Quote for the day…

You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction. ― George Lorimer

Today’s independent commentary deals with these issues:

• The Western Word Poll
• Sheriff Jesse Slaughter
• 2021 Montana Legislature
• Reading Assignments

THE WESTERN WORD POLL:

There is talk about the Biden Administration canceling student loan debt. (Background)

This week’s poll question asks, “What should President Joe Biden do about student loan debt?”

The results will be posted later this week.

SHERIFF JESSE SLAUGHTER:

I happened to catch a campaign ad from Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter this weekend. The ad is one minute in length and was posted to YouTube on May 1, 2022.

I’ll just start by saying it is very bad.

In the ad, a few small business owners talk about Slaughter. One says that Slaughter “understood it wasn’t our job to force health department guidelines on our customers.” Another person said, “He stood up to the health department and helped write a bill to return power back to those elected to represent us.”

I could go on and on about the holes in these two arguments. First, health department officials look out for us. They are there to protect us. People like Slaughter made it harder for them to do their job. As for “force health department guidelines on our customers,” I wonder what other health department guidelines these small businesses, who apparently serve food, are not following since the sheriff is in their corner.

I think I lost my appetite.

I voted for Jesse Slaughter last time. I don’t think I can support him this time. He made an incredible move from being a Democrat to being on the far-right fringe of the Republican Party.

You can view the ad by clicking HERE.

2021 MONTANA LEGISLATURE:

The Bozeman Daily Chronicle’s editorial board has an interesting editorial called, “More fallout from the 2021 Montana Legislature.”

They lead off with this gem of a statement:

One-party government leads to arrogance that is disruptive and wasteful. One need look no further than Helena to find evidence. The GOP lock on the governor’s office and both houses of the Legislature is costing taxpayers plenty and creating chaos.

The BDC editorial board writes about one of the crazy bills that was “aimed thwarting local health departments from imposing pandemic prevention lockdowns. That bill apparently has the unintended consequence of preventing Gallatin County commissioners from enforcing zoning regulations.”

Read the complete editorial HERE.

READING ASSIGNMENTS:

Here are some articles that you should read…

Reuters – U.S. police trainers with far-right ties are teaching hundreds of cops
I wonder if they trained cops in Cascade County. Sheriff?

Salon – Montana Republicans poised to abandon school lunch assistance amidst hunger crisis
I wish Republicans cared more for children when they are out of the womb…

Reuters – U.S. Senate to vote Wednesday on abortion rights bill, Schumer says
It won’t pass, but they will get senators on the record…

The Hill – Almost 2 in 3 say Supreme Court should uphold Roe v. Wade: poll
The survey published Sunday found that 64 percent of respondents said the nation’s highest court should keep the decision the way it is, while 36 percent disagreed.

## HAVE A GREAT WEEK ##