The tone of this article also sounded like she was spitting it through clenched teeth, which I found to be incredibly distracting and defeating to the point the author was attempting to make. Was the point small business owners at establishments like Dales are facing troubles because they're fat-cat capitalist Trumpian Covid deniers whose problems aren't valid as such? That's what it sounded like. I look forward to when we can have conversations about topics like economics without hyperbolic intolerance for outsiders serving an ultimately unproductive narrative that has been driven into the ground.

I live in Missoula. I am a regular customer of Black Cat Bakery and I can see them struggling. In fact most restaurants and breweries I frequent face the same issue, a few employees desperately trying to keep an inundated ship afloat. I will tell you this article largely ignores what everyone who lives here understands is the biggest problem faced by laborers in Missoula at the moment. This city is amid a dire housing shortage, expedited by lack of new construction and a migration of buyers from more lucrative economies. The median home price increased by 57% in the last 10 years, 8.6% in the last year alone to $315k. In the meantime the median family income remains only $46k. https://missoulian.com/news/local/missoula-housing-prices-se...

It is truly a seller's dream market and as such the availability of rentals has evaporated. You'd be lucky to find a 1 bedroom right now.

My wife and I bought a home here a little over a year ago and were fortunate to find the nut who, "didn't need a realtor, what with craigslist." Before then we had been outbid 5 times previously, during which we offered up to 30k above the asking price. Frankly, we wouldn't live here if we didn't get lucky. Our experiences weren't unique at the time and it has only gotten worse. I regularly hear of houses selling for 50K over listing price to people buying sight-unseen.

Frankly I don't care what the owners of Dales or Black Cat Bakery think about Covid or whether they voted for Trump. I really, sincerely, don't care. I only hope for the best for their business and their employees. I know what it's like to struggle in Missoula, I did for years and I still would be if not for dumb luck and a bit of privilege. The problems people face today are starting to pale in comparison to my own, and a solution is becoming truly urgent. I can only hope people will come to understand if we care about solving these problems, then we have to put down the tribalism and intolerance for those with different views and focus on the matter at hand.

To quote Vince Staples, "Ain't no money in havin' hate in your heart."