We made it to 2024 – Congratulations! My wish is that 2024 is the best year ever for you.
Here are the topics for today’s independent commentary:
- Montana Politics 2024
- Mass Shootings
- National Debt
- One More Thing
MONTANA POLITICS 2024::
I think 2024 is going to be a very interesting year in politics. The candidate filing in Montana starts next week (January 11) and ends March 11 at 5:00 p.m. The primary election is June 4. More information can be found HERE.
It’s also important to tell your friends and enemies to subscribe to The Western Word. Just tell them to go to the subscribe box on the home screen and enter their email address for independent commentary that they can’t find anywhere else.
MTN News is reporting that 2024 is here, and the political calendars have lined up to make it one of the busiest election years Montana has seen – with voters set to weigh in on races for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor and much more. Check out this excellent report HERE.
Of course, with U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) on the ticket, this will be a big year in Montana, and we’ll see thousands of commercials about the Tester race, and millions of dollars will be spent for and against him. I predict that Tester will win a fourth term in the U.S. Senate no matter how much shit is thrown his way or money is spent to defeat him.
Here in Cascade County, where The Western Word World headquarters is located, some folks may be wondering if their votes will be counted correctly. Last week the Great Falls Tribune revealed the reason behind the commissioners voting to separate the positions of county clerk and recorder from that of elections administrator. The Tribune reported that the count was off by 51 votes. It was also reported:
Additional discrepancies were reported in both the town of Belt’s municipal election and at the town of Cascade, where nearly 16% more votes were counted by the tabulator than were acknowledged by the Secretary of State’s voter confirmation database. The Tribune article can be found HERE.
MASS SHOOTINGS:
CBS News is reporting that in the past year, the U.S. saw 656 mass shootings, marking the second-highest on record and the fourth consecutive year with figures exceeding 600. CBS News’ Manuel Bojorquez gets a firsthand look at the impact of gun violence inside a medical trauma center. Check it out HERE.
I bet the election of 2024 will do nothing to curtail the number of mass shootings, and that’s a damned shame.
NATIONAL DEBT:
The Associated Press (AP) is reporting that the federal government’s gross national debt has surpassed $34 trillion, a record high that foreshadows the coming political and economic challenges to improve America’s balance sheet in the coming years. (Source)
You don’t hear our politicians talk about the national debt much, except to use it to attack each other. Ironically, U.S. Matt Rosendale (R-MT/02) has been talking about it. Back in November, he said, “Our nation is facing over $33 trillion of national debt,” said Rep. Rosendale. “Our credit has been downgraded. Something must change.” (Source)
No shit.
ONE MORE THING:
Live every moment
Love every day
‘Cause before you know it
Your precious time slips away
-Live Every Moment by REO Speedwagon
(Video) BTW – I attended the concert when they shot this music video.
The Western Word 