Caught My Eye…

Posted on by

Happy New Year! 

I’m back and I am refreshed and ready! Here are the topics for today’s column:

  • Here. We. Go.
  • Little Shell Tribe
  • High Hope/Low Hope
  • Knudsen & TikTok

HERE. WE. GO.

Over the holiday break, I kept hearing a song when I read about the Montana Legislature going into session (Monday), when Congress meets to begin the 119th Congress (Today), and when Donald Trump is sworn in on January 20. 

It’s “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne. (Video)

The 119th Congress begins today. (Source) MAGAs will control it. I would encourage Montana’s delegation to put people before politics. I know that is asking a lot.

Then we have the 69th Montana Legislature starting Monday, January 6 (Source). This is also being run by the MAGAs. This is the place where the “crazy train” goes off the tracks quickly and becomes a circus. I think only about 10% of those serving in the Montana Legislature are intelligent enough to vote on the issues that affect us all.  

Here at The Western Word, I’ll be watching the circus and giving opinions and independent commentary about the issues. I do believe 2025 will be a historic year. Historic for what remains to be seen. 

LITTLE SHELL TRIBE:

In case you missed it, the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana announced a plan to build a massive event center and resort in Great Falls. 

According to the Helena IR, the campus will include a 200-room hotel, a 30,000-square-foot indoor waterpark, a 10,000-square-foot event space, an eight-lane bowling alley and arcade, a 500-machine gaming facility, a 9,700-person capacity arena for sports and entertainment as well as space for food and beverage venues. 

I think this is a great plan. I’m excited about the arena for sports and entertainment. I also think the “gaming facility” will be a wonderful addition and may put some of the smaller casinos in Great Falls out of business. It will also depend on what class the gaming facility is. (Source)

HIGH HOPE/LOW HOPE:

Gallup Polling is reporting that Americans have mixed expectations for what President-elect Donald Trump will accomplish in his second term, foreseeing success on seven policy goals while doubting he’ll achieve eight others.

Expectations are highest that Trump will control illegal immigration, which 68% of U.S. adults predict he’ll do. 

I do hope he controls illegal immigration. If you are here illegally, you have already broken the law. We need more immigration judges to hear cases and we need more people patrolling the border. No matter how we work to control illegal immigrants, we must do so humanely. 

Trump scored the lowest in “Heal Political Divisions in this Country.” He received 33%. We all know that Trump is nasty to political opponents. I don’t see him changing the divide in the country. 

You can check out how he scored in the other categories HERE. 

KNUDSEN & TIKTOK:

I guess nothing was happening over the holidays, so Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s team sent a press release saying he led a coalition of 22 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief asking the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) to uphold the national TikTok divest-or-ban legislation passed by Congress earlier this year.

He received a little publicity for his deed. Isn’t that what it’s really all about? 

I think the TikTok ban is bullshit. Those Attorney Generals should concentrate on drugs, children being abducted, and drunk driving. That could make a real difference.  

President-elect Donald Trump has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to delay the TikTok ban, which is set for January 19 (one day before Trump takes office). Reuters is reporting that Trump indicated last month that he favored allowing TikTok to keep operating in the United States for at least a little while, saying he had received billions of views on the social media platform during his presidential campaign.

## HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND ##

6 thoughts on “Caught My Eye…”

  1. During the holiday break the wife and I watched Longmire again because it was leaving NetFlix.

    I think it was a good representation of how corrupt a res casino can become.

    NIOT or “not in our town”.

  3. I think we all pretty much knew as soon as the Little Shell received federal recognition that a big new casino would eventually be proposed for the Great Falls area. And a lot of people were/are looking forward to that, simply to provide competition for the ripoff keno joints. Though the tribe’s proposal will no doubt get a lot of resistance from the local and state tavern association gambling monopoly and the tool politicians they have in their pockets. (Who in some cases are one and the same.)

    The new event space and arena might be great for the region and Great Falls as well, if you believed the consultants who came in a few years back and pitched the county on the economic wonders of a new $80 million arena at the fair grounds (that they would gladly design and build for us). This way we would still get that, but somebody other than county taxpayers would foot the bill. Plus maybe we’d get some oldies and cover bands coming to town like at that Shoshone-Bannock casino down at Ft. Hall.

    Will be interesting to see what happens. And who they propose to partner with, if anyone.

    • I’ve known lots of Little Shell people over the years, and just like me, they’ve been pretty much flat broke. So when I read the news about this casino idea, I was taken aback. I think it’s a great idea, but I can’t help but wonder how they’re going to pay for building it. Casino money lenders have traditionally been some of the sleaziest dudes around. Ya gotta wonder if gettin’ into bed with the mafia types is the best way to go. Maybe the Saudis are looking for Montana investment opportunities, or more likely one of the big private equity outfits. Count me as very suspicious as to how you go from flat broke to casino ownership overnight without gettin’ screwed in the process. I’d advise my Native friends to proceed very cautiously on this one. Get some good Indian lawyers.

      • According to the Electric story they are already partnered up with some D.C. law firm “that provides ‘legal and policy solutions to tribal nations, tribal organizations, and tribally-owned businesses.'” Sounds very much like this is not their first rodeo.

        Will be interesting to see how accommodating the new “everything and everyone’s for sale!” administration’s Interior department will be, to this specific proposal as well as native Americans in general. My guess is not much. Especially if the opposition can cough up bigger “contributions”. This may not be something that comes to fruition anytime soon.

Comments are closed.