With the first vote of the session, the Tea Party membership has been betrayed by the Helena Republican establishment. Tea Party members expected the new Legislature to fix the budget by cutting “government waste,” and repealing Health Care reform.  Instead, Republicans started the session by making their first vote one to increase their own benefit package and increase their own budgets by some 30% with House Bill 1 that pays for the Legislature–while making cuts in committees to programs that benefit the rest of Montana.

Democrats in the legislature say it is wrong for the controlling party to increase funding for legislative benefits while the GOP started cutting state programs for the disabled and elderly.  All Democrats voted against the R’s Cadillac legislative health insurance and benefits package and legislative budget increase.

And Governor Schweitzer also pointed out that it’s wrong for conservative Republicans who promised to cut government to then take taxpayer funds up to $1,000 for new personal laptop computers they get to keep.  The cuts to programs that serve the elderly and Montanans with disabilities were unnecessary because the funds that were budgeted for these services are available in Schweitzer’s without increasing taxes–even with the tax cuts Schweitzer is proposing.

Republicans are going to disappoint the Tea Party members again and again, no question.   What will Tea Party members do then?