Here are today’s topics:
- Highwood Creek Outfitters
- Polls, Polls, & Polls
- Best-Run Cities in America
HIGHWOOD CREEK OUTFITTERS:
The so-called “raid” on the Highwood Creek Outfitters in Great Falls is still getting some attention on social media. A faithful reader sent me a link to a “GiveSendGo” page that is raising money for Highwood Creek Outfitters. Here is their pitch:
Help a small mom-and-pop gun shop defend against the overreach of the federal government. We are trying to raise funds for legal fees after an IRS raid where 20 heavily armed agents came in and closed the shop and spent the majority of their time going through paperwork that did not have any financial information. While IRS agents were in the store, they confiscated all 4473 forms, which is a federal background check form with NO financial information. A 4473 has PRIVATE information for PRIVATE citizens that has no valid reason for any IRS investigation to seize. The conservative estimate of legal fees is upwards of $250,000 (minimum) with a base retainer of $25,000.
That request raised some questions for me, like how do they know the business will need legal fees?
So far we are hearing a one-sided version of what went on at the business. That’s not stopping the “Facebook Lawyers” from chiming in on some local officials’ Facebook pages, with all of them only knowing one side of the story. Many are looking like dumbasses with their comments.
As of Tuesday morning, the fundraising for the business stands at $10,585 with one contribution being $10,000. You can visit the page HERE.
POLLS, POLLS, & POLLS:
It’s political polling season and in the past few days, I have taken part in two political polls.
The first poll from “Research Polls” was asking questions about the Eastern U.S. House race. The office is currently occupied by Matt Rosendale. They listed several possible candidates, such as Troy Downing, Elsie Arntzen, Brad Johnson, Ken Bogner, and Randy Pinocci.
The second poll from “Public Policy Polling” was about the U.S. Senate race here in Montana. The office is currently occupied by Jon Tester. They asked about Tim Sheehy and Matt Rosendale. It seemed it was more of an introduction to Tim Sheehy poll. They asked at the beginning about who I would vote for, then gave some information about Sheehy and asked again who I would vote for at the end of the poll.
This should be an interesting campaign season.
BEST-RUN CITIES IN AMERICA:
Congratulations to Missoula for coming in at #10 for WalletHub’s 2023 Best-Run Cities in America. Billings clocked in at #24. No other Montana city made the list.
WalletHub compared the operating efficiency of 149 of the largest U.S. cities to reveal which among them are managed best. They constructed a “Quality of Services” score made up of 36 metrics grouped into six service categories, which they then measured against the city’s per-capita budget.
You can read more about how they came up with the Best-Run Cities by going to the “methodology” link in the article.
To see more of the list from WalletHub, click HERE.
The Western Word 
The great raid is quite interesting for another reason too. I think it fits nicely with Jesse’s declaration that Cascade Country is a free independent republic unburdened by federal oversight of any kind. Here, we don’t need no stinkin’ feds telling us what to do. We make our own laws and only follow laws we agree with, like our sheriff. We’re manly men and rugged individualists. That’s our Montana values. And we’ve got a gunslinging sheriff to run uppity feds outta town if need be. And he even tells them that.
And so why wouldn’t some folks interpret that as a green light to fudge on existing laws a bit? How could you not be emboldened to ignore a law you don’t agree with with the highest law officer in the country watching your back for you? Sherif Shane Slaughter is itching for a showdown with the feds!
Only one leetle problem with this theory. The highest lawman in the country wasn’t invited to the party! It was high afternoon before he realized he missed high noon! How embarrassing! He was ready to go Gary Cooper on the federales too, and the cowards snuck him! Maybe Jesse can find enough money in the safety budget to post sentries at every entrance to Great Falls. And every gun store! Gotta stop this federal overreach somehow before it’s too late! And Jesse’s the man to do it!…….or at least the MAGAs think he is!
So ATF sent out notices to remind folks that pot is not legal federally. If the forms were compared to MT Medical Card applications then could those people get reminded that it is illegal to use pot & process fire arms?
I have no idea, but that is interesting. -JmB
IF, and that’s a big IF, these IRS feds really did seize the 4473 forms, it’s probably not to go after a few local medicinal dope card holders who might have sworn they don’t use pot. Otherwise these raids would be going on all over the several legal pot states, instead of just at one small gun store in one Montana town. Plus it would not catch the much larger population of pot smoking gun owners who don’t have a card.
Just one guess, maybe as a tool to compare the number of legal sales as recorded on 4473’s to what the financial records show as total number of guns flowing through the store. Or another guess, maybe to see who is buying WAY WAY too many guns for just one person. Or any number of other things.
All the wild Rosendale and Knudsen conspiracy theories aside, there has to be a logical reason the feds descended on this one particular store apart from all others in the state and in the U.S.
I agree. Rosendale and Knudsen want their gullible followers to think that big bad Joe Biden decided to go after Highwood Creek. They want to use it as a political thing. – JmB
Regarding the “raid” – and here I thought it was ATF that “raided” the place. So now it’s IRS? Guess Biden’s infusion of cash to that agency may be paying some dividends! I appreciate your question regarding legal fees. Maybe they’re taking a page out of POTUS 45’s playbook? If you can monitize it, do so!