Issue Position: Jobs and the Economy

Issue Position

Taking down the barriers to good paying jobs

Modernizing Montana's economy; creating high-wage jobs in our state; encouraging investment and innovation by Montanans--these are the goals of every politician, but with big differences in what they mean.

The underlying cause of so many of our problems--education funding, low-wages, budget shortfalls, etc.--is Montana's under-developed economy. We have our bright spots, but for every example of an area of economic success, we have other areas that lag behind. It shouldn't be this way. Montana has the potential to be an economic powerhouse. I believe the chief job of government is to remove the barriers that hold up progress and growth.

Every politician of both political parties says they want to bring more jobs to our state. Let me be clear about what I mean when I say I'm going pull down the obstacles that are holding us back:

Cutting taxes. A state's tax structure is one of the first things that business look at when determining a place for new investment. It's one of the built-in overhead costs. The more Montanans pay in taxes, the less money is circulating in our economy. We can make Montana a better place to do business by reducing the tax burden on everyone.

Priority Budgeting. The capital available for investment is directly related to the size of state government. The more government we pay for, the fewer resources the private sector has. No doubt, there are certain functions that government must provide for, like a first-class education and a reliable transportation infrastructure. However, for too long our state budget has given too much to special interests that have no interest in improving Montana's economy.

Improving private property rights. The right to use our private property has been slowly deteriorating. As our property rights diminish, so too does our ability to earn a living from that property. With every new regulation we place on property owners, we take away economic opportunity.

Benefiting from Montana's natural resource wealth. Montana has the potential to provide the energy needs of the nation, but so far we've fallen short. We have the potential to create new jobs in mining, timber, and agriculture; but over-regulation and over-zealous litigation has held that potential back. We have countless job opportunities stemming from our natural resources, and our economic future depends on being able to see them to fruition

Putting Montana first. An over-reaching federal government has created obligations for our state that Montanans don't want and cannot afford. It's time we had a government that stood up to the feds and told them to stop meddling in Montana business.

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