Jon?
We know full well that most of the fools you serve with focus on raising money more than anything.
60 Minutes did a report in April that told us congress people have the main job “to raise $18,000 a day” for their reelection.
In 2013 Huffington Post told us that “four hours” of every congress person’s “nine or 10-hour day” is spent in “call time” and “another hour is blocked off for ‘strategic outreach.’”
Democratic leadership leaves “three to four hours” as “designated for the actual work of being a member of Congress.”
I guess Tester doesn’t have to put in that much time, since he’s got such a high level of seniority.
Still, we know he has to cold call rich assholes and grovel for money.
He gets paid to, and that money comes from you.
Not once has Senator Tester given me a call, and the reason for that is I’m not important – I don’t have money.
But Senator Tester has called countless people that don’t even live in Montana to ask them for money, and I bet he’s called some of them twice.
Jon Tester is just another puppet in the congressional machine, a man that’s expected to raise money and do as he’s told.
My, that’s pathetic.
Tester could change this. He could say ‘fuck it’ and he could say it loud.
What would that look like?
- Getting angry every time a news camera is around so people can see how pissed off he is with our money-corruption system.
- Talking-up our corrupt system every chance he gets and not focusing on anything else until change happens.
- Telling people what he thinks instead of what they want to hear.
I don’t think Tester will do any of those things and I expect him to grovel for the rich man’s money as much as he can so he can get another 6 years in the Senate, maybe fill Mansfield’s shoes with majority leader status.
I’m not sure how that’ll help my life.
If money in politics is such an important issue, why doesn’t Tester care?
Get angry, Jon, because if you don’t someone will and they’ll take your seat.
We’re looking for someone to primary you, Jon, and the reason is simple – you don’t work for us, you work for rich, out-of-state assholes that you call everyday on the phone.
Cowturd’s Silence
Wouldn’t it be nice if MT Cowturd actually cared about Montana and not just Democrats?
Currently we see the site muddling along this summer, with just 11 posts in the past 40 days.
Where is Eric Stern?
Is he not working in the Secretary of State’s office anymore? I mean, usually we can count on him and his cronies to pile us high with propaganda.
So what’s going on?
I think it’s the Bullock sex scandal, myself.
We saw this week that KGVO News went ahead and got the plane records showing Bullock flew to the Paul McCartney concert in 2014.
I fully expect legislative Republicans will ask for an accounting of this, and if Bullock is smart, he’ll reimburse the state for this trip.
Or is it not campaign related so that’s not necessary?
I believe the silence from Cowturd stems from some of the top brass in the Montana Democratic Party starting to realize that the Bullock affair rumors are true and that they have a helluva mess on their hands.
Does Nancy Keenan know, do you think? I wonder how many know and are colluding with Bullock and his team to lie to the public.
Hillary does it - why not those in local?
At this point we can be confident that Gianforte will be governor as there’s no way Bullock will survive the voters’ wrath when they find out he’s been sleeping with staff and firing state workers that find out about it.
Hey, that’s what numerous people have told me.
Remember, a month ago none of you thought the Paul McCartney rumors were true, but then we proved it.
Now GOPers are asking questions.
Currently we see the site muddling along this summer, with just 11 posts in the past 40 days.
Where is Eric Stern?
Is he not working in the Secretary of State’s office anymore? I mean, usually we can count on him and his cronies to pile us high with propaganda.
So what’s going on?
I think it’s the Bullock sex scandal, myself.
We saw this week that KGVO News went ahead and got the plane records showing Bullock flew to the Paul McCartney concert in 2014.
I fully expect legislative Republicans will ask for an accounting of this, and if Bullock is smart, he’ll reimburse the state for this trip.
Or is it not campaign related so that’s not necessary?
I believe the silence from Cowturd stems from some of the top brass in the Montana Democratic Party starting to realize that the Bullock affair rumors are true and that they have a helluva mess on their hands.
Does Nancy Keenan know, do you think? I wonder how many know and are colluding with Bullock and his team to lie to the public.
Hillary does it - why not those in local?
At this point we can be confident that Gianforte will be governor as there’s no way Bullock will survive the voters’ wrath when they find out he’s been sleeping with staff and firing state workers that find out about it.
Hey, that’s what numerous people have told me.
Remember, a month ago none of you thought the Paul McCartney rumors were true, but then we proved it.
Now GOPers are asking questions.
@mgmonforton @kgvoam @mikedennison Is it true that he traveled w a cabinet member? Is there truth to the @gpstberg blogs? #mtpol
— CowboyLogic (@MTCowhand) July 9, 2016
@MTCowhand @kgvoam @mikedennison @gpstberg Yes & Yes. Just the tip of the iceberg If it was Gov Gianforte, it would be a media frenzy #mtpol
— Matthew Monforton (@MGMonforton) July 9, 2016
@gpstberg @kgvoam @mgmonforton @mikedennison If I read the story right it looks like they spent the night. Is that the case? #mtpol
— CowboyLogic (@MTCowhand) July 10, 2016
Well, I’m excited. I can’t wait for the shit to hit the fan.
Crime doesn’t pay and neither does corruption. Most of all, lying to cover things up and firing people that don’t play ball is not something that can be tolerated.
If Cowturd cared about Montana they’d report this.
But they don’t care about Montana – they just care about themselves.
Lindeen’s Done
If I was Corey Stapleton I’d pick up my campaigning.
Monica Lindeen’s done.
When it’s your job to oversee insurance rates as the State Auditor and those rates are set to go up, wow, you’ve got problems!
According to a report by Mike Dennison on Friday, insurance companies want to increase rates by 62%.
Yes, 62%.
Lindeen mentions she doesn’t like these increases but the only alternative is to scrap Obamacare and go with the GOP alternative, which is nothing.
Don’t you just love the Democratic message here – keep the broken system we have because no system is worse.
Can you begin to understand why the country is falling apart?
Honestly, why do local Democrats continue to lose out because of Obamacare instead of challenging the fools at National to change it so it actually works for common people, not just the rich and insurance companies and those that don't work?
We know from my reporting 2 years ago that Monica Lindeen makes $86,000 a year.
She also gets free health insurance because she works for the state.
So…do you think Monica gives a shit about these insurance increases?
She’s making bank and she’s got her health covered! Why should she care about you?
That’s the message Corey Stapleton better start getting out there, for right now it doesn’t seem like he’s doing anything.
We know Stapleton got 26,000 more votes than Lindeen in the primary for Secretary of State.
I want Stapeleton to win this race for the very simple reason that if the GOP takes over Secretary of State, Eric Stern will be shown the door and we can get rid of that bastard and his damn MT Cowturd propaganda.
Alas, I don’t think Stapleton has the political acumen to pull this win off.
We’ll see, but for now, remember what I said about Lindeen last summer:
Monica Lindeen’s done.
When it’s your job to oversee insurance rates as the State Auditor and those rates are set to go up, wow, you’ve got problems!
According to a report by Mike Dennison on Friday, insurance companies want to increase rates by 62%.
Yes, 62%.
Lindeen mentions she doesn’t like these increases but the only alternative is to scrap Obamacare and go with the GOP alternative, which is nothing.
Don’t you just love the Democratic message here – keep the broken system we have because no system is worse.
Can you begin to understand why the country is falling apart?
Honestly, why do local Democrats continue to lose out because of Obamacare instead of challenging the fools at National to change it so it actually works for common people, not just the rich and insurance companies and those that don't work?
We know from my reporting 2 years ago that Monica Lindeen makes $86,000 a year.
She also gets free health insurance because she works for the state.
So…do you think Monica gives a shit about these insurance increases?
She’s making bank and she’s got her health covered! Why should she care about you?
That’s the message Corey Stapleton better start getting out there, for right now it doesn’t seem like he’s doing anything.
We know Stapleton got 26,000 more votes than Lindeen in the primary for Secretary of State.
I want Stapeleton to win this race for the very simple reason that if the GOP takes over Secretary of State, Eric Stern will be shown the door and we can get rid of that bastard and his damn MT Cowturd propaganda.
Alas, I don’t think Stapleton has the political acumen to pull this win off.
We’ll see, but for now, remember what I said about Lindeen last summer:
“The only way Monica Lindeen is going to become Montana’s next Secretary of State is through a shit-ton of dark money, insurance company donations (bribes) and negative press against her opponents as she can buy.
I mean, why else would Montanans vote for her? She’s going to raise your insurance rates!
...
Lindeen does nothing in the face of this, just bends over and takes it, doing as they ask, raising your rates so they can have more cream on their cake. She could ask why costs are so high, and what people are getting for that, but she doesn’t. For if she did that, they’d withhold support (money) from her in 2016.”
Missoula Dems are Clueless
On Tuesday at 7 PM the Missoula County Democrats will be having their monthly meeting at the City Council Chambers.
Anyone can go down there, but I have no idea why they’d want to.
First of all…one meeting a month?
Why just 12 meetings a year? There aren’t important things to discuss? Hell, I discuss things on this site everyday!
After that…why the silly session?
I say that because the topic of discussion this month is “Rural Economic Development in Montana, on and off Indian Reservations.”
Great topic…now how the hell does it affect us here in Missoula?
Oh, I get it – this is one of those minority issues that we can embrace and feel good about ourselves afterward.
Save that shit, please, and give me some majority issues that we can use to win the legislature.
I’m talking about focusing on issues that are important to white, working-class men – the exact demographic that the Democratic Party is losing.
Or how about ways to get Missoula's abysmal voter turnout up above 40% or so?
At this point I have no intention of attending that meeting, and I don’t feel it’ll be a loss.
What have the Missoula County Democrats produced in the past year that you can point to and say, ‘wow, that really helped my life?’
Nothing, you can point to nothing.
I don’t know what’s happened to the Democratic Party in Montana.
They used to care about issues that people were concerned with, but now it’s just minority issues and helping people that don’t even live here (refugees).
When it’s not that its gays and guns and flags.
Honestly, why are we surprised that Dems are in such dire straights?
All I can do is shake my head at them, hope that some of them wake up, start talking like I do.
Right now no one cares about you or the issues that you push.
Good luck telling Dems that, however – they’ll just ignore you and carry on.
In that regard they have no one to blame for their downfall but themselves.
Anyone can go down there, but I have no idea why they’d want to.
First of all…one meeting a month?
Why just 12 meetings a year? There aren’t important things to discuss? Hell, I discuss things on this site everyday!
After that…why the silly session?
I say that because the topic of discussion this month is “Rural Economic Development in Montana, on and off Indian Reservations.”
Great topic…now how the hell does it affect us here in Missoula?
Oh, I get it – this is one of those minority issues that we can embrace and feel good about ourselves afterward.
Save that shit, please, and give me some majority issues that we can use to win the legislature.
I’m talking about focusing on issues that are important to white, working-class men – the exact demographic that the Democratic Party is losing.
Or how about ways to get Missoula's abysmal voter turnout up above 40% or so?
At this point I have no intention of attending that meeting, and I don’t feel it’ll be a loss.
What have the Missoula County Democrats produced in the past year that you can point to and say, ‘wow, that really helped my life?’
Nothing, you can point to nothing.
I don’t know what’s happened to the Democratic Party in Montana.
They used to care about issues that people were concerned with, but now it’s just minority issues and helping people that don’t even live here (refugees).
When it’s not that its gays and guns and flags.
Honestly, why are we surprised that Dems are in such dire straights?
All I can do is shake my head at them, hope that some of them wake up, start talking like I do.
Right now no one cares about you or the issues that you push.
Good luck telling Dems that, however – they’ll just ignore you and carry on.
In that regard they have no one to blame for their downfall but themselves.
