It is the last day of January, and here are some topics that caught my attention:
- Immaculately Conceived
- Satisfaction
- Little Timmy
IMMACULATELY CONCEIVED:
Fox News is reporting that Harvard law professor and Twitter liberal Laurence Tribe fell for a fake tweet showing a screenshot purportedly from Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte announcing his child was “immaculately conceived.”
I imagine the reason for the article from Fox News is because Tribe is a liberal.
In case you missed it, here is the fake Tweet:
Much like my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, my child was immaculately conceived, blessing me and my wonderful wife Susan the ability to remain virgins. #virginityrocks
When I saw the Tweet, I took a screenshot to save it…
To his credit, Tribe did say on Twitter:
WTAF?!
Is this an application for the Nutcase of the Year award?
Or just the dumbest ad ever for IVF?
Although the Tweet was fake, Gianforte could actually win the “Nutcase of the Year award,” but I think there are several MAGA folks in Helena who are nuttier than him.
Read the Fox News report HERE.
That fake Tweet reminds me of the story of my birth…
It was a hot summer day in the Midwest – northern Missouri. Dark storm clouds started forming. As the day went on, the clouds became darker and darker. Lightning started to appear, and you could hear thunder in the distance.
My parents had this big oak tree in their yard, As the storm rolled through, lightning hit the oak tree and split it down the middle. Out I walked…
The rest is history.
SATISFACTION:
Gallup is reporting this week that continuing a two-decade trend, most Americans remain dissatisfied with the way things are going in the U.S. — 23% say they are satisfied, and 76% are dissatisfied. Forty-eight percent, the largest group, are “very dissatisfied,” but that figure has dropped from the record-high 66% measured in January 2021. Americans’ intense dissatisfaction eased last year, to 51%, and inched down further this year.
I am with the “dissatisfied” side mostly because of the local governments raising taxes and the MAGA nutjobs taking our country far to the right.
Here in Montana, we know we are going to get screwed by the clowns in Helena and by the local county and city commissioners who have (Cascade county) and probably will (Great Falls) raise our taxes.
Read the complete report from Gallup HERE.
LITTLE TIMMY:
The 2015 fake post that says Facebook banned a photo of “little Timmy saluting the flag” is making the rounds on social media again.
What is amusing to me is these folks post their hatred toward Facebook supposedly banning the photo, ON FACEBOOK. Although the information is fake and there are several articles about it being fake, the dumbasses who post the fake story don’t seem to have the intelligence to do a little research.
Click HERE to see the facts, and HERE.
The Western Word 
On the subject of the Great Falls commissioners wanting to raise our local taxes:
In a recent commission work session the police chief spoke about his wishlist to balloon City public safety payroll. The current City talking point about the proposed levy is “to address future growth” so the chief delivered his presentation in those terms. He specifically mentioned the need for extra policing due to new apartment developments, the 5,000+ people expected for the missile replacement project, and the people who were brought in to work on the Calumet project.
But instead of looking at how to share out or impose the financial burden for all the allegedly growth-required extra police firemen etc. to the entities and people and properties driving the growth, what our Commission does instead is simply propose to put 100% burden for the ~$12M/yr. on current property owners.
Meanwhile, in this time of alleged great need for additional public revenue, what our commission does regarding entities driving the growth is undercut the available local tax revenue by doing things like giving Calumet a $3 million tax rebate to bring in 500 out-of-state non-union temporary employees (as opposed to hiring our Great Falls neighbors), as well as 2022 tax rebates for a hotel redeveloper and some Clinic buildings. And now the would-be developer of Dick’s RV Park wants to go in front of the Commission to ask for a “blight” TIF district to divert would-be future tax dollars that might help fund our public safety organizations instead to public assistance for financing of his project. Who knows what financial favors the other apartment developers want.
Not to mention all the existing TIF districts and several other tax abatements in recent years. TIF districts can run 20-30 years, and that means no growth in tax revenue from every property in that district. Little wonder the Great Falls taxable property value has been stagnant so revenue from all the past levies has not kept up with needs.
And there’s been nothing at all mentioned about approaching the Air Force to ask if there’s any way to help fund additional public safety needs for the 8-10 years those 5,000+ people will be here. If that’s even possible.
But instead what out commissioners propose, allegedly based on the need to be ready for future growth, is to put 100% of the burden on the existing base who are not involved in growth development and do not stand to profit. No consideration or scheme to collect all or part of the required additional funds from those driving and profiting from the growth, or the new people who will arrive and live in the apartments. Oh sure maybe there’s money 8 years from now when the abatement ends, or 30 years from now when the TIF ends. But meanwhile what this proposed tax levy looks like in essence is a good old-fashioned socialist wealth transfer from local homeowners and other local property owners to those wishing to pursue a development and make a profit.
I’m not totally opposed to paying some extra amount for public safety, because some of it really does appear currently needed, especially on the fire department side. But the imposition of a tax for 100% of the revenue onto current property owners that our City leaders want just seems lopsided and even unfair, absent some concrete plan to get those driving growth to pitch in for any required extra public employees. But I could be wrong, and no other voter cares about paying $350-$600/yr more to make some developer a fatter profit by allowing that developer to pay lower taxes. Our Commissioners seem to be counting on that being the case, and “next up!” for a tax rebate or TIF.
old-fashioned socialist wealth transfer? I think you have it backward. This is reverse-socialism. Better known as fraud. Or to be inventive, Democratic Fascism. We have the same growth subsidies in Flathead county
I used the word in a sense that our formerly avowed “conservative” commissioners might have used it back in the day, simply taking money away from one group and redistributing it to another “for the good of society”.
But since they seem to have recently morphed into big government tax-and-spenders, it’s apparent that old bugaboo of socialism no longer really bothers them.
Funny story about that. The other night Tax-and-Spend Tryon tried to claim that the tax-and-spend measure he and his fellows are proposing is just TOTALLY different from the Feds raising taxes and spending. Not where it counts obviously, people’s bank accounts, because a dollar is a dollar no matter what government is taking it, but because, well, he says so. I was totally convinced.
Thanks for the information. The commissioner has a bunch of gullible followers who believe everything he says and believe he is Great Falls’ mini-Trump.
Update: I meant tax abatements not rebates, sorry. So embarrassed.
immaculate conception ? How about immaculate deception (something that is true). Get elected, lie, then lie again, screw things up, and blame the other side. Get reelected. How much more immaculate can you get?