As the demand for wireless services continues to grow, many consumers may not realize that they are facing significant financial burdens due to the taxes and fees imposed on these services. Wireless taxes can take various forms, including privilege taxes, license fees, and user taxes, and they are often added to your monthly wireless bill. Read More…
Montana’s Commission on Practice is the regulatory body of the legal profession here, tasked by the State Supreme Court with overseeing the ethical and professional conduct of attorneys’ practice of law in the state. Its enforcement arm is the Office of Disciplinary Counsel (ODC), which investigates and decides whether to prosecute complaints of unethical conduct Read More…
Kimberly Wehle, a constitutional law expert at the University of Baltimore’s School of Law, joins the Utterly Moderate Podcast to discuss her new book, Pardon Power: How the Pardon Power System Works—and Why. Wehle and host Lawrence Eppard discuss a variety of topics, including: How the pardon power looms large in the current presidential election.Why Wehle believes Read More…
The brave Americans who registered voters in the Jim Crow South during the Civil Rights Era endured violence, in some cases even death. Since then, maximizing voter participation has been widely considered a public good worthy of charity status. But the IRS has clear rules prohibiting charities that register voters from favoring political parties or Read More…
When debating legislation, legislators are always looking for unintended consequences. If you are pro-life or pro-choice, CI 128 must be a major concern. Hidden in the text of the initiative is language that gives blanket immunity to abortion providers for malpractice, incompetence or outright criminal behavior. In the complete text of CI 128 it says, Read More…
On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast, the authors of the brand new book, The Poisoning of the American Mind, talk about the book and its implications for America. So what is their argument? A significant amount of research suggests that most people seek out news and information sources that mirror their worldviews, avoid ones Read More…
The U.S. Supreme Court recently wrapped up its 2023-2024 term and will be in recess until October 2024. During this term, the Court heard a number of cases that will have a significant impact on small businesses and the Main Street economy. NFIB filed amicus briefs in 12 of the cases presented. Of those, five Read More…
The Montana Supreme Court and several district court judges have become completely unmoored from the plain text of the Montana Constitution and the separation of powers among our three branches of government. Here’s a quick recap of just some of their most egregious recent actions: The Supreme Court overturned four common sense election integrity laws Read More…
There is no denying that homelessness is a complex issue. There are compounding factors that can lead to a person finding themselves on the streets – making it difficult for them to get back on their feet. Because of this complexity, there is no single solution for homelessness. Still, there are many ways our communities Read More…
What would you most like to see Mississippi’s elected lawmakers do during the current legislative session? Action to eliminate the reams of red tape holding our state back, maybe? Further tax cuts, perhaps? With so many other southern states moving ahead with school choice, you might wish that our lawmakers would do something similar. I Read More…
“Equal justice under law” is such a foundational principle in our constitutional republic that the phrase is carved in stone above the entrance to the United States Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, here in Montana, it appears that justice is not applied equally. In fact, at the Montana Supreme Court, there are two Read More…
The reintroduction of gray wolves to Yellowstone National Park and other parts of America since the 1990s has resulted in mistrust and hostility between wolf advocates and ranchers. The reintroduction of wolves in Colorado in December 2023 brought the issue into the spotlight once again and raised tensions even further. Ranchers point to wolf attacks Read More…
By Iain Murray | Competitive Enterprise Institute The Department of Labor is stuck in the 1930s. That’s the most likely explanation for its new rule that could lead to thousands of freelancers losing their livelihoods. The department is propping up a century-old model of what work should look like at a time when technology is Read More…
There are 187 studies on impact of education choice – and the results are overwhelming By Chris Cargill | Mountain States Policy Center If you had these odds, you’d buy a lottery ticket. This is the week each year that we celebrate education choice. Those across the political spectrum have recognized the need to provide Read More…
As retired Montana judges, we join to endorse Judge Dan Wilson of Flathead County We hope you will join us in supporting Judge Dan Wilson for the Montana Supreme Court As retired Montana judges, we join to endorse Judge Dan Wilson of Flathead County in his bid for election to the Montana Supreme Court. This Read More…
Last month, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-OH, told former White House aide Steve Bannon that some lawmakers want to reduce Social Security benefits so that the federal government can send more money to Ukraine, which Vance argued would flow through to Ukrainian President Zelensky’s underlings to “buy a bigger yacht.” While Vance’s statement may come Read More…
Eduardo Gamarra, Florida International University Ecuador was until relatively recently seen as one of the safest countries in Latin America. That reputation has surely now been destroyed. On Jan. 9, 2024, images of hooded gunmen storming a TV studio were broadcast around the world. It was one of a number of violent incidents that took Read More…
Human trafficking is not just a big city problem – it’s happening right here in Montana. Which is why, during National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, I’m encouraging Montanans to learn the signs of human trafficking and report it if they see it. If folks don’t know what it is and how to report it, they Read More…
judge in Gallatin County recently blocked two bills aimed at addressing Montana’s housing crisis, siding with a radical anti-housing interest group. The decision to block Senate Bill 323 and Senate Bill 528 is misguided and unfortunate. These bills passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and were signed into law by Gov. Greg Gianforte. Housing affordability is Read More…
Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, University of Pittsburgh Nearly three-quarters of high school students do not get enough sleep on school nights, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that teens sleep for eight to 10 hours per night. But various factors hinder this, including early school start times and shifts Read More…
He is a refreshing reminder of all that is good about the Montana we know and love I am supporting Judge Dan Wilson for Montana Supreme Court Justice. If you have a chance to meet him, like I did, you’ll understand why. He is a refreshing reminder of all that is good about the Montana Read More…
The Eagles embarrassing loss to the Cardinals on New Year’s Eve day, resulting in their ceding the NFC’s top seed to Dallas have fans beside themselves. The media is all over the “why,” including retrospectives on whether the season is all over before the playoffs even start. What happened, what went wrong, how do we Read More…
Any sensible person can see something seriously wrong with many American universities. For several decades many of our most prestigious seats of learning have become hostile to free speech and genuine inquiry. Speech codes have been introduced to prevent so-called “micro-aggressions.” Speakers that do not subscribe to “woke” orthodoxies have been “de-platformed.” Those who do Read More…
Voter trust and fear over the 2024 election are driving unprecedented interest in independent voters. The candidate who can address these fears, whether that candidate is President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump, will go on to win. With only a handful of states up for grabs, they need the independent vote. Winning independent Read More…
At the Montana Chamber of Commerce, we are deeply concerned by recent developments in federal energy policies that threaten our state’s power supply and economic vitality. Our concerns are centered around the consequences of secret commitments recently made by the U.S. government through a closed-door negotiation over the Columbia River hydropower system. Behind those closed Read More…
The migrant border mess is benefiting progressive states like New York, California and Illinois in one respect: It’s offsetting some of their population loss from droves of taxpayers fleeing to lower-cost and low-tax states. That’s one lesson from new Census Bureau state population data released this week. The U.S. population increased by 1.6 million between Read More…
In a groundbreaking verdict that has sent shockwaves through gun control circles, a U.S. District Court judge in California made a bold stand for Second Amendment rights. What’s more, in the process, he served a scorching rebuke to “Firearms Expert” Ryan Busse, a senior advisor for the Giffords gun control organization and candidate for Montana’s Read More…
There is a huge difference between true caring and indignant self-righteousness, a fact that the mayors of many sanctuary cities are now learning. It’s one thing to climb up on your soap box and declare that immigration makes communities stronger when you have no idea what you’re talking about. The truth is that these cities Read More…
Of course, we all hope that the outcome of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial will turn on the merits of the case. But even as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has said, this is a political trial and the jurors are politicians, so there can be no illusion that the political calculus will not Read More…
A recent study found that using social media was unrelated to long-term mental health problems in Norwegian youth. One well-intentioned scholar suggested that doomsayers proclaiming that social media is causing suicide and other mental health problems in youth would need to “reckon” with this new study. To which I replied, in effect, they would do no such thing. As Read More…
Montana Democrats are out in full force trying to convince Montanans that they want to reduce your taxes. This is far from the truth as their actions in the legislative session speak much louder than their words now. When they had the opportunity to support giving Montana resident taxpayers $900 million back in income and Read More…
Montana just took an important step to protect its citizens from authoritarian regimes. By now everyone has heard that the state banned TikTok—and of course TikTok has sued to block the measure. That was two weeks ago. The very same day, Governor Greg Gianforte signed another measure that deserves some national attention. Montana House Bill 946 requires full disclosure Read More…
Montana made history with its move to ban TikTok. Given that the state has a serious penchant for deregulation, it’s kind of a shocker. To put this in perspective, Montana was the last state to institute a speed limit, and yet it is now the first state to ban the controversial app. And for good reason. We Read More…
In a recent op-ed published in several newspapers, Montana Democrat minority leaders claimed “the harm done by a Republican supermajority drunk on power will continue to be felt for a long time.” The Democrat leaders should remember that it was Montana voters who gave Republicans a supermajority in the legislature, and for good reason. Montana Read More…
My top priority as Attorney General is the safety and security of Montana communities. The bills the Department of Justice brought and supported during the recently concluded legislative session to combat human trafficking, the missing and murdered Indigenous people crisis, illicit drugs, and sex crimes and gives law enforcement and prosecutors new tools to keep Read More…
Joe Biden’s appointment to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) – recently appeared twice on Capitol Hill to argue in favor of that agency’s funding and to answer questions about its priorities and activities. During those appearances he repeatedly underscored he is not a firearms expert and could not himself define what an “assault weapon” is. These were Read More…
Montana’s Judiciary is overwhelmingly liberal but many won’t admit it Much ado has been made of Republican legislators’ attempts to reform Montana’s judiciary. Democrat politicians, left-wing activists, and many in the media have demagogued on the issue, railing against Republican “attacks” on the “non-partisan” judiciary. Even former Governor-turned-Washington-DC-lobbyist, Marc Racicot, and retired liberal Justice Jim Read More…
In recent years talk of defunding the police has been popular in other states, but our Montana values run contrary to that line of thinking. We believe in supporting those who put their lives on the line to protect citizens every day. To that end I have recently introduced Senate Bill 294. SB 294 establishes Read More…
This week we reached our transmittal break, marking the halfway point of the 68th Legislature. Probably the most-discussed legislation so far is our tax relief package, which we refer to as the “8 pack.” We’ve also passed a number of technology-focused privacy bills, dozens upon dozens of red tape relief bills, and several bills to Read More…
President Biden might want to pretend the fentanyl crisis and other tragedies aren’t happening When President Joe Biden delivers his annual message to Congress Tuesday, we have little doubt that he will once again proclaim—as he has the past two years—that “the state of the Union is strong.” But that is far from the truth. Read More…