The Western Word is coming to you, STILL, I repeat STILL, coronavirus free, from deep inside an underground bunker in Montana. The bunker also serves as the worldwide headquarters for The Western Word blog!

Quote of the day…

Compassion and tolerance are not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. – Dalai Lama

Today’s independent commentary deals with these people/issues:

• April 24, 2020
• Great Falls Public Schools
• Vote by Mail
• White House Press Secretary
• One More Thing

APRIL 24, 2020:

It looks like April 24 is the next big date for Montanans to mark on their calendar.

Montana Governor Steve Bullock extended through April 24 Directives he issued to protect Montanans from COVID-19 by slowing the spread of the virus in Montana. The Directives were set to expire on April 10.

Tuesday’s Directive extends from April 10 through April 24th the following Directives:

• Closing all non-residential public schools in Montana.
• Closing certain on-premises dining and beverage businesses while expanding and encouraging delivery, takeout, and drive-up options.
• Extending the stay at home Directive except for certain essential activities, temporarily closing non-essential businesses, provided social distancing requirements, and limited non-essential travel.
• Limiting evictions, foreclosures, and disconnections for the duration of the Stay at Home Directive.
• Requiring a 14-day self-quarantine for individuals arriving in Montana for non-work-related travel.

More information can be found by clicking HERE.

Bullock is doing a fine job in handling this pandemic and keeping the public informed.

GREAT FALLS PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

I wrote a little yesterday about the supporters of the elementary levy in Great Falls needing to go on the offensive more and get down and dirty in the trenches with the vocal group of folks who don’t support the public schools in Great Falls.

Kids’ Education Yes (KEY), which is a community-led non-partisan Political Action Committee (PAC) founded in Great Falls in the mid-1990s posted some helpful information on their Facebook page comparing the Great Falls Public School district with the other larger school districts in the state of Montana.

The data reveals that:

• Great Falls has FEWER administrators than other districts of comparable size
• As a percentage of total budget spending, Great Falls has the LOWEST rate in the state.
• Our Superintendent’s salary is markedly lower than other districts.

Read more about it by clicking HERE.

VOTE BY MAIL:

President Donald Trump does not like that many Americans can vote by mail. He’s said things like the Republicans will never win another election if it’s allowed to happen nationwide.

On Tuesday Trump made some more remarks about voting by mail that made me wonder if he actually understands it. The Hill reported:

President Trump on Tuesday dug in on his opposition to mail-in voting, dismissing the concept as “corrupt” despite having voted by mail himself in last month’s Florida primary. 

He then added:

Well, there’s a big difference between somebody that’s out of state and does a ballot and everything’s sealed, certified and everything else. You see what you have to do with the certifications,” he said, claiming without evidence that there could otherwise be “thousands of people sitting in somebody’s living room signing ballots.”

A person I follow on Twitter said that it must be a “big living room” if thousands of people can sit in it signing ballots.

The thing that I have enjoyed during this stay at home time in our country is the daily comedy show put on by Trump that is disguised as the coronavirus briefing. I normally provide commentary about the circus on Twitter @TheWesternWord.

By the way, I support voting by mail for all elections and making it easier for people to vote.

WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY:

Congratulations to White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham. She is leaving that position without ever holding a White House press briefing. She is not going far as she was named the First Lady’s Chief of Staff.

I hope Grisham did not drive to her new position – Grisham was arrested on suspicion of DUI in 2013 and 2015. She pleaded guilty to DUI in the 2015 case and was convicted. She was not convicted of DUI in the 2013 case. As part of a plea agreement, that charge was dropped. (Snopes)

Grisham is being replaced by Kayleigh McEnany from Trump’s campaign. With McEnany’s appointment, Trump will have had more press secretaries in less than four years than President Barack Obama had in eight. (Yahoo News)

The good news is that McEnany has not been charged with drunk driving, that I could find.

If you want more information about McEnany, I suggest reading “‘Trump Has Never Lied’: New Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany’s Long History of Bullshit and Lies” by clicking HERE.

ONE MORE THING:

No, I don’t think this president has lied. – Kayleigh McEnany

McEnany was the national press secretary for the Trump campaign when she made these remarks during a CNN interview in August 2019. She was recently promoted to White House Press Secretary.

 

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