Among Other Things: Shearing hogs: Lot of noise, no wool

I’m sure the 2007 legislative session enacted some beneficial measures, but I’m disappointed that it failed to come to grips with the major budget items. From the start, the ingredients were there for a very difficult session — a virtually equally divided House and Senate and a billion dollar surplus.

A looming deficit probably would have been easier to deal with than a billion buck surplus. The situation would have brought out more statesmanlike conduct and recognition of a common problem to be solved.

The surplus though, was too big a temptation. Everyone wanted a share of the pie, ranging from funding for more projects to tax cuts. And no one was willing to bend.

It was like shearing hogs — a lot of noise but no wool.

Now legislators must go back for a special session to grapple with the same major budget issues, perhaps with better results. The first go ‘round actually ended up with a tax increase when you realize that a special session will cost taxpayers $38,000 a day — if called within a few days. If delayed very long, the daily cost will be more.

Some school boards — Polson’s included — found it impossible to determine how much state assistance schools would receive. Thus, board members had to call for special levies to meet operational expenses. Special levies, of course, fall on the shoulders of local taxpayers. If levies should fail, school trustees would be faced with painful decisions of cutting staff, programs, maintenance, etc.

Hopefully, the senators and representatives will go back to Helena, quit the political posturing, deal only with major budget issues, and go home. Pronto.