When I was growing up the National Rifle Association was gun safety and hunting organization. Now it's nothing more than to try to divide people.

The opportunity I had growing up in Montana isn't the opportunities for a whole lot of people.

I remember a humorous episode from Bill Clinton's presidency in which his advisers prevailed upon him, one summer before his re-election campaign, to spend his vacation in Montana and Wyoming instead of the usual Martha's Vineyard. The theory was that he'd benefit from hanging out someplace a little more down to earth.

If you're not geographically diverse, it's hard to even speak a language that makes sense to folks in faraway places. That's especially a problem in the West, where voters have always mistrusted the federal government.

Money coming in says I've made the right marketing decisions.

The entire economy relies on the suspension of disbelief. So does a fairy story or an animated cartoon. This means that no matter how soberly the financial experts dress, no matter how dry their language, the economy they worship can only ever be as plausible as an episode of 'SpongeBob SquarePants.'

Of course, I do everything for money.

The goal should be to build a sustainable lifestyle business that does good for employees and customers - and that steadily builds wealth.