Preying on Us
Montana’s governor proclaimed a day to pray for rain
Leant against the mailbox, he stood on the side of the road. On the pavement and melting fast was a couple inches of freshly fallen, nickel sized hail. In the yard stood a proud Ten Commandments sign, planted years prior.
Montana’s governor earlier proclaimed a day to pray for rain. In his declaration, the governor wrote that nearly 500 wildfires had burned some 15,000 acres this year while summertime was still weeks away.
The weather people warn of a monstrous ocean-warming current steaming toward the West Coast. Scientific predictors say that the West is in for a world of hurt come the hot season.
Most of Montana is already facing persistent drought. As a working farmer, I appreciate the moisture. The more rain the better. I own several rain coats and prefer to work outside in the rain versus the raging sun. Lots of tourists may disagree but a bit of wildfire smoke sure changes opinions fast.
As we slowly drove by, I offered a four-fingered farmer wave to my neighbor as he stood on the side of the road. The storm had clearly made a racket on his metal roof. He just stood there, looking bewildered. Like he couldn’t believe how much hail fell from the sky that fast. He’s a good neighbor. Pulled my tractor out of the mud once.
On the farm the hailstorm tore through every large-leafed plant that dared grow up early to meet the sudden arrival of springtime heat. The storm could’ve hit the farm much worse. My mailbox-leaning neighbor, a quarter mile up the road, got hammered.
The storm passed, returned as rain, and then quickly transformed into sunshine producing rainbows to the east. It was spring and weather moved fast. A couple days prior it snowed hard, then turned to sun. We’ll take any moisture we can get. Though hail is a killer.
I stopped at our rural route mailbox on the way home to find another handful of glossy political mailers from some billionaire somewhere with an ax to grind with Montana. I recall the days when anonymous dollars were mailing election flyers against me, calling me this and making up that, much like they do for every competitive candidate seeking office these days.
Last week former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg was in Butte talking about the pervasive amounts of dark and corporate cash in Montana elections. Montanans are gathering signatures to put a citizen initiative onto the ballot which seeks to save the people’s democracy.
Public radio recently reported that in just one of Montana’s 125 primary election races, big secret money is spending a whopping $1 million. That’s an outrageous amount for a citizen legislator campaign and should trouble any Montanan who favors democracy.
The big money flooding into Montana is a dream for political consultants. Lot of money to be made for the consultants who seem to work for anybody. No platforms, values, or party affiliations required. It’s about money.
Consultants work for anyone paying their never-ending bills. It’s good money. Dark or not, money funds the staff. All those annoying digital ads, odd phone calls, and gloss in the mailbox is how consultants get paid. Whatever you think about today’s politics, you can thank a paid consultant. With notable exceptions, they and their clandestine money run the show.
Artificial Intelligence and cryptocurrency have more money in today’s elections than both the Republican and Democratic parties combined. Big tech money will spend any amount to buy a candidate, ensure they keep voting right, and wine and dine their royal elites.
There’re a few leaders across our nation, like Buttigieg, willing to work for regular people. The corporations have their dark money groups like the Montana Chamber of Commerce who will funnel gobs of political cash. Regular people have neighbors.
Buttigieg toured the Pit in Butte with Evan Barrett to get a visual understanding of what historically happens when big money wholly runs a state like Montana. Barrett, a longtime Democrat once worked with Sen. John Melcher, Rep. Pat Williams and Gov. Brian Schweitzer.
Barrett is a Butte guy. He’s lived in the Mining City for what seems like forever and has a long track record of making the lives of working people better. We repeatedly told the last Montana Legislature that homeowner property taxes were too damn high due to state property tax reappraisals and offered a historically simple solution that would’ve avoided the whole overtaxing mess that locals are paying.
Burned into my mind remained a leaning cowboy silhouette of my neighbor at the mailbox after the massive storm. In his mail was likely those same glossy flyers, all produced by the same big tech money seeking to build massive AI data centers that guzzle millions of gallons of public water and devour 10 times as much power as all statewide homeowners.
Sounds expensive to working people. Maybe the governor will pray for a less costly Montana. ###