Page 27 - Flathead Beacon // 12.25.13

FLATHEADBEACON.COM NEWS
DECEMBER 25, 2013 | 27

The Roundup
Hello Montana.

From Beacon wire and news services
Meet

Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and Democratic
FLATHEAD
Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state.

Like the White House, Republicans
BIPARTISAN BUDGET DEAL were cautious in predicting whether Freebord
CLEARS CONGRESS, RESTORES Washington’s brush with regular order
CUTS TO GLACIER PARK
was a preview of things to come in 2014.
*
There were no champagne corks “I don’t know how to read into it in
popping at the White House after Con- terms of what compromise opportu-
gress passed a two-year budget deal, no nities lay ahead,” said Brendan Buck,

declarations of a new era of cooperation a spokesman for House Speaker John
in President Barack Obama’s second Boehner, R-Ohio. “What I think it does
term.
do is clear the deck of some potentially
Instead, the modest agreement that contentious issues and give everyone s
passed last week served as a stark year- space to do the normal legislating and t
end reminder of how low expectations governing.”
r
for Washington sank in 2013, particu- It’s the shadow of the debt ceiling o
larly for a president who hoped his re- perhaps more than anything else that t
p
aS
sounding re-election would clear the has both parties wary of celebrating
way for progress on immigration, the their end-of-the-year budget compro- ye
long-term debt and tax reform.
mise. A debt limit standof between Re- elr
There was a silver-lining for Glacier publicans and the White House brought u
National Park, however, as the deal re- the country to the brink of a default in v
stores National Park Service funding for October, and both sides are lining up be- sint
the next two years to 2012 levels, eras- hind their same hard line positions once The skateboard for u
e
ing the 5 percent cut it saw in 2013. If a again.
snowboarders.
clv
budget deal hadn’t happened, national xd
parks like Glacier National Park might FLATHEAD’S JOBLESS RATE EA
have seen an additional 3 percent cut on TICKS UP, MONTANA’S STEADY
top of that.
Flathead County’s unemployment e a
The 5 percent cut last year resulted rate ticked up in November to 7.3 per- l
in a $683,000 reduction to Glacier Park’s cent, according to the Montana Depart- bn
$13.2 million base budget.
ment of Labor and Industry.
aa
lt
The president’s advisers say they’re The non-seasonally adjusted jobless m
in
still searching for the larger meaning rate increased from 6.6 percent in Octo- oao
in the bipartisan budget deal, if there ber. Flathead’s rate was the eighth high- cvM
is one at all. At best, it could provide an est in the state. Lincoln County had the d.A
opening for making progress next year highest unemployment rate at 13.5 per- r*
on Obama’s stalled legislative agenda. It cent. Eastern Montana’s Fallon County bo
also could be a political play by Republi- had the lowest at 1.5 percent.
e
cans to keep the focus on the disastrous Meanwhile, Montana’s unemploy- e
fr
rollout of Obama’s health care law and ment rate held steady at 5.2 percent in w.
avoid another partial government shut- November. The state’s rate has declined w
down like the one in October that tanked by half a percent over the last year. The w
the party’s approval ratings.
national unemployment rate remains
Or it could simply be an isolated higher than Montana’s rate at 7.0 per-
move by lawmakers eager to head for the cent in November, down 0.3 percentage
exits after a year that was perhaps even points from the prior month.

more dismal for Congress than for the “Montana’s economy continues to
president.
perform better than the rest of the na-
The president’s press secretary, Jay tion, steadily adding jobs for our work-
Carney, said administration oicials ers,” Governor Steve Bullock said.
were “not getting overexcited because “Strong retail sales during this holiday
we’re not naive about the obstruction season will help our economy gain mo-
that continues to exist and the partisan- mentum for the next year.”
ship that tends more often than not to “Retailers hired more workers this
439 Electric Avenue
paralyze Washington and Congress.”
holiday season than in prior years, which
Nine Republicans joined the Senate’s suggests greater conidence in our stron- Bigfork, MT 59911
Democrats in passing the budget deal ger economy,” said Labor Commissioner 406-837-3232
Wednesday and sending it to the White Pam Bucy.
House for Obama’s signature. The GOP- Total employment, which includes
led House approved the measure a week payroll employment plus agricultural
ago. The agreement is aimed at prevent- and self-employed workers, added 856

ing another government shutdown for jobs in November. Although employ- mtadventuresports.com
nearly two more years and eases the ment continues to expand in Montana
harshest efects of automatic budget during 2013, the job growth rate of 0.4 Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm Sunday 11am-4pm
cuts — known as the sequester — on the percent this year is slower than the
Pentagon and other domestic agencies. above-average job growth of 2.2 percent
The pact was crafted by Republican Rep.
during 2012.
Sales, Rentals, Repairs & Coffee

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