- MPI Investigates: Michael's been hard at work on stories that the mainstream media is ignoring or too busy to cover.   

 

  - Montana Watchdog: Phil Drake, our new reporter in Helena is on the ground and running.  We'll be unveiling his Montana Watchdog web site soon.  In the meantime, Phil's reporting will appear on the MPI's pages along with Michael's, as well as in media outlets throughout the state.

 

  - Health Care Reform: Check out the latest bill status and free market approach information at our continuously updated health care reform resource page.  Remember, this is about freedom, not health care.  But we have to fight on the battleground they've given us so stay informed.  Thursday's summit in D.C. did a great job of showing people that there are alternatives to government-run health care out there, so we need to make sure a bad plan isn't rammed through the system.

 

  - Global Warming Resources Page: Much like our health care resources page, we're tracking and linking to the best information out there to keep you informed about topics and developments that will shape the course of future energy policy and Montana's energy potential.  This is another issue that the pundits say is dead but just keeps raising its ugly head.  You need to stay in front of it, and we'll help.

 

  - Budget Review: Montana's budget is going from a large surplus to a potential deficit for 2011.  How does that happen? Some people say we're not collecting enough revenue, but we say the state's spending too much.  That should be the mantra for all of us: It's not a revenue problem, it's a spending problem.  So to help people make that argument we've got a study in the works that will clearly lay out how spending has increased over the past decade or so in a way that was clearly unsustainable over the long term.

 

  

- Property Rights Forum: MPI, along with PERC hosted a property rights forum in Bozeman on February 18th.  We had national experts to provide broad perspectives on property rights, including CATO's Randal O'Toole, PERC's Terry Anderson, and environmental expert Steven Hayward, as well as a range of Montana experts from academia, state and local government, and business to talk about threats to our rights and how to protect them.  Nearly 230 people showed up to learn and to express their concerns about this most fundamental of rights.  You can see what we did, including videos of all three keynote presentations here. 

 

  - Cap and Trade: MPI's Cap and Trade study was released on February 11th and got some great media attention.  This study outlines the costs to Montana jobs, incomes, production, and state revenues if a Waxman/Markey type of bill were to pass.  "Green" policies do have a price, and it's important that we inform that side of the debate.