Posted: January 23, 2011 at 3:38 pm

Don’t Worry About the Taxpayer-Funded Lobbyists, They’re Still Making Bank

Montanans are watching as the budgets for public school classrooms and care for the elderly and disabled are slashed even as the state has a $300 million surplus. As the Missoulian reports:

“This is really unnecessary,” said Rep. Trudi Schmidt, D-Great Falls. “It’s too soon to make any drastic cuts. It’s premature. …

“Why this, when we have a balanced budget (proposed by Schweitzer)? It is unbelievable. If you were concerned about the citizens of this state, you wouldn’t be doing this.”

With the total lack of logic going into the GOP’s budget cuts, people are worried–and they should be.

But for those who are looking for something to be hopeful about but also for inspiration, for the knowledge that even if they’re doomed–there are Montanans out there who are totally unaffected by any of the cuts. Take heart. Many a low-income senior will be weeping tears of joy into his can of cat food today, as he learns that yes, lobbyists for the Montana School Boards Association can still find lucrative six-figure salaries denying unemployment benefits to victims of domestic violence right here in Montana. And their funding comes from dues paid to them by local school districts, with your money.

You were probably pretty worried about the Republican lobbyist/ex-school administrator/think-tanking class all going unemployed once the Republicans slashed school budgets–it has been a rough three weeks since the session started. Likely some at the MTSBA had to dip into the strategic gold reserves that they have hoarded in their basements — but you will be happy to know that they’re all going to be fine, just fine.

So go out and tell those worried about kids, seniors, and the disabled to stop being such Debbie Downers.

Posted: January 22, 2011 at 11:10 am

Best Stupid Quotation of the Montana Legislative Session, to Date

The Montana Legislature has not brought us much in terms of wisdom and enlightenment, but so far, it has been…entertaining. Here are some highlighted stupid quotations said during the business of making Montana law. Vote for your favorite or add your own in the comments.

1-Keith Regier – (R-Outer Space) On the floor of the House of Representatives, compares Montana women to cattle when arguing for his bill to have the government decide when to force women to bear children.

“Ranchers refer to cows as either preg-tested or open. Preg-tested cows bring a higher price than open cows.”

Yep, and if you rape a woman you owe her dad 50 pieces of silver. That’s in the Bible. You believe women are property. We get it. You can’t fix stupid.

You can hear Rep. Regier utter these brilliant words to support his backdoor attempt to take away women’s privacy rights during the House Floor Session on 1/20/2011 Listen Watch, and in the House Judiciary committee on 1/11/2011 Listen.

2-Jason Priest (R-Red Lodge)

“I didn’t want to make changes to someone else’s health care without it being the same as mine.”

These impressive words exited Priest’s mouth to explain why he accepted the Cadillac government health care plan for state legislators, even though he is sponsoring bills to undo “health care reform.”

3-Senator Anders Blewett (D-Great Falls), in tears, speaking about Senator Shockley’s resignation as the chair of the Senate Judiciary committee:

“I don’t think anybody who is here is an angel,” said Sen. Anders Blewett, D-Great Falls. “We’re taking on some important public policy. I think that each of us is probably a hypocrite in some way or another. “

Stupid speaks for itself. State Sen. Jim Shockley, ticketed last week for having an open container of alcohol in his car, was correct when he said it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to chair the panel as it dealt with numerous bills to crack down on drunken driving in the state.

4 – Billings Representative Elsie Arntzen wants to wants to extend unemployment benefits for victims of domestic violence to teachers. Nothing stupid there, rather, Artzen’s bill is logical and compassionate. The stupid comes from Bob Vogel, swank lobbyist for the Montana School Board’s Association, which says that allowing teachers the same benefits as others when they are victims of domestic violence:

“isn’t a good idea.”

You know what isn’t a good idea? Believing that the MTSBA are advocates for education.