Big Sky Blog

All of the press that Montana got recently over the proposed firearms legislation got me wondering. According to Gary Marbut:

“HB 246 declares that any firearms, ammunition and firearm accessories made and retained in Montana are not subject to any federal regulation or control under the power given to Congress in the U.S. Constitution to ‘regulate commerce … among the states’.”

Of course I think it’s a pretty good idea - if something is completely made and used solely in Montana, then it shouldn’t be subject to Federal laws, etc. It sounds reasonable.
But then I thought: if this is such a good idea, shouldn’t it apply to other things, too? For example, beef: if a cow is raised in Montana, sold in Montana, slaughtered in Montana, and consumed completely in Montana by Montanans, then shouldn’t that cow and beef be exempt from any Federal laws or rules - such as the USDA or FDA, etc?
In other words: if the state sovereignty legislation for firearms is the right thing to do, then shouldn’t Montana apply the same standard to other products? Or is there an aspect of this legislation that I don’t understand?

You can keep track of the daily doings in the Canadian-$ (C$) by checking Canadian-$ futures.

Since May 1, the C$ has increased 7.72¢ from 84.51¢ to a current quote (as of mid- morning) of 92.23¢.

Since April 1, the C$ has increased 12.75¢ from 79.48¢ to a current quote (as of mid- morning) of 92.23¢.

Gary Marbut, President of the Montana Sports Shooting Association (MSSA) is scheduled to be on the Glen Beck Show this Friday, 3 to 4PM, MDT on the FOX News Channel, to talk about MSSA’s Montana-made guns bill. HB 246 sponsor, Rep. Joel Boniek (R-Livingston) is scheduled to be on the show also.

Tea Parties are spreading like wildfire across the nation, but I haven’t heard of any in Montana - yet. But get ready: there are several Tea Parties planned in Montana for April 15, according to Tax Day Tea Party.

The following is a list of CONFIRMED Tea Party Tax Revolts planned within the state of Montana. Please note that we ONLY list events happening on April 15th.

————-
City: Billings
When: April 15, 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Where: US POST OFFICE on 27th Street, Just off of I 90
Contact: EMAIL
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City: Bozeman
When: April 15, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Where: Downtown Bozeman, TBA
Phone: 406.579.1496
————-
City: Kalispell
When: April 15, TBA
Where: Downtown Kalispell, TBA
————-
City: Missoula
When: April 15, 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Where: The Streets of Missoula, TBA
Other Info:http://www.just-citizens.com/taxdayteaparty

I’m sure that there will be other Tea Parties after April 15th…

MORE: news stories about Montana Tea Parties are gaining steam…

Freshman MT Representative Anders Blewett is trying to make a big impact on a very huge, important issue here in Montana: amidst all the trifling talk of foreclosures, federal spending, health reform, energy, and so many other minor issues, Blewett has instead chosen to take on a huge, immense, important subject: issuing a pointless “censure” of BNSF for parking unused rail cars. Seriously. Here’s the intro to Blewett’s proposed resolution:

A JOINT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MONTANA PUBLICLY CENSURING THE BURLINGTON NORTHERN SANTA FE RAILWAY COMPANY FOR INDEFINITELY STORING RAILROAD CARS ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER; AND URGING CONGRESS TO ENACT LEGISLATION PROHIBITING THIS STORAGE.

Come on - Blewett is a smart guy, so why is he wasting (and I do mean wasting) his time and that of other legislators on something so trivial, so unnecessary, and so pointless? And did you ever have someone tell you to “not make a federal case out of” something? As in, don’t make a mountain out of a molehill? Well, in the full text of the proposed resolution, he literally does try to make it a federal case out of the matter:

“(4) That the Secretary of State send copies of this resolution to the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Company, the Montana Congressional Delegation, the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, and the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.”

The Montana Policy Institute, a new free market think tank, has created a a one-stop shopping source for school spending information in Montana:

http://www.SchoolsOpenMT.org

The Montana Policy Institute is a nonpartisan, nonprofit policy research center whose mission is to equip Montana citizens and decision makers to better evaluate state public policy options with a respect for individual freedom, an expectation of individual responsibility, and a belief that government intervention should be viewed as a last rather than a first resort.

The folks at Montana’s News Station have created a “category” page to collect all of the news stories and videos about the 2009 Montana Legislature; it also includes links to the MT site where you can read the full text and status of pending legislation. Cool stuff.

Looks like Montana’s governor Brian Schweitzer did indeed make an impression on the Obama campaign with his well-received speech at the DNC convention: he’s now on the short list to become the next Secretary of the Interior:

As Sec Int goes, I suppose he would be a decent choice. He’s got experience managing natural resources and parks, deals with Native American issues, knows fish & wildlife, etc.

If he is asked by Obama and accepts, then does that mean that Lt Gov Bohlinger would automatically become Montana’s governor?

It’s been a helluva campaign here in Montana, with candidates stopping in many Montana towns and communities. Big Sky Country has probably never had so much attention, politically. And now it’s time: who did you vote for, and who do you think will win the election?

It beginning to look like all the work and money the Obama campaign has been putting into Montana may be paying off for them.

CNN is reporting that the latest polls are showing that Montana has moved from “reliably for McCain” to a toss up between McCain and Obama.

It’s beginning to look like Sen. McCain received bad advice from the Montana Republicans “in the know” who told his campaign that Montana is reliably in the McCain camp and not to waste any time or money here.

Tuesday is looking more and more interesting all the time. Don’t forget to vote.