Houck’s Hypocrisy

Rick Tryon on October 10, 2018

 

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Recently someone brought to my attention some comments on the Kavanaugh nomination written by a so-called “leader” in Great Falls, Tracy Houck, and posted last week on Senator Steve Daines’ public forum page. Here’s a screenshot of her comments:

After seeing her comments here’s what I wrote on my FB page in response, and then I’ll give you an interesting update that someone pointed out to me yesterday.

“Here’s Houck representing herself as a Great Falls public official actually lecturing Senator Daines on the Kavanaugh nomination.

Regardless of what one thinks about this national issue, Tracy Houck is the last person in Great Falls that I and many, many others want speaking as a GF elected official on the Senators comment page. What a total embarrassment she is to my hometown.

Houck is an incompetent, dishonest buffoon who is once again doing a disservice to the good and honest folks of Great Falls by representing herself in a public forum as someone who speaks in an official capacity.

Since she has so arrogantly presumed to lecture my senator and condescendingly offer him “advice” as an elected official from Great Falls, perhaps it’s time once again to remind the public through documented evidence obtained in public records requests and elsewhere, that Houck has been demonstrated to be a serial public liar and a fraud.

She is guilty of violating Montana campaign-finance law, backdating official state documents in an attempt to cover her lies to the public, the press, and the state Commissioner of Political Practices, and of abusing her position of public trust in attempts to benefit herself and her employer financially.”

And now the update:

In a letter dated March 14, 2017, written and signed by Houck wherein she attempted to justify her dishonest actions concerning the Community Development Block Grant funding process, Houck stated that “…Harmony indicates intent to file a sexual harassment charge against a PGS staff person. Similar letters were sent to various staff…A subsequent investigation was conducted…Absolutely no truth was found to support any of the allegations.” (emphasis added) You can read the entire letter and included documents here.

“A subsequent investigation (into sexual harassment) was conducted…Absolutely no truth was found to support any of the allegations.” says Houck. Does that sound familiar in light of recent events?

So, when unproven, uncorroborated sexual harassment allegations affecting Houck and her employer are raised, Houck becomes indignant and insists that those allegations be ignored and set aside so she can get her pile of taxpayer money.

So, when unproven, uncorroborated SEXUAL HARASSMENT allegations affecting Houck and her employer are raised, Houck becomes indignant and insists that those allegations be ignored and set aside so she can get her pile of taxpayer money.

But when Judge Kavanaugh is slimed with unproven allegations by the “resistance”, which Houck supports, she thinks it’s her responsibility to lecture Senator Daines and educate him about “…statistics as to the number of men and women who have been sexually assaulted in their lifetimes.”

What hypocrisy. What arrogance. What a crock.

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Sioux Falls, SD – May The Workforce Be With You

Rick Tryon on October 3, 2018

 

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A friend sent this Bloomberg piece to me earlier today and I found it to be particularly interesting in light of our own challenges here in Great Falls.

https://www.bloombergquint.com/business/south-dakota-s-sioux-falls-can-teach-the-u-s-about-growth#gs.QxBN6j4

There’s a lot in this article that deserves study and I highly recommend that anyone who is interested in and concerned about jobs and economic development in Montana and right here in River City read it.

Here’s one of the points that caught my attention:

“This isn’t just the story, though, of a state luring industry with low taxes and deregulation. South Dakota’s workforce happens to be pretty solid, too. College graduates make up a smaller share of the adult population there than nationwide, but the state ranks near the top in the percentage of adults with high school diplomas and associate degrees, as well as in literacy rate, and it has among the highest labor-force participation rates and lowest unemployment rates.”

“…South Dakota’s workforce happens to be pretty solid, too. College graduates make up a smaller share of the adult population there than nationwide, but the state ranks near the top in the percentage of adults with high school diplomas and associate degrees, as well as in literacy rate, and it has among the highest labor-force participation rates and lowest unemployment rates.”

A quality workforce doesn’t necessarily mean everyone has to have a 4-year college degree. However, developing a quality workforce does mean we can’t rely on a retired population or a younger demographic that can’t pass a drug test or show up to work because of a hangover.

And developing and maintaining a young, motivated workforce is one of our major challenges in Great Falls.

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Tax Sticker Shock Coming In October?

Rick Tryon on September 12, 2018

 

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I expect Great Falls residents and business owners will experience a little sticker shock when they see their local property tax bill next month.

After intentionally deceiving the public by not including the individual tax impact data on the ballot, our city commission voted for final approval for Great Falls Park District One. It amounts to mucho millions of dollars which we’ll be paying for in sharp property tax increases for a long, long time.

Yet your city commission still closed the Morony Natatorium, our only remaining indoor public swimming pool.

If you need a little refresher on the dishonesty and intentional deception surrounding the Park District One ballot scam issue the facts are available below.

Park District Deception

Sleight Of Hand?: Something Stinks In Great Falls Park District Number One

Also, as I understand it, the final one-third for the $98 million school bond tax increase will be on your October, 2018 tax bill. So, if you take the increase amount on the school district tax portion of your previous statement, divide by two and add to that already billed amount, you can estimate the additional tax you’ll be billed for starting next month.

And on a side note, the school district should have updated enrollment numbers in October for this school year. It will be interesting to see whether those numbers are also going up, like our property taxes.

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Corporations Are Bad (Except Nike), Right?

Rick Tryon on September 10, 2018

 

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If it’s so hip, edgy, cool and progressive for some to hate all those evil corporations out there then why all of a sudden is it so hip, edgy, cool and progressive to love the Nike corporation? In fact, shouldn’t every good, blue-blooded, anti-corporate Democratic Socialist actually have a special loathing for a multi-national corporation like Nike which has been caught using sweatshop labor and exploiting children to manufacture their products?

But no, Nike is now somehow heroic and righteous because their new highly paid spokesman is a rich ex-NFL player who knelt during the national anthem and dislikes Trump. How does that work?

For some, however, Nike appears to be the single exception, because all other corporations continue to be evil. Even right here in Great Falls it’s surprising how much I hear and read local progressives assuredly proclaiming that corporations are at the root of all of our problems – even while those same folks continue buying, using and consuming corporate goods and services like gluttons.

Even right here in Great Falls it’s surprising how much I hear and read local progressives assuredly proclaiming that corporations are at the root of all of our problems – even while those same folks continue buying, using and consuming corporate goods and services like gluttons.

So, in the spirit of good fun here’s something I wrote for someone or something-or-other a few years ago which is still apropos:

“Corporations are rich, evil, greedy, controlling entities that do no good and are destroying our country. I hate them.” opined the under-informed citizen on Facebook/Twitter (corporations) by way of his Apple/Microsoft (corporation) laptop while sipping his Starbucks (corporation) latte then getting in his Subaru (foreign corporation), filling up at BP (foreign corporation), driving while listening to his Sony (foreign corporation) mp3 player to EMI (foreign corporation) artist Paul McCartney on the road (paid for in part by corporate taxes) to his job at Green Energy Corporation.

Then for lunch picking up some McDonalds (corporation) and checking his DAD (corporation) stock and US Bank (corporation) savings accounts before going home to his house built with Building Materials Corporation of America products and financed by Home Mortgage Corporation, popping a Sony (foreign corporation) DVD into his Hitachi (foreign corporation) DVD player to watch Kung Fu Panda (DreamWorks Corporation) on his RCA (corporation) flat screen before opening his Westinghouse (corporation) refrigerator for some Ben & Jerry’s (corporation).

After brushing his teeth (Colgate Palmolive Corporation) and watching Colbert on CBS (corporation) he closes his eyes and thinks “yeah , I sure hate those useless corporations” before drifting off to sleep on his Sealy (corporation) mattress.

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Who Is Jasmine Cassandra And Why Is She Trolling Rick Tryon?

Rick Tryon on August 14, 2018

 

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Okay, so I was intrigued when I was informed by a friend this morning that someone was bashing poor old Ricky Tryon on the E-City Beat Facebook page. When I went and took a look and saw it was someone called Jasmine Cassandra my first impression was, “Who?”. But then I remembered that this Jasmine person has kind of had it out for me for awhile.

Last October she went on a public Facebook page and referred to me as “…a man that is known for his misogynistic behavior”. Wow.

As you might imagine, this attempted public assassination of my character by trying to paint me as a misogynist was not received too kindly by my wife, my daughters, my granddaughter, my mother, my nieces, my sisters-in-law or my many female friends and colleagues whom I respect and love. Of course, the page administrator for Great Falls Area Concerned Citizens removed her ridiculous and slanderous comment.

I would ask Ms. Cassandra if she can provide even one example of my apparently well-known misogynistic behavior? Since she did not and cannot, I would next ask if she even knows or understands the definition of ‘misogynist’?

I would ask Ms. Cassandra if she can provide even one example of my apparently well-known misogynistic behavior? Since she did not and cannot, I would next ask if she even knows or understands the definition of ‘misogynist’?

I have no clue as to why Cassandra, who I have never met or had any contact or conflict with, and who knows absolutely nothing about me, my personal life, or where I’ve come from, insists on trolling me. So I did a little digging after I saw her additional ugly comments from today.

Jasmine Cassandra is also known as Jasmine Taylor and is listed as a board member in charge of ‘outreach’ for the Great Falls LGBTQ+ Center. 

With absolutely no provocation or reason I can think of here’s some of what Jasmine Cassandra/Taylor said about me this morning:

“He’s (Rick Tryon) a failed wannabe politician who is openly prejudiced.” – If I’m ‘openly prejudiced’ then Ms. Cassandra/Taylor should be able to provide an example, but of course she doesn’t.

“Prejudice would be based on falsehood and preconceived notions. I’m assessing Rick based on his multiple prejudiced posts.” – This is classic troll talk here, mentions ‘…multiple prejudiced posts’ without giving even one example.

“I agree that Rick is like Trump in that he spews (the word is apropo here) hateful rhetoric, because being incendiary is easier than being logical and insightful.” – So, where is an example of the ‘hateful rhetoric’ I’ve been spewing? Does ol’ Jasmine think folks should just take her word for it?

Apparently I’m a hateful, prejudiced, misogynist according to Cassandra/Taylor who doesn’t know me, has never met me, and can’t provide even one example corroborating her ridiculous and hateful personal insults against me. Is this what the Great Falls LGBTQ+ Center considers “outreach”?

Finally, there’s this from Cassandra/Taylor: “Rick doesn’t get to be both vitriolic and hateful AND sensitive.” – What’s that old saying about when you point your finger at someone there’s three pointing back at you? Jasmine provides the perfect example of that right here.

My advice to this person who is so casually and ignorantly lashing out at me for some strange reason: Jasmine Cassandra/Taylor, if you don’t want to continue to be thought of as a shallow, mean little troll then stop acting like a shallow, mean little troll.

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Actions Scream. Words Whisper. Intentions Are Mute.

Rick Tryon on August 6, 2018

 

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In a recent article posted in The Electric there’s a quote from Great Falls Mayor Bob Kelly that I found to be interesting…and very revealing.

‘Kelly said some people think the city discourages development.

“When people say we don’t encourage, of course we do, of course we want development,” Kelly said. “We don’t tell Olive Garden not to come here.” ‘

(CITY 101 LAUNCHES, COVERS ROLE OF COMMISSION, ANIMAL SHELTER, MANSFIELD CENTER – July 30, 2018 – The Electric)

What’s so revealing here is that Kelly is actually equating economic development with an Olive Garden locating here. Wow, add a Red Lobster and we’d be a boom town!

Could it be that one of the reasons that Great Falls is struggling to remain stagnant is that we have a mayor who thinks that because he’s not telling a chain restaurant “not to come here” he’s encouraging economic development? Do the folks who are supposed to be leading the way and articulating a vision for our city really think that an Olive Garden is the key to prosperity? Don’t they understand that trendy restaurants are the result of prosperity and growth, not the cause?

Could it be that one of the reasons that Great Falls is struggling to remain stagnant is that we have a mayor who thinks that because he’s not telling a chain restaurant “not to come here” he’s encouraging economic development? Do the folks who are supposed to be leading the way and articulating a vision for our city really think that an Olive Garden is the key to prosperity? Don’t they understand that trendy restaurants are the result of prosperity and growth, not the cause?

But what’s even more troubling here is Mayor Kelly’s statement that when it comes to our city commissioners and mayor encouraging development “…of course we do, of course we want development” when in fact they have by their actions done just the opposite.

In January of this year the Great Falls City Commission unanimously voted to deny a Conditional Use Permit to M&D Construction, an established Great Falls business which employs 30 folks here.

Even though the city planning staff, Neighborhood Council #7, and the planning/zoning board ALL recommended approval of the CUP.

Even though Rhett Hulett, owner of M&D Construction, said the following at the January 2nd meeting:

“I want to be a good neighbor”

“We want to be a positive part of that part of town.”

“We look forward to staying there.”

But no, every one of our city commissioners, including Mayor Kelly, voted to deny the CUP in spite of the overwhelming majority of staff and citizen input encouraging approval. When you look at the details surrounding why they voted to deny the permit it becomes obvious that the good ol’ boys and gals club brand of cronyism was on full display. You can read the shameful details in full here: Cronyism And Great Falls’ No-Growth Policy.

So what’s the result? M&D Construction is moving outside the city limits.

So now a pretty good sized business with it’s 30-plus employees will be gone from the downtown area in the heart of Great Falls. Those employees no doubt ate lunch and bought coffee, snacks and gas etc. from locally owned and operated businesses in the area while working at and on their way to and from a business that will no longer be there.

Why should we believe Mayor Kelly when he proclaims that he wants development but votes against it? Actions scream. Words whisper. Intentions are mute.

But the worst part of this is the message it sends – Great Falls is not very business friendly to it’s own people so don’t expect an Olive Garden to be knocking on our door any time soon.

But the worst part of this is the message it sends – Great Falls is not very business friendly to it’s own people so don’t expect an Olive Garden to be knocking on our door any time soon.

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Great Falls And Buck The Earless Dog

Rick Tryon on August 1, 2018

 

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I find it interesting that when I point out some of the harsh realities going on in Great Falls the same old group of usual suspects wag their fingers and scold me for being “negative” and not focusing on the “positive”.

It’s almost always the same folks doing the scolding who are partly responsible for the record of failure Great Falls has experienced recently. Failures like extreme poverty skyrocketing in the Electric City, the closing of the Nat and crumbling of our Civic Center, the shameful dishonesty and conflicts of interest engaged in by our city commissioners, and the raging, unprecedented problems of child abuse and neglect in Cascade County/Great Falls.

I know that these are uncomfortable truths, but identifying the problems and getting the truth out in the open is mandatory if we really want to fix the problems.

I know that these are uncomfortable truths, but identifying the problems and getting the truth out in the open is mandatory if we really want to fix the problems.

Let’s say you have a beloved old dog named Buck. One day you see Buck get hit by a car that ran a red light right in front of you. Buck’s hurt bad and as you’re trying to comfort your dog the driver get’s out of the car, half drunk, and tell’s you to “focus on the positive”. After all, Buck’s not dead yet.

The driver gets back in his car and drives away so you call the police and report the incident, but they tell you they’re too busy right now and that you should just “focus on the positive”. After all, they’re busy solving and preventing other crimes, so quit being so “negative”.

You take your beloved dog to the veterinarian and he ends up amputating Bucks right ear. But it’s a mistake because he meant to amputate the left ear, so he takes that one too. You’re furious and you start yelling at the vet but he looks at you all righteous and indignant and says, “Hey, focus on the positive, at least I didn’t amputate his legs!”

You take your beloved dog to the veterinarian and he ends up amputating Bucks right ear. But it’s a mistake because he meant to amputate the left ear, so he takes that one too. You’re furious and you start yelling at the vet but he looks at you all righteous and indignant and says, “Hey, focus on the positive, at least I didn’t amputate his legs!”

Two weeks later you get the vet bill and it’s $5000. You think there must be some mistake so you call the vet and the billing clerk tells you that, no there’s no mistake, remit payment forthwith. Before hanging up on you she also says, “You need to focus on the positive. That bill could have been $7000 and your dog could be missing two legs instead of two ears!”

So the next time anyone climbs their moral high horse or tries to divert attention from their own blunders and accuses me of not focusing on the positive I’ll just tell them the story about poor old Buck.

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Great Falls, You Have Cancer

Rick Tryon on July 23, 2018

 

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There have been two disturbing stories in the last 10 days about Great Falls which have raised a lot of discussion and a lot of eyebrows around town.

First is the article which corroborates an unpleasant reality about our town, a reality that many folks have been concerned about and sounding the alarm on for some time now: poverty and extreme poverty is skyrocketing in the Electric City.

Second is the continuing depressing news about the raging, unprecedented problems of child abuse and neglect in Cascade County/Great Falls.

So, what should our reaction be as citizens living in the midst of these maladies?

When my wife Phyllis was diagnosed with cancer almost 11 years ago we didn’t pretend like it wasn’t really all that bad. We didn’t look around for people who were even sicker so we could say, “See, we’re lucky, at least Phyllis isn’t as sick as those other folks .”

We didn’t focus on how well she could walk, see, or function in the physical areas unimpeded by the cancer. We knew that “thinking positively” and repeating positive affirmations wasn’t going to fix the problem.

We called it what it was: CANCER.

We focused on a serious effort and applied proven solutions in order to eradicate the problem and restore her to 100% health.

Almost 11 years later Phyllis is cancer free. She came in 2nd place for her age group in the 3 mile run in the Ice Breaker race back in April. None of that would have happened had we ignored the problem or refused to call it what it was.

In all likelihood if we had stuck our heads in the sand and pretended like the cancer didn’t exist, my wife of 35 years would be dead.

Great Falls, you have cancer. So, what are we doing about it and where will our beloved city be in 11 years?

Great Falls, you have cancer. So, what are we doing about it and where will our beloved city be in 11 years?

How do we change Great Falls and where do we start? For those who haven’t been part of the conversation or who haven’t been paying attention to what I and many others have been saying the past few years let’s review a few of the steps that I consider to be necessary to get us back to health:

  • First and most importantly we need leaders with passion, vision, and a plan. We can no longer afford the luxury of a city commission which is either not interested in or is incapable of doing what’s necessary. We have to get beyond the old ways of voting for local leaders based on name recognition, how much money they have or thinking it’s “their turn”, and we must start looking hard at their specific vision and ideas, not slogans.
  • Next we need to expose and neuter the local good ol’ boys and gals club. There is no longer an argument as to whether excessive cronyism has influenced public policy to a damaging degree in Great Falls. That argument was put to rest once and for all with the HUD letter detailing the cronyism and conflicts of interest going on for years here in the distribution of taxpayer CDBG funds.
  • Expose and destroy the prevalent poverty industry mentality and city/county policy direction which has made Great Falls the low-income, nonprofit, welfare, government dependent capital city of Montana, if not the whole region.
  • Do a thorough review of all city/county code and revise it to reflect a pro-business, pro-development posture. Make the motto of Great Falls “We are open for business, how can we help you?” – not “You can’t do that here”.
  • Develop media outlets (like E-City Beat) that hold local public officials accountable, from the school board to the county commission, city commission and local state legislators. We should all demand complete transparency and honesty from all of our local public officials.
  • Demand local government stop treating local taxpayers like an ATM machine. Raising local taxes should be the last resort, not the first instinct. We need innovative, new thinking and solutions. We are starting to learn the hard lesson that our local government is running out of other people’s money because Great Falls is not growing or expanding our tax base.

Do a thorough review of all city/county code and revise it to reflect a pro-business, pro-development posture. Make the motto of Great Falls “We are open for business, how can we help you?” – not “You can’t do that here”.

All of this would be a good start. But the most important thing is that citizens must pay attention and give a hoot about what kind of community we’re going to have. We can’t afford to ignore the cancer any longer.

That means you.

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Pretty Little Lies: Part Two

Rick Tryon on July 19, 2018

 

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In “Pretty Little Lies: Part One” we were looking at how Great Falls city commissioner Tracy Houck’s recent comments on a local Facebook post provide “an example of how public officials and politicians skew and massage facts to make themselves look better or avoid accountability.”

Continuing now with Houck’s “clarification” (You can see the screenshot of the entirety of Houck’s comments here) let’s take look at her phony representation of how her employer, Paris Gibson Square, came to be removed from consideration for funding from the local Community Development Block Grant pot of taxpayer dough:

“Upon review, it was accurately determined that there was a conflict. In an effort to maintain fairness, we removed the Square (and the request for less than $50,000 for an ADA bathroom) from the funding consideration.”

Notice the use of the word “we” here? This statement goes beyond spin or sneaky deception; it’s a flat out intentional lie. Houck got caught trying to scam the system, get a do-over on the Community Development Council process, and manipulate it to benefit her and her employer, PGS. As I cited in Part One, her attempt to do this resulted in a reprimand and warning from the City Attorney.

Removing the Square from the funding consideration was not some noble effort in which Houck participated in order to “maintain fairness”, it was the result of direct intervention by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development which denied the PGS funding due to Houck’s blatant conflict of interest. Does Houck think we’re all just a bunch of bumpkins who don’t know what’s going on in our city and can’t read?

Why is Houck so determined to lie, spin and obfuscate, trying to make it appear to the public that she had something to do with removing PGS “from the funding consideration”? It’s very clear and unambiguous that she is lying about that.

The actual facts and truth are discussed in detail in the October 17, 2017 commission meeting minutes and in a piece by Jenn Rowell in The Electric which you can read here: “HUD DECLINES FUNDING FOR PARIS GIBSON SQUARE IN CONTROVERSIAL CDBG PROCESS”.

Finally there’s this comment from Ms. Houck:

“I am very happy to report it went to other local non-profitS and stayed in our community. That is how you make a community better – you build each other up and share.”

Not exactly. $140,495 of the $199,153 that was removed by HUD was re-allocated this year, not to “local non-profits” but to the City of Great Falls and the Great Falls Housing Authority.

  • Great Falls Housing Authority: $40,000 for boiler purchase, entry door system and furnaces
  • Great Falls Public Works: $27,495 for sidewalk and curb ramps
  • Great Falls Park and Recreation: $45,000 for a play structure at Kranz Park
  • Great Falls Park and Recreation: $28,000 for a pavilion and amenities at Kranz Park

It’s interesting also that Houck was required to abstain from the actual vote on this item at the 4/9/18 special commission meeting due to her conflict of interest issues. She, as well as Bill Bronson, have eliminated themselves from voting on any such items because of their self-interested conflicts surrounding CDBG funding.

Furthermore, Houck didn’t even bother showing up for the May 15, 2018 city commission meeting at which the 2018/2019 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funding
Priorities were voted on. So I’m sorry, I’m not buying the phony, preachy gibberish from her about how “…you make a community better – you build each other up and share.”

This kind of overt dishonesty and habit of lying to the public by Houck is unacceptable. If you wonder why Great Falls is struggling to remain stagnant, and worse, start by looking at the inability of some of our so-called “leadership” to meet even the barest standards of honesty.

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The Great Falls Poverty Industry Is Thriving

Rick Tryon on July 17, 2018

In an article titled “What city is hit hardest by extreme poverty in your state?”, written by Evan Comen and Samuel Stebbins of 24/7 Wall Street for USA Today and published July 13, 2018 in the Great Falls Tribune, Great Falls gets the dubious distinction of being the hardest hit by extreme poverty in Montana.

Here are the troubling and distressing stats from the article:

“Great Falls, Montana

  • 2010-2016 increase in concentrated poverty: +10.7 ppts (0.0% to 10.7%)
  • 2010-2016 increase in concentrated poverty: +1,254 people (0 to 1,254)
  • 2010-2016 avg. annual GDP growth: +0.9% (Montana: +1.8%)
  • Unemployment: 5.1% (poor neighborhoods) 5.0% (all other)


The number of Great Falls residents living in poverty climbed from about 10,600 to nearly 11,700 between 2010 and 2016. The increase was not spread evenly across the city, however. There were no neighborhoods with a 40% or greater concentration of poverty in Great Falls in 2010. But as of 2016, 1,254 of poor metro area residents lived in a region with highly concentrated poverty.

More poverty and higher concentrations of it are likely due in part to a sluggish economy. Great Falls’ average annual GDP growth rate of 0.9% since 2010 is below both the state 1.8% rate and the national 2.0% average economic growth rate.”

It brings to mind a conversation I had recently with a young couple who are considering making a move “out West”. They’re looking at a few different locations including Bozeman.

When I asked if Great Falls was on the list of possibilities they looked at me like I had an extra appendage growing out of the middle of my forehead.

“This town reminds me of a cheesy, government run casino cruise ship stuck out in the middle of the frozen nowhere filled with senior citizens, a sketchy, drug-addled staff, no work hustle and lots of folks just along for a free ride.”,  I was told.

“This town reminds me of a cheesy, government run casino cruise ship stuck out in the middle of the frozen nowhere filled with senior citizens, a sketchy, drug-addled staff, no work hustle and lots of folks just along for a free ride.”,  I was told.

I took offense but held it in and told them that this town and the people here are awesome, we just need to focus on where we can go and remember where we came from. Once upon a time, not long ago, Great Falls was the envy of Montana, competing with Billings for ‘biggest city in the state’ bragging rights. We were a bustling, thriving city full of potential and optimism. So, what happened?

Well, in my opinion our current malaise is partly due to about 30 years of incompetent, self-serving and dishonest “leadership” with no vision and a deep culture of cronyism. Because of that lack of vision it’s just easier to encourage and foster what I call the “Poverty Industry”, which rewards the very few who have figured out how to make a pretty good living “helping the less fortunate”.

And if you build it, they will come. The stats and facts in the article referenced above proves that point pretty well.

Instead of developing a city and county policy direction which is pro-business and pro-growth, the local good ol’ boys and gals club has instead chosen to make Great Falls the low-income, nonprofit, welfare, government dependent capital of Montana, if not the whole region.

Instead of developing a city and county policy direction which is pro-business and pro-growth, the local good ol’ boys and gals club has instead chosen to make Great Falls the low-income, nonprofit, welfare, government dependent capital of Montana, if not the whole region.

I explained some of this to the folks looking to relocate somewhere in the beautiful Great Northwest. “Whatever”, I was told, “Someone better figure out how to re-shuffle the cards here, because this town looks like a short walk to a dead end for anyone seeking opportunity.”

I couldn’t argue, and that pisses me off.