Zoom Chron Blog

by Travis Mateer

The supposed answer behind our idiotic Council inserting themselves into the Cannabis market is THE CHILDREN! That’s right, Gwen Jones is worried about kids doing the weed. and the fact that Missoula has more dispensaries, per capita, than any other community in America, is probably exacerbating Jones’ desire to do this:

The council advanced a resolution Wednesday to halt all new dispensary licenses within the city limits after July 8. That policy, if approved by council on June 24, would place a 180-day temporary ban on new cannabis shops. 

The other two polices would create a more permanent, two-year moratorium on new dispensary licenses and establish local fines for selling or giving marijuana to a minor.

Both of those laws are set for a final debate by council on July 8. Ward 3 Councilor Gwen Jones sponsored the potential policies and said the restrictions are meant to limit youth cannabis use.

I wonder if Gwen Jones pays attention to other states that have legalized Cannabis because, if she did, she might discover that over-saturated markets have a way of stabilizing WITHOUT government intervention. Just look at what Colorado is now dealing with:

Colorado’s cannabis market is in free-fall, going from peak revenues of $2.2 billion in 2020, to $1.5 billion just three years later. The drop has had a substantial impact on the state’s economy – with cannabis tax revenues decreasing more than 30% over the past two years to just $282 million last fiscal year, Politico reports.

The causes are manifold, and include an oversaturated local market, regulatory burdens, and increasing competition from nearby states such as New Mexico and Arizona – two out of 24 states where weed is now legal, which may have been attracting consumers that would have previously made a border run to Colorado.

While Colorado deals with LESS taxable weed money, Montana legislators continue to display their broad dysfunction by failing to override a veto to redistribute weed money to roads. From the link (emphasis mine):

A bill designed to redistribute marijuana tax revenue towards county road repairs and conservation projects is dead after lawmakers voted not to override a veto by the governor.

According to a poll of legislators released by the Montana Secretary of State’s office on Friday, 62 lawmakers voted to overturn a veto of Senate Bill 442 by Gov. Greg Gianforte, falling short of the 100 needed to overturn the veto. Sixteen lawmakers voted against the veto override, and 72 lawmakers did not vote.

Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen reported that several legislators returned their ballot packets indicating a refusal to participate in the process, some with letters explaining their reasoning. Others refused to sign their ballot packets or did not return them at all.

All members of the Flathead Valley’s legislative delegation declined to vote except for Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls, who voted against the veto override, and Rep. Dave Fern, D-Whitefish, who voted for it.

“I applaud the Montana Legislature for today rejecting radical judicial overreach, as the court sought to meddle in the legislative process. Legislators also made clear that we should continue using marijuana revenue to fund addiction and recovery services, law enforcement, veterans, wildlife habitat, and state parks and trails, just as Montanans intended when they voted for recreational marijuana at the ballot box in 2020,” Gianforte said in a statement.

While markets collapse in Colorado and legislators fail to act in Montana, Gwen Jones sees an opportunity to do something for the children in Missoula. This is great because when you do the weed, the consequences can be catastrophic.

I’m going to let Gwen Jones in on a little secret: when societies breakdown, substances that provide a temporary escape become EVEN MORE popular. For example, how many casinos selling alcohol do you see around town doing facility upgrades? I see plenty, like the new casino on Southwest Higgins. So why isn’t Gwen Jones suggesting a moratorium on businesses that facilitate gambling while selling booze?

While some people might want the stupid from Council to stop, I’d like to ENCOURAGE Council members, like Gwen Jones, to continue doing stupid shit while taking hilarious measures to protect themselves from the anger they are generating from the public.

If our Council is feeling lots of stress and anxiety, maybe a little THC would help? I suggest Gwen Jones consult some Cannabis entrepreneurs, like Nick Checota or Ellie Boldman, to see what kind of strain could help chill them out.

If you appreciate my local reporting, please consider donating to Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF). I’ve put myself in the local crosshairs in order to expose what’s REALLY going on in Zoom Town, and the reaction has been intense.

Thanks for reading!

by Travis Mateer

The only way affordable housing can be built these days, apparently, is by using subsidies, and the preferred vehicle for delivering those subsidies is the ubiquitous PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP. Here’s a quote from Grant Kier, the guy pictured above staring at you like you’re on the menu for dinner. From the link (emphasis mine):

A number of properties owned by the City of Missoula could be redeveloped in a public-private partnership to help meet its goals around housing and commercial growth.

The city contracted the Missoula Economic Partnership last year to court potential developers who were capable of and interested in redeveloping the old library block downtown. While that process plays on, MEP plans to take a similar approach on other properties held by the city.

Will this approach work? No, it won’t, because subsidies are NOT indicators of a healthy economy, they are more like giant red flags warning consumers that markets are fucked and will continue to be fucked thanks to the predators of finance.

Locally, the mechanism of Tax Increment Financing is one of the subsidy guns our elected braintrust uses like a coke-sniffing gangster protecting a drug stash. If you don’t believe me, then check out this exclusive image of Ellen Buchanan preparing to deploy the next round of Tax Increment Financing:

If you’d like to know more about Tax Increment Financing, there’s a documentary you can watch about it called Engen’s Missoula, or you can check out this article from my partner in that documentary effort that made us so popular with local officials.

If you appreciate my local effort at producing uncompromising journalism then consider donating to Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF). I just received a donation of $50 dollars, which is very needed and appreciated as I adjust to my new house on wheels.

Thanks for reading!

by Travis Mateer

I took this image of kinky sex categories when I removed the homeless sex swing in April because I wanted to document the kind of stuff I found as a result of “urban camping” and young lefties playing the victim-card for anyone popping a tent and calling the riverbank home.

The lefties came out last night and, with the help of Daniel Carlino making amendment suggestions to the resolution, the meeting didn’t adjourn until nearly 4am. Was anything actually accomplished? Not really, but since I tried to watch as much of this crap as I could handle, there were some interesting things that came up, which I’ll be digging into later this week.

One of the curious things I learned came from Kristen Jordan’s prepared remarks, which she read near the end of the meeting. Was it Jordan calling out Martin Kidston for his propaganda reporting? No, but I did enjoy that part immensely. The thing that got my attention was Jordan describing how city staff has CONTACTED EMPLOYERS of those making comments to ensure they aren’t representing their organizations by making comments.

Really? I agree with Jordan’s assessment that this is a “creepy” thing for city staff to be doing, if true. Hopefully Jordan will respond to my email asking for more information on this.

Another issue that the righteous lefties brought up was the cutting of tents by Parks and Rec staff, depicting this as a very horrible, atrocious act. When Donna Gaukler got up to expound on this in front of Council, she mentioned that explosion early this year and something she called a “needle trap”. Huh? Is Gaukler referring to some kind of booby-traps being set by crisis campers?

Another aspect of the meeting I found particularly obnoxious was Zooey Zephyr’s grandstanding commentary. After turning the Montana legislative session into the Zooey Zephyr show and distracting stupid conservatives with culture war opportunities, making progress on real issues facing Montanans nearly impossible, Zephyr’s appearance was NOT appreciated by THIS homeless man.

Yeah, the poors who are crisis camping, causing explosions, and using a dirty hammock to fuck on the side of the riverbank are being treated SO UNFAIRLY! Thank goodness we have a cutting-edge transsexual person to explain what justice looks like. Thanks Zooey!

Since I am not allowed to attend City Council, and since I’m currently living in my truck, watching this shit show wasn’t easy, but thankfully the nice house I used to live in, and the internet connection I needed, were both available for me to utilize.

If you’d like to help out a local writer who has paid a steep price for exposing the corrupt Homeless Industrial Complex in Missoula, then consider donating to Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF). Any little bit helps.

Thanks for reading!

by Travis Mateer

Missoula’s Mayor, Andrea Davis, promptly attended a globalist grooming party at Harvard after winning her first term in Missoula in order to get her marching orders from the people who want humans compartmentalized in 15 minute cities with NO access to the freedom of movement cars once signified for the American population.

While Davis’ role in the subsidized housing game is widely known, her role on the board of Mountain Line is not, at least not to me. Isn’t this a great resume that positions Davis to “help” developers by ending those parking space requirements?

While Mayor Davis ignores the cost of putting warm bodies in buses at any cost, our train-obsessed County Commissioner, Dave Strohmaier, must be giddy that Federal officials are cheering him on. From the link:

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg led off the day with a taped message, thanking local leaders for what he learned during a trip to Montana just last month, and acknowledging how the “Route of the Hiawatha” has emerged as the only new service being considered on a Rail Corridor Study and as a future long-distance route.

During the keynote, Jennifer Mitchell, Deputy Administrator for the FRA was enthusiastic about the route and the resurgent interest in passenger rail across the country.

“We’re very excited about the potential for the North Coast Hiawatha Line as well,” Mitchell said. “We know that it would create jobs, generate $271, 000,000 in economic impact a year, and provide both affordable, safe, and clean transportation year-round to promote healthcare, tourism, education, and commerce. And to be able to upgrade those lines for both freight and passenger service.”

This train idea sure does seem great, what with all the great things it’s going to support. Will Dave and his fellow train enthusiasts help make trains great again in Montana? I know this Ukrainian dude thinks Dave’s idea is pretty neat.

I suspect another notorious figure from history would also be supportive of reviving train infrastructure to move people more efficiently around this great country.

For more on my skepticism about Dave’s train obsession, here are some posts worth checking out:

When Freedom Cars Are Gone, Control Trains Will Reign Supreme! (November 8th, 2022)

Seeing Through The MIST Of The Multi-Modal Fantasy Land Missoula Transportation Zealots Envision For Us (January 23rd, 2023)

Who Wants To Ride That Democrat Train To Hell? (February 17th, 2023)

Pushing Density And Passenger Rail In A Community Burned Out By Change (April 18th, 2023)

Speaking of Nazis, the Missoula Parking Commission just agreed to assist the globalist hatred of freedom cars by expanding their reign of control across the river. From the link (emphasis mine):

The Hip Strip and other neighborhoods around Missoula’s downtown area will likely have parking fees added within the next year after the city’s parking commission approved a new expansion and optimization plan Tuesday. 

The Missoula Parking Commission said the plan will act as a guiding document, and some specifics included, like fine increases, will likely be modified before final approval. 

While the plan as a whole has been approved unanimously by the commission, the specific changes to district expansion or fines must still go to city council for approval.

“It demonstrates to the public and to us that change is coming,” Parking Commission Board Chair Joe Easton said on Tuesday. 

Well, Joe, I don’t think the public needs anymore “demonstrations” that change is coming because we can see the empty storefronts and the “crisis campers” and the dwindling numbers in personal bank accounts. The change is a transformation from a relatively free Republic to the serfdom envisioned for us by the psychopath class.

I’ll wrap this up by reminding readers that City Council tonight should be interesting after last Wednesday’s drama. If I wasn’t legally barred from attending in person, I would do so. Instead I’ll have to make sure I’m somewhere with a decent internet connection because my phone kept dropping the feed last Monday.

If you appreciate my local reporting, please consider donating to Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF). Any little bit helps.

Thanks for reading!

by Travis Mateer

I’m trying to decided what topic to write about for my Western Montana News article next week and right now the culture war being fought by BOTH sides of the political divide is what I’m settling on, so consider this post the appetizer.

A couple of tweets from a local freelance writer with bylines in national publications got me thinking about the culture war in Montana and who is fighting it on the liberal side of the divide. Here’s a little bit about Dan Brooks before we get to his tweets:

Now that we have a sense of Dan’s bonafides, let’s see what this cultured writer has to say about the dumb Montana people he has to endure.

Moving on, another tweet caught my eye this morning because the twat tweeting, Billy McWilliams, is so oblivious to the ubiquitous nature of the culture war that he doesn’t understand why Tim Sheehy would link housing to gender studies.

To assist Billy’s understanding I responded with a link to this post I wrote last June about the Missoula Organization of Realtors PRIDE housing initiative that featured this quote (emphasis mine):

Pride Month offers an opportunity for local organizations and businesses to show support for the LGBTQ+ Community Center, and the Missoula Organization of Realtors (MOR) is one of the biggest fundraisers for Pride Weekend.

MOR raised $30,000 for The Western Montana Community Center. This is MOR’s second year supporting Pride Weekend by calling on their community partners to donate.

…

The donation is a part of MOR’s Homes for All initiative, which, in partnership with Homeward, works to break down the various barriers people may encounter when looking for housing.

“This initiative, supporting homes for all, supporting Pride and The Community Center here is all about showing that when you’re working with a realtor from the Missoula Organization of Realtors, you don’t have to have that fear of discrimination,” Karen Berg-Digangi, Chair of the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee, says. “Every human should deserve the opportunity to get access to housing without worrying that who they are, whether the color of their skin, their gender identity, their sexual orientation–that that’s not an additional barrier.”

Is Billy McWilliams a culture warrior? Or, more likely, is Billy just a savvy business man who makes money off selling people sex toys?

Sex in the city is back.

A new adult store named Erotique opened this week in the same small space where Ms. Kitty’s Adult Store closed its doors three weeks ago after 26 years as downtown Bozeman’s only sex shop.

Billy McWilliams, 47, who managed Ms. Kitty’s for 20 years, is the new owner of Erotique at 12 N. Willson Ave. He said it will be a more cleaned-up, upscale, female-friendly version of the old store.

“We want it to be nice, but still naughty,” McWilliams said. “We want to have a positive sexuality store. … More modern, more healthy, more bright.”

First, I had no idea that before 2007 no one was having sex in Bozeman, but thanks to Billy, people are fucking again! Isn’t the great?

Another thing that’s great for accelerating one’s sex drive is METH. So, in a perverse way, the drug epidemic sweeping the nation must be good for Billy’s business. I mean, if drug addicts in Missoula are constructing homeless sex swings with newly purchased sex gear from Adult Fantasy, it’s only natural to assume similar actions are happening a few hundred miles east on I-90.

I’d like to say more, but I’m going to save it for Thursday’s piece at Western Montana News. Until then, please consider donating to Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF).

Thanks for reading!