I found the Jan. 15 issue of the Boulder Monitor especially interesting. Of particular note to me was the centerfold “By the numbers: This American Community.”
Also, Rep. Greg DeVries, often talks about how much better we would be off, if the state government, and I assume federal government, would be shrunk. A couple of weeks ago he talked about virtually shrinking DPHHS to 0 over 20 years by cutting its budget by 10% every session.
How many of the folks who live in Northern Jefferson County have benefitted from state and/or federal jobs? If you include local businesses, who would be hurt, the pain might be severe, if government jobs were lost.
For better or worse, the government (including public schools) is a major contributor to the economy of communities. Lots of rural communities eventually lose their schools when enough families move away.
The upcoming census is critically important for the state, particularly for many rural communities, I would assume.
The Boulder-Monitor provides lots to “chew on.” The residents are fortunate to still have a newspaper, providing such insight. – John Ilgenfritz, Helena
