Hello there! There’s a fresh set of topics for you today. Here’s what I’m digging into:

• Great Falls Parking
• Impaired Driving Prevention
• Trump’s Cabinet Meeting
• Trump and Autopen
• One More Thing

GREAT FALLS PARKING:

The Great Falls City Commission is going to stick it to people parking downtown, at least for a little while. 

By the way, I’m at the age where not finding parking for an event is enough to make me go home. 

The Montana Free Press (MTFP) is reporting that the Great Falls City Commission approved an increase in parking fees and fines, at least temporarily, during a meeting Tuesday night.

According to MTFP:

The plan backed by commissioners will increase metered street parking rates from $1 to $1.50 per hour. It will eliminate the free courtesy ticket for first offenders, replacing it with a $10 fine. Second-time violations will go from $5 to $20. Third-time violations will go from $10 to $40 and fourth and subsequent violations will go from $20 to $75.

The plan also eliminates the 15-minute courtesy parking program, which was funded by business owners to reserve a quick, free parking space in front of storefronts.

There have been reports that the city was losing “as much as $20,000 each month” and decided that now was the time to do something about it.

We should applaud the city for getting right on this issue! 

I think they should do away with the parking meters and devise a way to monitor parking for two hours (or whatever the time limit is) on the streets. Maybe the commissioners and the mayor can do a shift to catch the drivers who overstay the time limit. The city should keep the parking garages and the parking lots. They should put up signs that state, “Fine for Parking” to make money!

City Commissioner Joe McKenney has some ideas about downtown parking HERE. 

City Commissioner Rick Tryon has some ideas about downtown parking HERE. 

IMPAIRED DRIVING PREVENTION: 

I saw that Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is encouraging drivers to be responsible before getting behind the wheel of a vehicle. Knudsen says that December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, and that the Montana Highway Patrol will be doing their part to keep the roads safe by increasing patrols to crack down on drunk and drugged drivers. (Press Release)

I guess Knudsen can scratch his little warning off his “To Do” list. 

Very few elected officials do anything to decrease drunk driving in Montana. Several elected officials over the years have been caught driving drunk, but stayed in their jobs. I called for them to resign. 

Montana has been ranked as one of the worst states for drunk driving. (Source)

TRUMP’S CABINET MEETING:

President Donald Trump held his last cabinet meeting for 2025 on Tuesday. Trump spoke for several minutes, then had his cabinet members discuss their accomplishments.  

It was a lot like what you would see on “show and tell day” in many first-grade classes across the country, with students trying to please their teacher. 

For his part, Trump lasted about two hours before, as the Associated Press (AP) reported, “his eyes fluttered and closed.”

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth went on and on, and soon it was discovered that his nameplate had “secretary” spelled “ssecretary.”  Attention to detail, Mr. Secretary, attention to detail.  

The AP covers the meeting HERE.

TRUMP AND AUTOPEN:

I guess when a person isn’t too mentally stable, little things get into their head, and they can’t let it go. That appears to be the case with President Trump and the autopen that he claims was widely used by former President Joe Biden’s staffers. 

Here is his latest post on social media about the autopen: 

Any and all Documents, Proclamations, Executive Orders, Memorandums, or Contracts, signed by Order of the now infamous and unauthorized “AUTOPEN,” within the Administration of Joseph R. Biden Jr., are hereby null, void, and of no further force or effect. Anyone receiving “Pardons,” “Commutations,” or any other Legal Document so signed, please be advised that said Document has been fully and completely terminated, and is of no Legal effect. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

Trump is fading fast. 

ONE MORE THING:

Be the dumpster fire that brings light to the darkness. 

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