Sirotablog
David Sirota is a political journalist and nationally syndicated newspaper columnist at Creators Syndicate. David writes about political corruption, globalization and working-class economic issues often ignored by both of America's political parties.
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June 4, 2007 12:52 PM
Starting to Bid Farewell to Big Sky Country
My family (aka. me, my wife Emily and my dog Monty) did a hike up Mt. Helena this weekend. It is our last hike up this great mountain that is part of Helena's city park system. This is a picture we snapped on the summit.
We're in that mode now where there's a lot of "lasts" going on - our last hike, my last fishing trip on the Missouri river, our last trip to the Helena Safeway, etc. Of course, it's probably not our last time for any of these things - Montana will still be here after we move to Denver, and we will no doubt be back to visit. But we are really sad to be leaving.
When you live in a small town like this in the great American heartland, you realize all the things you never had when you lived in the East Coast grind. I've learned a ton, both about how to live life, and about how to really do politics out here. I'm going to miss Montana dearly.
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About David Sirota
David Sirota is a political journalist and nationally syndicated newspaper columnist at Creators Syndicate. He is the New York Times bestselling author of Hostile Takeover. He lives in Denver, Colorado. His daily blog can be found at CREDO Action. He contributes regularly to the Denver Post's Web site, is a senior editor at In These Times magazine and is working on his second book. He has been profiled in Newsweek and the Rocky Mountain News and is widely known for his reporting on political corruption, globalization and working-class economic issues often ignored by both of America's political parties. Sirota serves as co-chair of the Progressive States Network, a 501(c)3 organization that supports state legislators and that is a partner of CREDO.
You can subscribe to Sirota's e-mail newsletter by going to davidsirota.com and signing up in the lefthand corner. To find out more about Sirota, download his official biography or see his recent media appearances. You can e-mail him at sirota@credoaction.com.
The views expressed on this blog are his own, and do not necessarily represent the views of Working Assets (publisher of CREDO Action) or the institutions Sirota works for.
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More David Sirota
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This Modern World
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Discussion
You're moving to Denver from Helena?
You'll be back.
In Montana, couldn't Missoula be considered the Denver equivilant? By the way, David, how far did you live from Missoula just out of curiosity?
P.S.: There are plenty of rural areas on the East Coast and it doesn't take long to find one even if you're not in one. Take Northern Virginia for example. Yes, Fairfax County, Prince William County, Loudoun, Arlington, Manassas, Alexandria are not rural but suburban. But go out on I-66 to Fauqier County and you wouldn't even notice that you were in NoVA. In fact, continue down I-66 until you get to Front Royal where the highway ends and you'd almost feel that you're in the rural midwest.
I had to do the same thing recently for various reasons, medical school for my other half being a part of that. It's hard to leave, but the few high tech firms in the state seem to have misread the effects of the labor market in other areas, opting to rely on quality of life arguments instead. Unfortunately, the quality of life issues are irrelevant when a resort-like economy taxes the ability of a good Montana-scale professional salary to qualify for a mortgage for even low income housing. I've learned other professionals I know or worked with from there have decided to do the same thing this year, including more than one native Montanan. The firms seem to be responding somewhat to stop the brain drain, and there are new firms moving to the state to bring some competition, but let's face it- transitions in costs are painful for businesses, and it will be some time before the climate adjusts to the new realities.
Is Monty a golden doodle?
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