Welcome To the Mountains and Plains Messenger

I can relate. I sure don’t understand what is happening, especially in my hood.

My hood refers to the Plains and Northern Rockies states that entered the union in 1889: the Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. I call them the 89ers. Values are shifting here. Fading are ideals of a relatively inclusive, live-and-let-live society that understood the necessity of some guard rails. Replacing these are narratives of exclusivity, hyper-loyalty, and a projected concept of absolute freedom.

Lots to explore. Brevity (who tolerates windy blogs?) is the goal – with one caveat. Ix-nay on D vs R rants. Politics are but the fruiting body of values and beliefs. These drive the world, not party affiliation. Why don’t we examine these instead of political finger-pointing?

Yet the topic of values can be dry enough to choke a camel. I’ll try to keep things interesting with explorations into pluralism, egalitarianism, and maybe a dash of behavioral economics.

Here’s an example of what we’ll examine. Historically, North Dakota and Wyoming experienced long periods of economic hardship. Oil, gas, and coal production created a turn of fortune. They also re-prioritized values. Income from mineral trust funds in these two states now challenge the sacred value of independence. Why bother with stakeholder, citizen-funded communities when your bills are paid?

Half of North Dakota’s counties continue to lose population. Yet some remote places in Montana have curbed outmigration. They’re engaging and rebuilding. What, exactly, are they doing? In the last two decades, northern rural Idaho has become a magnet for anti-government, white supremacy, and sovereign state aspirants. How do small towns and municipalities deal with this development? Values rarely change, but they can shift. Which one of them have risen to the top? How are they driving policy decisions?

In my first blog – out Monday, February 24 – I’ll explore why ranchers and farmers in 89er country vote for a US president, even if it’s against their economic self-interest. The “I always vote Republican,” reply is problematic. It infers that party loyalty will automatically take preference over the bottom line. Really? What’s going on?

That’s it for now. The goal is two blogs per month. Under one-thousand word, I swear. Thanks for reading this.

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