Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer deserves a lot of credit for a state budget that is clinging to the black amid the worst recession in a generation. As a Democrat, he is considered a fiscal conservative, which is rare for his party. But as he becomes increasingly attractive to the national press that continues to feature our state as an example of fiscal prudence, he could do more to recognize the roles of many of his colleagues in government and explain how, exactly, we actually got into this position, with $402 million in the bank.
In a recent interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” show, Schweitzer said this:
“I wasn’t elected to anything before I was elected to governor. So I had to learn real fast. There is an infinite number of good ideas. They all cost some money. A finite amount of money. So I thought of 101 ways to say ‘no’ nicely. That’s the way to keep money in the bank.
“Every legislator comes to town and they want to get reelected by a new bike path or new roof in their own community. When times are good, you have money for those sort of things.”
Our lawmakers have their own set of priorities, but clamoring for pet projects doesn’t top the list. Divisions between the parties at the state Legislature are deepest when it comes to welfare programs, natural resources and tax policy, to name a few – all far more important to Montana’s bottom line than these alleged pork barrel projects.
In fact, following the 2009 Legislative session, the governor largely agreed with the Legislature’s spending plan and praised them for “passing a fiscally prudent budget through which Montana will live within its means.”
Schweitzer did slash $4.5 million in the stimulus spending plan, House Bill 645, including monies allotted to the Montana Meth Project and state agricultural experiment stations. But he didn’t make any changes to the main state budget, House Bill 2.
State lawmakers worked hard to rein in state spending. And, since the Legislature was about evenly split, the parties knocked off many of each other’s bills before they reached the governor’s desk. Despite that, it was a mostly cordial session and ended with the Democrats securing funding for the full expansion of the voter-approved Children’s Health Insurance Program in exchange for spending cuts sought by Republicans.
Since the budget passed, and the state economy has worsened and the state coffers have shrunk, Schweitzer has proposed various spending cuts to a number of government agencies. He deserves credit for that. And, to be sure, he is getting most of it.
Appearing in April on Fox News, host Neil Cavuto opened the segment this way:
“Surplus? So what? Instead of spending all the state’s extra cash, the governor of Montana is asking constituents for more ways to save it. Over 1,000 ideas so far floating in. Is a fresh set of eyes exactly what the government needs to find new ways to cut costs on a federal level?”
Schweitzer went on to tout the Montana Accountability Project, a contest that asked residents to submit their best ideas for saving state money. The New York Times ran with the story. The Wall Street Journal editorial board went further in praising the governor’s budget management, writing, “it’s too bad he’s not running for Congress.”
What gets far less attention is a state Legislature that provided the governor with a pretty solid foundation and the government agencies that have been asked to cut 5 percent of their respective budgets. Plus, a good part of that $402 million surplus is an $86 million bonus payment the state received after the Land Board’s decision to lease Otter Creek coal tracts to mining giant Arch Coal, Inc.
Schweitzer sits on the Land Board, so he deserves some credit for that, too. But while getting it, he could point out that our state government is made up of more than one man.