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MPI Monthly UpdateJuly, 2010
From the President's Desk...
 
Dear Friend of Freedom,
  
  Let me tell you about the Graham dogs.  One is a border collie mix named Jack.  We don't know what breed he's mixed with, but we're pretty sure it's fat.
  Our other dog is a golden retreiver named Tyson.  For those of you who don't know, everyone who moves to Bozeman is issued a Subaru and either a lab, a border collie, or a golden upon arrival. Our original issue goldens are waiting for us in the big bark park in the sky, so Jack and Tyson now keep us in compliance with local ordinances.  And yes, we also have an Outback.
  We like the collie/golden combination because they're so reflective of Bozeman and Montana in general.  Both are happy, friendly rejects from somewhere else; as were my forebears and those of many other Montanans. But that's about where the similarity between them ends.
  Jack came home with us from the local shelter and immediately started looking for a job so he didn't need to be around us all time. It turns out most jobs he finds involve eating something, but that's beside the point. He'll take attention if you're handing it out, but he's perfectly happy wandering off and doing his own thing. He won't fetch but he will herd everything from chipmunks to nieces.  He wants to earn his keep but other than that to pretty much be left alone.
  Tyson is a loveable lunk who wants to be underfoot all the time and expects the world to come to him. Needless to say he's from Missoula. We adopted him from a family with a new baby who, wisely in my mind, did not see their new addition competing well with a sixty pound neurotic furball in the coming carpet wars.
  We love both our dogs and they both give us much to love. But we also recognize that Jack is more concerned with his own happiness than ours, while Tyson pretty much assumes we can't be happy if he's not; so he'll take everything we've got for our own good.
  And isn't that a lesson worth learning from our mutts? Some want to be pretty much left alone to be responsible for their own happiness and fulfillment, which is fine so long as they stay off the couch; while others assume they know what's good for everyone and the unenlightened among us should just shut up and do what they say.  
  One is governed by rules saying what they can't do, and everything else is on the table. The other wants rules that say what you will do, and nothing else is allowed.
  I'm not saying we shouldn't have golden retreivers. Vive le difference and all that.  I'm just saying they shouldn't be in charge.
 
In Freedom,
Carl Graham
Major Project Updates
 
 - MPI's Summer Intern: This isn't really a project, but we want to make sure to thank our summer intern and Belgrade local Karissa Woienski before she heads off to China and then back to the U. of Chicago for her second year.  Karissa came to us through the very selective State Policy Network/Institute for Humane Studies summer scholarship program, and she's been a great help this summer.  Hopefully, she got something out of all that envelope stuffing, report writing, and dog sitting so she'll come back next year.
 
 - Public Transit: We released our public transit study in mid-July and it certainly got some attention! The study demonstrates that top-down imposed public transit in Montana is more costly and does more environmental damage than alternatives that might be available if subsidy dollars didn't come with so many strings.  What works in Chicago doesn't necessarily work here.  Our study is here (1.4mb pdf).  A Montana-wide guest op ed received wide coverage, and we had city-specific op ed's published in the Gazette, Missoulian, Tribune, and Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Most comments were the usual ad hominem attacks. A civil rebuttal is here. Needless to say we stand by our analysis.
 
 - Health Care Reform: We're continuing to update our health care reform resource page with analyses of the bill and news about initiatives across the country to oppose it.  This bill must be repealed and replaced before it begins to create a new dependent class starting in 2014!  There are parts to keep and better reforms to put in place, but this one has to go.
 
- Global Warming Resources Page: Cap-and-Trade is back with a newly named but same old cap and tax Kerry-Lieberman bill in the Senate.  It's not moving right now, but it's still alive. In addition, the Western Climate Initiative, a regional cap and tax scheme, has been resuscitated. We did an analysis awhile back and found it the same old song and dance.  We're also keeping you up to date with both the science and policy that will shape the course of future energy policy and Montana's energy potential. 
 
  - Montana Watchdog: Get the latest news beyond the newspaper from our two full time investigative reporters.  We know we're on the right track because the state's legacy media is stealing our stories.  You can also get more perspective and analysis from the blog and Twitter feeds. 
 
  -  Legislators' Forum: Mark your calendar for our second Legislators' Forum on November 16th.  We've already booked speakers on health care reform, budget reform, tax reform, property rights. We'll also roll out our own studies on state spending, performance-based budgeting, and specific ideas on where to cut the budget without harming funding for legitimate state government functions.  You can find a draft agenda, sponsorship opportunities, and registration information here.
Latest Posts
 
MPI Investigates: 
 
Go to www.MontanaWatchdog.org for the latest stories and investigative reports, including looks at employee compensation, land use, FWP land buys, and much more. 
 
 
MPI Guest Editorials
  
See all of our Op Ed's here. 
 
 MPI Blogs   

The War on Small Business

 So we've got financial reform now.  Boy we really stuck it to those big banks.  Never mind that they were lobbying in favor of the bill that passed and gave tens of millions of dollars to the politicians who supported it.  I'm sure we're sticking it to them.
 
The Power of an Idea
 
I was recently asked by a national organization to address our founding as part of a project they're doing on perspectives from around the country.  It seems like a good idea so thought I'd share my response. 
Read More...

Even GE CEO Gets the Cost of Overregulation

 According to an article in the Financial Times, GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt said, among other things, the following:
 
"We are a pathetic exporter...We have to become an industrial powerhouse again but you don't do this when government and entrepreneurs are not in synch."
 
GE itself, as one of the country's foremost rent seekers at the Global Warming subsidy trough, immediately disclaimed any and all association to Immelt's remarks.  
 
Read More...  
 
See all of our blogs here.
 
Policy Meets World 
 
Nick's found some great videos with common sense takes on current events here. If this page isn't a part of your weekly routine for humor with a message, you're really missing out on some classic entertainment and information. 
In This Issue
From the President
Project Updates
Latest Posts
About MPI
MPI on the Web
 
 
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Upcoming Events
 
August 20: Glacier Pachyderm, Kalispell
 
November 16: Legislators' Forum, Helena.
 
See our Google Calendar here for details and more events..
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About MPI
   The Montana Policy Institute (MPI) is a free market think tank focused on Montana issues.  We provide credible nonpartisan expertise and analysis to help Montanans advocate for policies that are based on a respect for freedom, an expectation of responsibility, and the idea that government intervention should be the last rather than first resort when addressing public policy challenges.
 To find out more, visit us at:
www.montanapolicy.org
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