Guest editorial submitted by The Legislative Lurker
The Montana Legislature is made up primarily of old people. Out of 150 legislators, 113 are over age 45. Eight legislators are younger than 35 this session, which is a good thing. We need younger people’s perspectives in order to make policies that will serve the next generations.
Lukas Schubert, The 19 Year Old Legislator
We need the “olds” for practical knowledge and experience, but most sessions skew older, and so it’s nice to see younger folks stepping into the game. I just wish they wouldn’t always be, you know, stepping in it. There’s Lukas Schubert (R-Kalispell, 19 years old) , who brought at least two bills that caught my eye and made my eyebrows shoot up.
There’s HJ 22, titled “Joint resolution acknowledging that Christ is King.” That’s bad enough, considering that 45% of Montanans don’t identify as Christians, whom he calls “imposters” who should kneel before Christ, but he also brought HB 896, which is titled “Prohibit harboring or assisting illegal aliens.” The two of them together plant an image in my mind of Jesus, wearing a MAGA hat, banging his shepherd’s staff on someone’s door, saying, “You better not have any immigrants in there!”
The hearing for HJ 22 is worth a watch, especially for the part that starts about seven minutes in, with Rabbi Rep. Ed Stafman (D-Bozeman, 71 years old) quizzing the quisling on the Bible, and pointing out that bringing the name of God into the secular realm violates the Third Commandment. Schubert responded to the older man’s obviously more complete scriptural knowledge bravely, if not directly. His moral rectitude may have metastasized to hubris already. In one so young!
Representative Braxton Mitchell, Fixated with Trans
Well he’s only 19, and his brain is still developing, I guess. Boys will be boys, especially when they’re not so sure of themselves. Remember Rep. Braxton Mitchell (R-Columbia Falls, 24 years old) , who gained fame last session for a picture of him man-spreading at a drag queen? Well this session he’s been chivalrously carrying bills for his Lt. Governor, Kristen Juras, such as HB 247, titled “Eliminate damages for injuries and death arising from dueling.” That one was tabled in committee, so if he had a plan to duel, and didn’t want to have to pay damages, he’ll have to re-think it.
What’s This About Menstruation?
Mitchell and Schubert together tried to prohibit “Dispensing menstrual products in male-designated restrooms” for some boyish reason. The vote to table that one, in a Republican-dominated committee, was unanimous. I suppose if they had better role models, among the olds in the legislature, they wouldn’t have to learn the hard way.
Maybe These Young Men Need Mentors
They could have looked to Sen. Jason Ellsworth (R-Hamilton, 52 years old) for guidance, right? They’re all from the same neck of the woods – Kalispell, Columbia Falls, Hamilton – and in his long tenure, Ellsworth has demonstrated a certain deftness with creatively manipulating legislative power. Surely he could have advised them. Alas, he’s no longer a resource for the youth, as he was just barred from the Senate for life for a laundry list of infractions, including trouble with the Federal Trade Commission, abusing his power trying to weasel out of a traffic ticket, accusations of domestic abuse and, finally, indications of fraud, waste and abuse in allocating money for legislative contracts.
https://wtf406.com/2025/01/guest-post-from-john-schneeberger-in-ravalli-county/
And let’s not forget big boy Rep. Ron Marshall (R-Hamilton, 63 years old) , who might be the most honest one of them. He apparently came to the legislature in order to get advantages for his vape shop, but he couldn’t get his bills passed, so he took his toys and went home. He complained that corporate lobbyists were calling all the shots, and he’s not wrong. Still, I wonder who Marshall thinks is supporting his business by marketing addiction, if not those self-same lobbyists. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, Representative!
https://wtf406.com/2025/03/life-on-the-dark-side-of-a-flat-6000-year-old-moon/