Posted by (+3210) 2 years ago
On January 16, 2020, I had a letter in this Star that was entitled ‘Prepare for calamity if a Republican is elected for governor.’ I dislike platitudes such as I told you so. However, current news coming from Helena and the legislature bears me out. My 2020 letter pointed out how Republicans belly ache about slow economic recovery when a Democrat is in control cleaning up economic messes left by them.
In Montana, with Schweitzer, it was cleaning up after Republican governors Racicot and Martz who, through disastrous tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy coupled with thoughtless deregulation, managed to destroy the Montana Power Company and drive our state into an economic burrow pit. With the Republican legislature and governor, we are now on the same road to an economic train wreck. A case in point is Gianforte poised to sign a bill cutting the top tax rates. This bill will cost the state more than $85 million yearly while paying those with the highest incomes an average of more than $3,500 a year while a person earning closer to the minimum wage will get an average of about two bucks a year. Does anyone wonder why Gianforte wanted to be governor so bad? This bill will pay him considerably more than $3,500 yearly.
They are about to pass HB 279 legislation that raises the tax credit for contributing to private schools from $150 to $200,000. The fiscal note for the program will be a hit to our general fund of $8.1 million. This bill takes tax dollars for public schools and gives that money to private schools, many of which are religious. This taking of public tax dollars needed to fund our public schools makes Montana’s children less competitive in job markets and Montana less desirable for businesses to locate here.
In my January 2020 letter, I queried why the Republican administrations repeatedly run our national and state economies into the ditch? The answer is Republicans do not believe in government by the people and for the people. They are more concerned with their wallets than whether or not the government thrives. A case in point is the self-dealing of the present legislature. We have Republican landowners proposing legislation granting ten-packs of out-of-state elk tags for them to sell. While this one may not go, the bill is proposed by Republican Wylie Galt, Speaker of the House, whose family are some of the state’s biggest landowners. How about Representative Galloway of Great Falls who has introduced multiple laws to advantage himself as a landlord to the detriment of his tenants? Another example of delf dealing is the owner of several vaping shops, Representative Marshall’s bill to reduce government control of vaping, a direct attack on the health of Montana children? The foregoing is just a little of the despicable Republican assault upon our state.
In Montana, with Schweitzer, it was cleaning up after Republican governors Racicot and Martz who, through disastrous tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy coupled with thoughtless deregulation, managed to destroy the Montana Power Company and drive our state into an economic burrow pit. With the Republican legislature and governor, we are now on the same road to an economic train wreck. A case in point is Gianforte poised to sign a bill cutting the top tax rates. This bill will cost the state more than $85 million yearly while paying those with the highest incomes an average of more than $3,500 a year while a person earning closer to the minimum wage will get an average of about two bucks a year. Does anyone wonder why Gianforte wanted to be governor so bad? This bill will pay him considerably more than $3,500 yearly.
They are about to pass HB 279 legislation that raises the tax credit for contributing to private schools from $150 to $200,000. The fiscal note for the program will be a hit to our general fund of $8.1 million. This bill takes tax dollars for public schools and gives that money to private schools, many of which are religious. This taking of public tax dollars needed to fund our public schools makes Montana’s children less competitive in job markets and Montana less desirable for businesses to locate here.
In my January 2020 letter, I queried why the Republican administrations repeatedly run our national and state economies into the ditch? The answer is Republicans do not believe in government by the people and for the people. They are more concerned with their wallets than whether or not the government thrives. A case in point is the self-dealing of the present legislature. We have Republican landowners proposing legislation granting ten-packs of out-of-state elk tags for them to sell. While this one may not go, the bill is proposed by Republican Wylie Galt, Speaker of the House, whose family are some of the state’s biggest landowners. How about Representative Galloway of Great Falls who has introduced multiple laws to advantage himself as a landlord to the detriment of his tenants? Another example of delf dealing is the owner of several vaping shops, Representative Marshall’s bill to reduce government control of vaping, a direct attack on the health of Montana children? The foregoing is just a little of the despicable Republican assault upon our state.