| The issue is how can the state of Montana bailout a private company? This isn't a job's bill; it's a corporate bailout, a pork laden earmark on the backs of a voter approved initiative to fund children's healthy insurance. There are many questions to this issue and one is - what is the long time relationship between Dean Swank and Greg Barkus and is there a personal conflict of interest related to the use of public funds for a private corporate bailout? This is unprecedented in Montana. Is Dean Swank a client of Greg Barkus at DA Davidson? These are the questions being asked by new party chairman Mark Holston to the Senate Rules Committee in a recently filed request for an ethics probe. We know that Swank Enterprises has given over $25k to the MT GOP over the years (see related article "Swank Big Donor Big Bailout"), nice return on their investment.
Here's the initial story as printed in The Missoulian http://www.missoulian.com/arti...
What is most disturbing is in a letter to the editor in the Daily Interlake on March 9th, State Senator Barkus while claiming his distress to find the additional funding for the Healthy Montana Kids Initiative he threatens that we will need to cut from meals on wheels, schools and universities or programs for the disabled. He goes on to say that Montanan's "don't want us to add a new expensive program that will require direct cuts in existing projects".
In fact what happened was the Senate Finance and Claims committee received a balanced budget from the House Appropriations committee, including fully funding the Healthy Montana Kids Initiative as the voters approved it, and then cut it up for their own pet projects.
House Republican Floor Leader says stand firm on Barkus "Pork-laden earmarks."
From The Missoulian:
Leading Republicans in the House, however, think the Senate version spends too much. The House Republican floor leader told his caucus to stand firm against "pork-laden earmarks." Scott Mendenhall says he doesn't like what fellow Republicans in the Senate did to give a Kalispell construction company $600,000 for pollution cleanup.
Here's more on Scott Mendenhall' comments, (a Republican from Clancy) in The Missoulian -http://missoulian.com/articles/2009/04/16/bnews/br75.txt
And here's more on the earmarks by the Senate Finance and Claims committee
http://missoulian.com/articles...
So folks what are you going to do about it???
Please, call the conference committee now and let them hear loud and clear -
"I voted for Healthy Montana Kids and children's health insurance, please pass the budget as approved by the House Appropriations committee and cut out the earmarks and pork approved by the Senate"
Here is a message to help you follow up with that we received by Montana Women vote:
We signed, we voted, we called, we rallied, and we wrote in support of the Healthy Montana Kids Plan.
It is the 87th day of the Montana Legislative Session, and there is a lot at stake in these final days. Healthy Kids funding, as well as education funding and other programs that will help Montanans make it through these hard economic times, hang in the balance.
House Democrats, with the help of Rep. Bill Glaser (R- Huntley), took a stand this morning against the dangerous cuts that Republican Senators have made to the budget. Read about it here.
Make one more call today! Leave a message for the Conference Committee on HB 2 that tells them the budget must include full funding for Healthy Kids.
Take one minute (really that is all it takes) to call 406-444-4800 and leave a message for the entire Conference committee on House Bill 2.
Tell them to fully fund Healthy Montana Kids as it was passed by voters!
Members of the HB 2 Conference Committee:
Rep. Jon Sesso (D- Butte)
Rep. Cynthia Hiner (D- Deer Lodge)
Rep. Ray Hawk (R- Florence)
Rep. Llew Jones (R- Conrad)
Sen. Keith Bales (R- Otter)
Sen. Dave Lewis (R- Helena)
Sen. Trudi Schmidt (D- Great Falls)
If you have an extra minute please consider sending messages of support to key members of House Leadership thanking them for taking a stand for a just budget.
• Speaker Bob Bergren (D - Havre) bergren@bobbergren.com
• Speaker Pro Tempore Franke Wilmer (D- Bozeman) franke.wilmer@gmail.com
• Majority Floor Leader Margaret Campbell (D-Poplar) mcampbell@fpcc.edu
• Majority Caucus Leader Mike Phillips (D - Bozeman) mikephillips@montana.net
Thank you for your continued support and for taking this one last important action. Voters like you who speak out are what keep this issue alive.
*** This update is brought to you from MWV's member organization the MT Human Right Network ( slightly edited by The Flathead Democrats)
p.s. view this news clip of the last Healthy MT Kids Rally last week including Montana Women Vote's kid's lemonade stands "raising $ for health care" |
