Happy Monday, folks!

Here are the topics for today’s commentary:

• Rob Peter to Pay Paul
• January 6
• Football Roundup

ROB PETER TO PAY PAUL:

The Great Falls Tribune has a pretty decent story posted on its website about the new threat facing the Great Falls Public Library.

The Tribune reported the following:

At a work session of the Great Falls City Commission on Tuesday, Public Library Director Susie McIntyre presented an ambitious plan to expand library operations in the coming year.
However, success at the polls can bring its own challenges. The Great Falls Public Library’s expansion plans may have to be amended after it was revealed Tuesday afternoon that the city commission will consider reducing its funding for the library by more than $830,000 annually to bolster funding for the city’s fire, police, and municipal court departments.

In case you don’t follow Great Falls City government issues closely, last year the citizens of Great Falls passed the library mill levy and defeated the city’s public safety and bond request by significant margins.

This angered some of the city commissioners and the bureaucrats who run the city, so I imagine they have been looking for ways to get back at the “liberals” who support the library. They think they have found it in the $830,000 that was agreed upon way back in 1993 and renewed in 2016.

It looks like the commission can do this, but should they. The pro-police and fire city commissioners and those in leadership in these departments spent all summer sensationalizing every crime and saying if they had more X then Y could have been prevented. The voters said no to them. I voted for the library levy and against the public safety and bond request.

Those who voted for more funding for the library also knew what the library’s current funding was, and we wanted them to have more. That should stand for something.

JANUARY 6:

I get a kick out of and sometimes shake my head in disbelief and some of the antics and comments from Donald Trump and his blind supporters.

A faithful reader pointed out that Great Falls City Commissioner Rick Tryon posted the following on his Facebook page about President Joe Biden:

Grandpa Joe, a corrupt, mean spirited, barely sentient career politician is doing what he’s told to do and trying to make you focus on a tiny mob of rioters that got out of control 3 years ago in Babylon D.C…

A “a tiny mob of rioters” caused close to $2.8 million in damages to the Capitol (Source) and seven people lost their lives in connection with the attack. (Source).

That was an ignorant statement from Tryon, but the sad thing is that many of his followers will believe him.

Then we have Donald Trump calling the January 6 riot “patriotic and peaceful,” and the rioters who are doing time, “J6 hostages.” The Wrap reported that Rep. Elise Stefanik, New York congresswoman and a rumored potential Donald Trump vice presidential candidate, referred to those in prison for the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol as “hostages.” Stefanik spent Sunday morning talking with Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press.” (MTP)

I watched the MTP interview and was astonished that someone could be so partisan.

FOOTBALL ROUNDUP:

There is ONE college football game left! Michigan and Washington battle it out tonight for the College Football Playoffs National Championship. I am hoping for a close game!

As you may know, the Montana Grizzlies lost their FCS Championship game to the South Dakota State Jackrabbits 23-3. The Griz finish the season 13-2. The big difference in the game that I noticed was that the Jackrabbits were bigger and, in the second half, dominated the line of scrimmage. Overall, the Jackrabbits out-rushed the Griz 188-47. (Source)

The NFL playoffs are set. Super Wild Card Weekend will kick off in Houston and conclude in Tampa. The NFL on Sunday night announced the schedule for the opening round of the playoffs, which begins with the AFC’s fourth-seeded Houston Texans hosting the No. 5 Cleveland Browns on Saturday. (Source)

Saturday, the Miami Dolphins head to Kansas City to face my Chiefs. The game will only be shown on the streaming service “Peacock” unless you live in the Miami and Kansas City areas, then you can watch it on regular television.

You can see the NFL playoff schedule HERE.

## HAVE A GREAT WEEK ##