The Wednesday Read

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It’s hump day! It’s Wednesday, July 12, and here are the topics that I am providing commentary about today:

  • U.S. Senate Montana 2024
  • Senate President Jason Ellsworth
  • Great Falls City Budget

U.S. SENATE MONTANA 2024:

Business Insider is reporting that Montana GOP Senate candidate Tim Sheehy’s old Facebook page includes lewd photos of women, racist costumes, and homoerotic jokes.

The key points from the article:

  • Montana GOP Senate candidate Tim Sheehy’s old Facebook profile is full of questionable photos.
  • They include lewd photos of women, a caricature of Middle Eastern people, and homoerotic jokes.
  • The pictures date back to 2006 – 2008, when Sheehy was a student at military institutions.

It appears the National Republican Senatorial Committee NRSC did not vet Sheehy very well. This is the fault of its chairman, Steve Daines. They should have used my book, “Preparing for the Race: 50+ Questions for the Potential Candidate” as a guide and many of these embarrassing things would have been caught.

The response from the Sheehy campaign was weak, uneducated, and juvenile:

Reached for comment, Sheehy spokeswoman Katie Martin accused Democrats of resurfacing the “photos of teenagers goofing around,” saying it was “rich” for them to do so when Tester had reportedly exposed his genitalia to reporter Ben Terris by urinating in a field in front of him. Terris recounted the tale, which happened years ago when he was writing a profile of Tester, in his newly-released book, The Big Break.
“Neither he nor his staff have yet to explain why a grown man at 66 years old would find that behavior appropriate,” said Martin. “So, spare us your hypocrisy and harassment of a war hero over some goofing around as a kid.”

Maybe Spokeswoman Martin is that gullible, but what’s being reported about Sheehy does not compare to a farmer stopping to take a piss in the middle of nowhere while planting his crops. Montanans understand that.

Read the complete report from Business Insider HERE.

SENATE PRESIDENT JASON ELLSWORTH:

There was some good news for Senate President Jason Ellsworth in the past 24 hours and there was some bad news.

First the good news.

The Montana Free Press (MTFP) is reporting that a temporary restraining order against Republican Senate President Jason Ellsworth has been vacated after his former fiancée withdrew her request for the protective measure on Tuesday, according to court filings. In case you forgot that temporary measure, pending a July court hearing, came after an attestation from Murolo alleging that Ellsworth physically assaulted her and threatened her with a loaded gun last October.

I wonder how this played out.

Read the MTFP story HERE.

Now, the bad news.

Lee Newspapers is reporting that the dashcam video captured by law enforcement of the traffic stop that led to misdemeanor charges for Republican state Senator Jason Ellsworth has been made public.

Ellsworth acts like a total asshole in the video. Total asshole. His actions cannot be defended.

In the report, Lee Newspapers says Ellsworth was charged with, and later pleaded guilty to, obstructing a peace officer for repeatedly demanding to be released from the traffic stop due to legislative privilege, and invoking the Montana attorney general when the trooper pointed him back to his vehicle.

He got out of his vehicle and approached the trooper’s vehicle, which is a big no-no. He could have been tazed or even shot for approaching the trooper’s vehicle in a threatening manner. The trooper was very professional.

We should all be thankful for Lee Newspapers and local journalism.

Lee Newspapers’ Montana State News Bureau requested the 2021 traffic stop video after Ellsworth’s criminal case concluded, triggering a year-long litigation over its release. The Broadwater County Attorney’s Office released the video following rulings to disclose by a district court judge and a unanimous five-justice panel in the Montana Supreme Court, over Ellsworth’s legal objections.

Officials being allowed to go unchecked will lead to these same officials thinking they can get out of anything.

Ellsworth should man up and resign.

Read the article and watch the video from Lee Newspapers HERE.

GREAT FALLS CITY BUDGET:

It appears the Great Falls city commission will increase our taxes to balance their budget.

According to reporting from The Electric:

The proposed budget includes all available tax increases, which are the inflationary factor and permissive medical levy.
Commissioners are scheduled to hold public hearings on the budget and proposed tax increases during their July 18 meeting.

By the way, just because the city has not increased taxes in the past few budgets does not give them the green light to do it this time.

If I read the budget correctly, it appears seven areas in the city government are funded in the budget from Public Safety to Public Works.

The bottom line is the city is spending more than it is taking in. When that happens to you and me, albeit on a smaller scale, we cut back. Maybe we buy generic brands and walk instead of driving to the store a few times. Maybe movie night is cut to once per month. We buy cheaper beer and wine. (OK, maybe not) Our car will need to last a few more years.

That’s what the city should do. Whatever the shortfall is, divide it by the seven areas that are funded, and that is how much would be cut from each area. If the department heads can’t comply, replace them. Go ahead and laugh, but it really is this simple.

The city government is nickel and diming us to death. It has to stop.

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4 thoughts on “The Wednesday Read”

  1. Sorry, no room to cut that City budget. Commissioner Tryon was quoted in The Electric as saying, “There’s no fat”. So obviously they would be getting into muscle and bone. There ya go. Tax-and-Spend Tryon has spoken.

    Otherwise the July 5 work session on the budget was pretty quiet. Compare and contrast to the regular meeting later that same evening, which featured a lot of public complaints about the new tax rates and the commission raising taxes, as well as featuring a few really outstanding audience contributions:

    – An erstwhile ally of Tryon’s from his local right wing extremist clique stood up and read the riot act to the commission for not showing up at the rally for the raided gun store, including this jab: “Even the commissioner who makes a show on Facebook of being a Second Amendment champion, couldn’t be bothered to attend.” Who on earth could that be?
    – Lola Sheldon-Galloway stood up and (once again) exhibited her hatred for the First Amendment, complaining there had some sort of “protest” float in the 4th of July parade that she did not approve of, and urging the commissioners to ban that form of other people’s free speech from future parades. Because, apparently, Lola is the official arbiter of who is entitled to exercise free speech and celebrate independence from tyranny, not the U.S. Constitution.
    – Steven Galloway and Lola Sheldon-Galloway both stood up and told the commission that they were going to use their positions as legislators to try and change State law so that non-resident property owners (such as themselves in particular) would somehow be able to vote in local Great Falls elections. Because that’s what America is all about isn’t it, rich absentee landlords dictating public policy and finances to us local peons. And also because what Montana legislator could possibly have any self-respect if they weren’t championing self-serving bills. So there’s that to look forward to next session. (And note, since Lola is termed out as rep but still went ahead and made made this threat, it would seem to confirm suspicions that she has intentions to try and knock off some nearby senator.)

  2. thanks for all the great links. those wily democrats are always up to something and that woman deserves way better than that d-bag. also the great falls issues continue to be fascinating- one the front lines of a lot of issues. now if you’ll excuse me I need to go expose myself to some sweet corn

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