.::The Montana Standard::.

Letter: Dennis Washington: the new Copper King

By Pat Munday - 05/07/2008

Wow, Dennis Washington gave $10,000 to Butte in support of the folk festival!

One of his companies, Washington Group International, posted more than $80 million in profit last year. Another of his holdings, The Washington Companies, includes Montana Resources, Envirocon, and Montana Rail Link. Washington makes money coming (by gathering and hauling mine waste from Milltown to Opportunity) and going (from the Continental Pit) in our area.

Like his Copper King predecessors, Washington operates a giant conveyor belt that permanently removes wealth from Butte. Marcus Daly had his mansion in Hamilton, where he stabled his race horses. William Clark preferred New York City, where he amassed a fantastic art collection. Their combined assets became the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. The ACM left Butte a legacy costing hundreds of millions of dollars in Superfund remedy.

For Dennis Washington, it’s a large private estate on Stuart Island in British Columbia and charity to the University of Montana in Missoula. The first million dollars in charity went to finance Grizzly stadium in 1985. The most recent $10 million went to the School of Education. Missoula gets tens of millions and Butte gets tens of thousands — a ratio of one thousand to one? Last I checked, the copper and molybdenum was coming from Butte, not Missoula.

Everyone can applaud the many good charitable donations from Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation. Similarly, Butte is happy for the taxes paid by MR, and for the salaries and profit shares to MR employees. However, one great question remains. The Anaconda Copper Mining Co. left us the Berkeley Pit and a crumbling water supply infrastructure. What will Dennis Washington’s Butte legacy be?

Pat Munday 723 W Daly St.

Walkerville

Civil Dialogue:

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Reader Comments:

Goldie wrote on May 8, 2008 2:08 PM:

" I am going to go to the folk festival and I'm going to have a great time. I hope I see Mr. Washington there. I want a chance a chance to thank him for helping to put it on and to shake his hand would be my pleasure. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has put in any effort for the event. It's a great idea! Let's all go and have fun. Thanks to everybody. Everybody. "

John Burton wrote on May 8, 2008 2:06 PM:

" I find it interesting that Mr. Munday feels comfortable telling Dennis Washington how his money should be spent/donated. I have absolutely no idea how much money the Washington family donates or doesn't donate. It is completely irrelevant. The Washington family's money is exactly that---the Washington family's money.

Will you, Mr. Munday, be willing to cut Washington a check if he can no longer make a buck? Will you assume any of the risk he does? Will you?

Try minding your own financial affairs. "

r d wrote on May 8, 2008 1:32 PM:

" The Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation does, in fact, support a number of other causes in Butte.

Munday should put as much effort into researching those contributions as he does slamming Dennis Washington. "

juiceball wrote on May 8, 2008 8:24 AM:

" Hear! Hear! Mr. Munday. I equate it to leaving a waitperson a nickel for a tip. We'll take you money because we need it but it's just above insulting. "

Robert D. Geach Sr. wrote on May 8, 2008 8:03 AM:

" Munday, a public trough feeder and environmentalist, is out to disparage anyone who is successful in the private sector of the economy...and thinks he should be in charge of how they spend their money...Munday never created a job in his life... Washington has created thousands...Hooray, for Washington...This nation needs more Washingtons...and less Mundays.. "

you called someone an idiot, a racist, a dope, a moron, etc. Please, no name-calling or profanity (or veiled profanity -- #$%^&*).

you rambled, failed to stay on topic or exhibited troll-like behavior intended to hijack the discussion at hand.

YOU SHOUTED YOUR COMMENT IN ALL CAPS. This is hard to read and annoys readers.

you have issues with a business. Have a bad meal? Feel you were overcharged at the store? New car is a lemon? Contact the business directly with your customer service concerns.

you believe the newspaper's coverage is unfair. It would be better to write the editor at editor@mtstandard.com, or call Editor Gerry O'Brien at 496-5513 or Opinion Editor Roberta Stauffer at 496-5514. This is a forum for community discussion, not for media criticism. We'd rather address your concerns directly.

you included an e-mail address or phone number, pretended to be someone you aren't or offered a comment that makes no sense.

you accused someone of a crime or assigned guilt or punishment to someone suspected of a crime.

your comment is in really poor taste.
The Montana Standard reserves the right to remove comments considered inappropriate for the community forum.

Letter: Dennis Washington: the new Copper King

By Pat Munday - 05/07/2008

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