The Democratic legislators’ Jobs Listening Tour, now making its way through central Montana, hit a snag the other day when the Dems invited Republican legislators to join one of their forums to discuss economic policy.
The invitation was extended to GOP legislators like Dan Kennedy, a Tea Party ignoramus who spent most of his time this past session fighting to reintroduce the Gold Standard in Montana. That Democrats would think such a person’s views on anything, let alone economics, are worthy of inclusion in a jobs forum is a little discouraging. But I suppose dems were just being courteous and generous (’tis the season).
The article in the Billings Gazette gave the impression of a meeting at which the GOP members like Kennedy hijacked the event and took control, spouting a chorus of their favorite song: the economy is terrible in Montana because of too much regulation, to many taxes, spiraling work comp costs, and assorted other liberal evils. There is simply too much government, in effect, and thus no jobs can be created any time soon, until these shackles are cast off, and business is out from under this terrible yolk.
All of which is pure fiction. Democratic legislators, perhaps, should learn to internalize this, and must also internalize some basic talking points to combat these GOP lies.
The truth, the facts, are:
–Montana has a solid economy.
–Montana has one of lowest unemployment rates in the nation.
–We have one of the top business climates AND tax climates in America (top ten in both)
–We’re just rated the BEST fiscally managed state in America
–Since Schweitzer and the Dems took over in Montana and were able to undo the Judy Martz damage, we are mining record amounts of coal, drilling record amounts of oil and gas.
–On the democrats watch, the state government has recently cut more taxes than at any time in Montana history.
–During the legislature, while the GOP was busy worrying about the gold standard and spear hunting, Schweitzer and Dems like chuck Hunter were revamping the work comp system so that premiums will now be reduced 20 percent.
(The old system, the worst system in the nation, was designed by the GOP, by Rick Hill and Marc Racicot, thanks kindly.)
–Montana has the largest budget surplus in the state’s history, and is one of only six states in America operating without a deficit.
–We’ve used the surplus to return money to taxpayers (the only rebate ever in Montana) and to make record investments in our schools.
The GOP’s favorite pastime is complaiing about the supposed burdens being put on business and the economy. The problem is, none of it is true. In the face of a terrible national recession, Montana is doing much beter than anybody could habe expected.
And Dems need to do a better job of making this point and rattling off successes. Being a deer in the headlights, and letting the GOP rollover you in a meeting in front of the press, is a sure way to be shown the exit next November.
Too funny. As the old saying goes, oil is where you find it. I don’t recall Schweitzer or any legislators at all in the Bakken zone. Another old saying – timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance. Ask Bill Clinton, who happened to be in office during one one of the post-Reagan era bubbles, avoiding the bust by one year.
The rest of your post sounds like Republican talking points, always a problem with Democrats who are financed by the same people as the “other” party. Next you’ll become warmongering deficit hawks, and the transformation will be complete.
Oh, wait. It is complete. You are warmongering deficit hawks. Never mind.
What do state legislators have to do with war??
The Demoratic Party is a Natioanl party with branches in each state, last I looked.
Montana’s Democratic Party is it’s own organization, I believe. Not a “branch” of the national party.
Anyone who thinks the progressives don’t care about jobs and the economy Mark hasn’t been paying attention to the occupy movement. Just because an issue doesn’t matter to you doesn’t mean anything. You don’t even live in Montana, correct?
I lives in Montana for 59 years.
Your comment is a non sequitur, as you are conflating progressives and Democrats, the latter havingquite a lot of deficit hawks and warmongers in its numbers.
And I am merely pointing out that Montana’s unemployment and fiscal situation has more to do with the discovery of Bakken oil than who happens to sit in the executive branch or control the legislature. The Cowgirl people are doing classic correlation/causation.
A nd then repetition of Republican talking points frosts the cake. It’s a hoot!
You forgot the whole western half of the state there Mr. Tokarski – ever heard of the decline of the timber market after the housing industry tanked? That’s caused western montana timber jobs to drop off.
Oil severance taxes are a general budget revenue.
Oil severance taxes are general budget revenue.
Sorry for duplicate post there – I mean to say that the massive influx of new oil severance tax is general fund revenues, not restricted, and a large part of the reason for a balanced budget. The oil fields themselves are booming, and while those jobs eventually disappear, the important point is that no politician is responsible for any of this. If anything, you can look to wisdom of the past, people who came before who had the good sense to encode severance taxes on oil and gas that preserve a good portion do what is take for public benefit.
Those people are gone now, and current Democrats, including the Good Guv, a great showman, are not the statesmen we once had. So the Cowgirl staff should stop preening on this stuff, as they are merely doing what politicians always do – muddying the waters, confuseing and obfuscating as they work the issues in their favor. The only “talking point” that Democrats have is that they had wise predecessors, But they are not cut fromTom Towe cloth. Not by any means.
Shorter Tokarski:
They are doing the right thing, but only because others paved the way. These people doing the right thing hate you, so vote Republicant, or don’t vote at all.
Governor Schweitzer is confusing me.
One Gazette article:
“”Gov. Brian Schweitzer said he was concerned the federal agency’s actions have allowed animal diseases such as brucellosis and chronic wasting disease to spread across the region.
He also said he wants to halt the transfer of bison to other states from the National Bison Range. The Democratic governor said those bison are “genetically impure mongrels” that should not be used for conservation purposes.”
From an accompanying Gazette piece:
“However, Schweitzer issued an order Tuesday blocking any fish and wildlife shipments by the Interior Department in Montana. The governor wants the bison to go to the National Bison Range in western Montana.”
It’s my understanding that the bison in question are genetically pure plains Bison.
Whaddup, Gov?
Nice list Cowgirl. Sounds pretty impressive when you put it that way.
I would love to make these arguments, but I need to be able to cite sources. The Montana Cowgirl Blog, much as I love it, is an anonymous source and therefore not citable. Could you give us a list of identifiable sources for each of those wonderful facts?
These talking points seem to come straight from Schweitzer’s office. Someone should have coordinated with Tester. He seems to think Montanan’s are struggling to make ends meet: http://www.jontester.com/issues/cutting-taxes-for-working-families/
Stan Stephens, Marc Ratco, and Judy from MARS ran this state into the ground in the late 80s the 90s and the early 2000s. Republicans can talk all they want, but can they walk? And I think that has been proven. Frankly Im scared of the 2012 governors race here in Montana. Im scared because Schweitzer can’t run for a third term, and Im not sure I like anybody on the ballot. I know all the Republicans are nut jobs, the Libertarian is not only a nut but he doesn’t have a chance in hell of winning, and on the Democratic side, I think there should be a primary not just a pre determined nomination and the primary is just trivial. I think it should be a real race, with real choices. I will probley end up voting for Bullock in the General election, and I dont have a problem with Bullock, but still I think it should be a real race for the nomination in the primary on the Democratic side. And me Im a ticket spliter, in the General elections, I vote for the best person. For the past several election cycles I’ve voted Democratic in the primary, but still I dont know, and if I had to chose between the 10 nut jobs on the Republican side, I dont know if I could find the evil of the lessers.
Talking Points
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/12/15/1045674/-Gingrich-is-the-inventor-of-gridlock?via=spotlight
For those looking for some evidence that Montana is NOT unfriendly to start-ups, see the website of Site Selection Magazine, a prestigious trade journal read by many top execs nationally. Schweitzer posted the link on his Facebook page early this week. Check out Site Selection Magazine and look at the November 2011 issue (it’s a bimonthly publication.) It’s free to look at online, in case you’re worried. (siteselection.com)
As for statistics, recently the U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently rated Montana the No. 1 state for business startups and the sixth best business climate in the nation.
Another observation on the Montana business climate comes to me from Butte-Silver Bow Finance and Budget Director Jeff Amerman, who said although the state has been cutting the business equipment tax substantially on a regular basis, we have seen no corresponding increase in the location of new industrial companies in Montana. His argument is that the policy has not worked and should not be repeated over and over again.
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