First up for Legislature: the budget surplus

January 3, 2007 in 2007 Montana Legislature

by Jay Stevens 

It ain’t glamorous stuff, the opening salvos of the 2007 legislative session: what to do with the state surplus. Basically, it boils down to this: Schweitzer and the Democrats want to spend it on agencies who were damaged by years of Republican rule, and the Republicans want to…well…obstruct and complain about spending.

Wayward spending is, of course, a problem. On the other hand, underfunding education, prisons, and other vital state services is also a problem. The Governor’s budget director, David Ewer, met with legislators to lay out Schweitzer’s intentions:

Ewer said he’ll emphasize that the $7.7 billion, two-year budget is investing in the “three basics of state government” – public education, public safety and public health – as well as offering tax relief and fiscal responsibility.

That’s Democratic rule for you folks, increased funding of vital areas of government while still producing a budget surplus.

Still, I admit that it’s a good thing that there’s a legislative check on all the spending proposals the Governor will make. Republicans should have a say in what our state budget will look like. That’s not a bad thing – unless the Sideshow Scott Sales dog & pony show turns the whole negotiating process into a circus. Which might just happen.

In the end, because the Senate basically has the final say over the composition of the budget – and the Senate is controlled by Democrats – the Governor and his lefty allies will ultimately shape spending and taxation for the next two years. That’s a good thing.