A loving wife named Montana
The name “Montana” extends back over 1500 years.
The name “Montana”—from ancient Rome via Colorado
In 1858, gold miners established [a] town located near present-day Commerce City, Colorado. One of their number , , , suggested they call their settlement “Montana.” They agreed.
Montana high court set to rule on state’s discrimination against religious schools
The ignominious death of a critical educational choice case at the hands of a newly elected school board majority in Colorado dealt a serious blow to disadvantaged students nationwide. However, the debate about Blaine Amendments goes on. Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, a similar case in Montana, will get its day in court on […]
Creating Constitutional Protections Against American Socialism
Note: This article is cross-posted on CNSNews. If any public policy lesson stands out from the experience of the 20th century, it is that socialism doesn’t work. I use the word “socialism” in its technical sense of government ownership of the means of production—or, in lay language, government operation of business enterprises. Socialism in this […]
Colorado Goes to the Supreme Court to Defend TABOR
Three years ago, a group of primarily government plaintiffs sued in federal district court to void Colorado’s Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR). TABOR allows the people, not just the legislature, to vote on most tax increases, most debt increases, and some spending hikes. The plaintiffs argued that the 20-year old state constitutional provision violated the […]
Montana Supreme Court’s War Against the Rule of Law Finally Getting The Attention It Deserves
Respect for the rule of law is fundamental to a free society. It also is necessary for economic well being. Montana is among the nation’s poorest states. I was a law professor there for over 23 years and I also serve as Senior Fellow in Constitutional Jurisprudence at the Montana Policy Institute. In a 2012 […]
Breakdown in the Americans’ Respect for the Rule of Law?
Some commentators and compilers have sensed what they believe is a weakening of the rule of law in the United States. I’ve documented an example in one state. Conduct surrounding the George Zimmerman case provides additional cause for concern, including prejudicial comments by President Obama and rioting subsequent to acquittal. To his credit, President Obama […]
Colorado, Here's One Way You Can Learn from Montana—Reject the Obamacare Medicaid Extension
Colorado’s legislature and governor have opted to endanger our state’s financial future—and the quality of health care—by yoking Colorado to Obamacare’s risky and expensive “Medicaid expansion.” This is one area in which Colorado could take a lesson from our sister state to the north, Montana. Montana has a long history of what used to be […]
Protect Democracy: Avoid Election-Day Registration
Carting uninformed, transient voters to the polls to vote for the political boss-man is a time-dishonored practice of demagogues everywhere. It has been proposed for Colorado, but it has no place here. Some historical perspective: America has a long tradition of democratic governance. By the time our American Constitution was adopted, nearly all states had […]
Think your state courts are bad? Check this out.
Conservatives in Colorado and other states often complain about the liberalism of their states’ courts. They should be glad they don’t live in Montana. Montana’s public image is one of rugged individualism, and in a few spheres of life (such as guns), image reflects reality. But in fiscal and regulatory affairs, Montana has a long […]
The Problem with Transit
Table 12 of the historical tables supplementing the 2010 Public Transit Fact Book reveals that, since 1970, the number of workers needed to operate America’s public transit systems has increased by 180 percent. Table 38 reveals that, in the same time period, the cost of operating buses, trolley buses, light rail, and heavy rail (the […]
Tax and Spending Limits for Montana? Criteria for Assessing Current Proposals
IP-10-1994 (September 1994) Author: Robert G. Natelson PDF of full Issue Paper Scribd version of full Issue Paper Executive Summary: This November, Montana voters will consider two proposals to place Tax- Expenditure Limitations (TELs) in the state constitution. There is a clear inverse correlation between level of state and local government revenue and comparative economic […]
