Tuesday’s Quick Hits

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Quote for the Day…

Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is. -German Proverb

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

  • Sports Bet Montana
  • Bullying
  • Trump’s Final Numbers
  • The Western Word Poll

SPORTS BET MONTANA:

Last week MTN News reported about Sports Bet Montana saying that it is “doing well” and basically promoting it to their viewers.

They also reported that there are 434 Sports Bet Montana retail locations across the state, ranging from big cities like Billings (pop. 109,843) to small ones like Bainville (pop. 271).

I have not liked the setup for Sports Bet Montana – which, unless it has changed, you must be in one of those 434 locations to place a bet. I bet the bars lobbied hard for this.

I have not placed a bet and probably won’t unless they change it.

Montanans should be able to install a Sports Bet Montana app on their phones and sit at home and place bets. Then the spokespeople for the Montana Lottery could sing the praises of the program – and see the dollars really roll in.

Read the complete report from MTN News HERE.

BULLYING:

With schools returning to in-person learning this fall and a child experiencing bullying every seven minutes, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on “2021’s States with the Biggest Bullying Problems.”

California ranked first for bullying. Missouri came in fourth and Montana came in seventh. Massachusetts had the least amount of bullying, according to the report.

Read the full WalletHub report by clicking HERE.

TRUMP’S FINAL NUMBERS:

FactCheck.org has compiled the final numbers for President Donald Trump’s four years in office. Some are good, and some are not so good.

Here are just a few numbers that caught my attention:

  • The economy lost 2.9 million jobs. The unemployment rate increased by 1.6 percentage points to 6.3%.
  • Paychecks grew faster than inflation. Average weekly earnings for all workers were up 8.7% after inflation.
  • After-tax corporate profits went up, and the stock market set new records. The S&P 500 index rose 67.8%.
  • The international trade deficit Trump promised to reduce went up. The U.S. trade deficit in goods and services in 2020 was the highest since 2008 and increased 40.5% from 2016.
  • The number of people lacking health insurance rose by 3 million.
  • The federal debt held by the public went up, from $14.4 trillion to $21.6 trillion.
  • The murder rate last year rose to the highest level since 1997.
  • Trump filled one-third of the Supreme Court, nearly 30% of the appellate court seats, and a quarter of District Court seats.

Check out more of the final numbers by clicking HERE.

THE WESTERN WORD POLL:

Montana’s bipartisan redistricting commission has narrowed down the possibilities for congressional maps that would create two U.S. House seats in the state for the first time in 30 years. Commissioners selected nine maps on Tuesday to move forward as part of the once-a-decade process of redrawing the state’s congressional districts, which must be complete before the end of the year. (AP)

You can view each map by clicking HERE.

This week’s poll question asks, “Which congressional map do you prefer?”

Results will be released later this week.

## GET YOUR VACCINE ##

5 thoughts on “Tuesday’s Quick Hits”

  1. You are correct the powerful Montana Tavern Association has adamantly opposed proposals that would have allowed sports wagering that is not tied to the premises of bars, not to mention opposed the big national sports wagering operators who might provide it. Sports wagering is another monopoly the taverns have managed to acquire, along with the keno machines and liquor licenses. They won’t give it up easily. The taverns are huge contributors to our legislators, who need that money to stay in office so they can propose and/or pass legislation to benefit their own personal businesses (such as taverns), stock portfolios, etc.

    Your desire as an individual and voter to get down on a sports event is totally immaterial except as it might be exploited to generate revenue for a favored business or individual who will then “donate” back to the politicians … the same politicians who claim to be champions of your individual freedoms.

  2. No good can come of this. Wonder how long it will take before they show up here? Makes me uncomfortable when people say they want to kill me. Makes me uncomfortable when our sheriff labels BLM and Antifa terrorists. Is back the black their new rallying cry? People with differing political views are not the enemy, and not deserving of death.

    https://www.rawstory.com/donald-trump-capitol-riot-2655278275/?fbclid=IwAR1YGudUp_jUSf9SxmrWqFZ2Ch8WxCOTZofIGIHv4MvbbMlw-qy3d8nc93I

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