KRTV

Posted: Mar 4, 2010 11:08 AM
Updated: Mar 4, 2010 11:15 AM

A group of Tea Party organizations rallied on the front lawn of the state capitol building in Helena on Wednesday, calling on lawmakers to be more fiscally responsible or face the wrath of voters.

The rally took place on the same day many lawmakers returned to Helena for a training day on the state budget. 

Governor Brian Schweitzer has proposed cutting $40.5 million to balance a budget shortfall.

Carl Graham, president of the Bozeman-based think tank Montana Policy Institute, told the audience not to believe bureaucrats who claim there is not enough money coming in.  "It's a bunch of hooey," he said. "We do not have a revenue problem in this state. We have a spending problem, and it's out of control."

One member of the Big Sky Tea Party used a chainsaw to cut into a tree representing Montana's spending plan.

A man from Bozeman said the Tea Party movement is not limited to a single party.  "There are plenty of disaffected Democrats who are joining our ranks," said Henry Kriegel.  "Find your place in this movement."

At the same time as the Tea Party was rallying, some members of the Montana Legislature were also congregating in Helena to participate in some budget training.

The Council of State Governments discussed how the federal legislative agenda is impacting jobs and state deficits.

The Council says the federal stimulus program saved an estimated two million jobs across the US, but even with that, most states are losing  jobs.

Chris Whatley, the Washington director of the Council of State Governments, noted, "There is good news for Montana, you are lucky to...be blessed with some entrepreneurs who are working in the right sectors and to have made some good public investments that predate the stimulus (and) that predate the jobs discussion that Senator Baucus is leading on the floor of the Senate this week. But that set you up well relative to other states around the country who are struggling with these same challenges."

Whatley added the three most promising job sectors are in energy efficiency, research, and exports.

He said Montana is out-pacing the rest of the nation with an 18% rise in exports in 2008.