The Western Word is coming to you from deep inside an underground bunker in Montana – where we’re helping to deprogram the Trump cult one column at a time…

In today’s column I take a quick look at these people/issues:

• Big Spender
• Montana Legislature
• Impeachment
• One More Thing

BIG SPENDER:

MTN News is reporting that Montana Governor Greg Gianforte (R) announced that he was giving his newly-hired state agency directors pay raises. Gianforte is in his first month as governor.

The agency directors have been on the job for less than a month. One new director is getting 46% more than the previous director.

In a statement reported by MTN, Gianforte said:

Montana’s pay for agency directors has been among the worst in our region and country. We’re looking for folks who can make our state agencies more responsive to the people they serve and more responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars. We adjusted salaries to make Montana more competitive, because we want change agents with the best qualifications and experience needed to change the way Helena does business and lead Montana’s comeback,” Gianforte said in a news release. “I have been clear that they will work for and earn every penny.”

This nonsense is coming from a man who spent $7.5 million of his own money to win the Governor’s office. The Montana Governor is paid about $115,000 per year.

I would have waited to see if these new agency directors perform their duties satisfactorily, instead of giving them a pay raise before they have been on the job a month. There is a good chance that 10% of them will be gone within a year.

MONTANA LEGISLATURE:

The Associated Press (AP) is reporting that the Montana House of Representatives on Monday advanced four bills that would limit abortion access in the state, capitalizing on the election of a Republican governor for the first time in 16 years.

The AP also reported the Republican-dominated Montana House advanced all four bills in 67-33 votes largely along party lines. The bills still must pass a third and final vote in the House before proceeding for consideration in the Senate.

When these bills finally pass through the legislature and the Republican governor signs them into law, the laws will be challenged (and probably thrown out) in court.

The AP also reported that the Montana House of Representatives advanced two bills impacting transgender youth despite opposition from a broad coalition of health care providers, human rights activists, and business owners. The bills would prohibit transgender youth from participating in school sports according to the gender with which they identify, and ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors.

This was a sad day in Montana. There’s a lot of hate coming out of Helena.

With a new conservative governor to sign all these far-right bills, Montana has taken a sharp turn to the right. The wackos are coming out of the woodwork in Helena. They have not formed a circular firing squad just yet, but there’s still time and they usually end up doing it.

The Montana Republicans are living a pretty good life right now. They should remember that somewhere over on the far right is a very deep ditch.

IMPEACHMENT:

It was such a big breaking news story that some of the network stations pre-empted their programs to show the House Democrats delivering the impeachment case against Donald Trump to the Senate. (AP)

The sole impeachment charge is “incitement of insurrection.”

The trial starts on February 8. There are some great arguments on both sides about Trump being tried for impeachment after he is out of office. Some are arguing that he’s gone so why waste the time.

It should be an open and shut case because Trump is guilty as hell. Behind the scenes I’ve read there’s some strong-arming going on and threats of primary challengers for Republicans who are thinking of convicting Trump.

So it does not look like the Democrats will get 17 Republican senators to vote to convict. It’s a sad day that they lack the guts to do what is right.

ONE MORE THING:

If someone treats you badly, just remember that there is something wrong with them, not you. Normal people don’t go around destroying other human beings. – Unknown

## WEAR YOUR MASK ##