Happy Juneteenth!
Here are the issues I am providing commentary about today:
- Hate in Great Falls
- Sticking It To Us
- In Your Letter…
- Most Patriotic States
HATE IN GREAT FALLS:
I lead off today’s commentary with some sad news….
A faithful reader alerted me that he found a “White Lives Matter” flyer in his driveway Saturday in Great Falls. The person who found It wishes to remain anonymous. The flyer was 10.5 inches long and 5.75 inches wide, folded, and placed in a small clear bag with some sand.
The flyer has information like “White Men and Women Wake Up” and “White Lives Matter.” They contend that “The White portion of the USA’s population has been systematically reduced since the 60’s. Unless reversed, Americans will become a minority in their own country in less than two decades.”
They list several ways “How to Help” with some links to websites and a QR code. They ask, “Will you join us in saving our homeland?”
I am not providing any photos as I don’t want to drive any web traffic their way.
I imagine the group decided to distribute this flyer to coincide with the Juneteenth weekend. It’s shameful. We are better than this.
STICKING IT TO US:
The Electric is reporting that this week, during their June 20 meeting, Great Falls City Commissioners will be asked to consider sending a $21.17 million public safety infrastructure bond to the November ballot. The bond would be separate, and in addition to the proposed $10.7 million public safety operations levy already on the November ballot.
Great googly moogly! This is in addition to the Great Falls Safety Levy and the already passed Cascade County Safety Levy. The Library levy, which I supported, will also add to this amount.
If the public safety infrastructure bond is passed it will add about $22.00 in taxes annually to a $100,000 home, according to The Electric.
The commissioners cannot seriously be considering adding this to the November ballot, can they? Does anyone working in a leadership position in the city of Great Falls have common sense?
Also, former Public Service Commissioner Ken Toole says that NorthWestern Energy customers are about to get shocked with a huge increase in their electric rates if the Public Service Commission grants NorthWestern Energy’s request to increase residential rates. He contends that “The average residential customer could have to come up with an additional $284 or more annually.” (Source)
The city commissioners already raised sanitation fees earlier this year.
We have to elect people who will say “No” to these increases. We can start by putting new people on the Great Falls City Commission in November.
You can read The Electric report right HERE.
IN YOUR LETTER…
ABC/Fox Montana reported this weekend that earlier this week, agents from the IRS Criminal Investigation Unit and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (AFT) closed Highwood Creek Outfitters to search for financial documents. Friday afternoon, Congressman Matt Rosendale announced he sent a letter to ATF Director Steven Dettelbach and IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel, asking for answers and calling the incident “outrageous.”
That kind of reminds me of the scene in the movie “Titanic” where Jack and Rose are floating in the ocean after the ship sinks and Jack says, “I don’t know about you, but I intend on writing a strongly worded letter to the White Star Line about all of this.”
Rosendale received his five minutes of publicity and fanned the flames of hatred toward the Federal Government with his actions. Montanans should remember that Rosendale is just in his second term. He has no clout, except for his big mouth.
MOST PATRIOTIC STATES:
We could use some good news…
WalletHub has released its “2023 Most Patriotic States In America” report and Montana came in second to Virginia. Arkansas came in at number 50.
WalletHub says they compared the states across 13 key indicators of patriotism. Their data set ranges from the state’s military enlistees and veterans to the share of adults who voted in the 2020 presidential election to AmeriCorps volunteers per capita.
You can view the complete report HERE.
The Western Word 
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I sent prayers. Yeah, I’m cheap. But I figure the Almighty will make up the difference!
https://www.givesendgo.com/highwoodcreekoutfitters
Amazing. Nobody knows what exactly is going on but are trying to raise $ off of it. Thanks for the info. -JmB
Here’s an exercise in simple, investigative common sense:
Name even ONE gun dealer within a 150 mile distance of the southern border who is not a multi-millionaire.
Holy cow! Lil Austie is ready to call up Jesse and his constitutionalist militia! The feds are going door to door in Montana. And they took things that weren’t in the warrant! So there WAS a warrant, but according to Knudey they were limited to looking for financial things only! And we’re now getting a glimpse of what was in it.
“The danger of federal agents taking this information was not lost on AG Knudsen, who told Breitbart News, “I spoke with the shop owner who told me that 20 heavily armed IRS agents from multiple states in our region served a warrant before his business opened. They took dozens of boxes full of 4473s — more than a decade’s worth. This is extremely concerning because it seemingly exceeds the search warrant which limited the scope of the search to financial records. These aren’t financial records, they’re records of lawful firearm purchases. What the hell does the IRS need with 4473s? We know the ATF in Washington, DC is trying to scoop up as many of these purchase records as possible, and that’s what it looks like they’re trying to do here.” (For an attorney, Knudey can sure play dumb. Could it be that they need those 4473s to match against financial records to see if there are any ghost purchases?)
And finally, knudey’s call to arms! Lock your doors and arm up! We’ve been invaded and violated! Door to door! Where’s Jesse? Heck, five different federal agencies and the state knew about the raid. Why didn’t Jesse? I’d say Jesse’s outta the loop! Those agencies are a good judge of character.
Knudsen said, “Biden wants to repeal PLCAA so they can shut down gun companies and coerce states to implement ‘red flag’ laws so firearms can be seized without due process. Now, they’re sending federal agents door-to-door in my state to intimidate people. There’s no question about it, this is the most anti-gun administration in the nation’s history.”
Seen any agents going door to door? Dang that Knudey has 20/20 MAGA vision!
https://www.breitbart.com/2nd-amendment/2023/06/17/montana-ag-sounds-alarm-armed-irs-agents-rounding-up-gun-purchase-records/
It sure seems like Rosendale, Knudsen, et al are putting an awful lot of stock in the story of the shop owner alone.
And I still question why, if all these Federal (and State) agencies are doing all the deep state anti-2nd Amendment stuff Matt and Austie claim they are doing, they would begin with one backwater gun store in one backwater Montana town. Just happened to randomly come up on the big Federal dartboard of USA gun shops to harass, apparently.
The actions of Rosendale and Knudsen excite their base and makes them feel like big shots. -JmB
We wouldn’t see the new bonds repayment tax or the GF safety levy tax until our 2024 tax bill, but nevertheless:
– $1.2 million/yr (approx) to pay down these new 20 year bonds.
– $10.1 million/yr for the GF safety levy.
– $2.5 million/yr for the County safety levy.
– $1.5 million/yr for the library.
– $1 million/yr or so for the permissive medical and inflationary factor increases the City commission piled on last July.
– 28% increase in electric rates.
– All the higher City services fees.
It probably all adds up eventually to $18 million/yr or more additional that’s going to be sucked out the pockets of Great Falls’ property owners and renters, to be transferred directly to governments and corporate stockholders. Not even counting the tax increases we will see this Fall and possibly 2024 from higher property assessments that will balloon all existing taxes as well as all these new ones before they even get going, and whatever other tax increases the City and/or County decide to assess in 2023.
I don’t know about other readers here, but I’m not expecting an increase in income for 2023 and 2024 that’s going to cover my share of all that. Something would have to give.
Looking at my own budget, I’m afraid that could very well put a target on what is now the small discretionary “extra” monthly portion of the budget available to contribute to things like the Great Falls and Montana food banks, Rescue Mission, an occasional beer at Mighty Mo, and etc. I suspect I am not alone in that boat. Suddenly jack up the taxes and fees and bills that much in a town with the demographics and size of Great Falls and it inevitably comes directly out of the revenues of some other business or organization in Great Falls.
I guess going out to eat a couple times a month will have to end for my family. -JmB
If a $10.1M/yr tax increase means $280/yr in extra taxes for the owner of a $200k assessed property, that total of $18M/yr means $500/yr in extra taxes. That’s what we are really voting on this November.
Thanks for explaining it. This is valuable info. – JmB
Good article on the gun store raid. Because the IRS was involved makes it all the more interesting. I have read as many on line reviews as I could find on the store. Seems from the number of dissatisfied customers, there could have been any number of shooters who could have turned him in. Of course he had many good reviews too, but I was shocked at the number of bad reviews on google. I would not have suspected that many. Guns guys usually stick together. Lots of comments on this article too. Worth a read. Rosie may have jumped the gun on this one by shooting off his mouth. I hope the store owner gets a fair shake.
“ He told us the IRS claims that he has under-reported and failed to report millions of dollars of income. Mr. Van Hoose denied that categorically and told us that anyone who knows anything about the gun business knows there’s not a lot of extra revenue in running a retail gun store and range.”
https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/irs-confiscates-tens-of-thousands-of-4473-forms-from-great-falls-mt-gun-dealer/
I have my doubts all these agencies were looking for hidden $millions.
“Van Hoose says for two years his Highwood Creek Outfitters gun shop has been the subject of surveillance by state and federal agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, the State of Montana and now the Internal Revenue Service.”
Good point. Most federal agencies can’t disclose why/what they are investigating to the press. That places them at a disadvantage. One of these days we may hear through a press release from the agency or US Attorney what was investigated and charges. Thanks, JmB
Wow. That’s a bunch. Kinda makes you wonder why. Hard for me to believe that that disparate a group could coordinate any kind of surveillance together. Sounds to me more like a conspiracy theory. But who knows? Guess we’ll find out. I have friends that are gun dealers, and they don’t mess around or get creative in any way with their books, for they know that the feds don’t play. Even though this is Montana, it ain’t the Wild West in the gun business.