I cannot see funding an elitist group that does not make wealth, but is funded by taxpayers with no control over how that money is spent. I think we need to return the University System to taxpayer control, so that administration is paid a fair wage, not a wage that makes them the elite of Montana. They would like to return Montana to wilderness. When I came to Montana 30 years ago, there were happily employed people mining, cutting timber and working the land. Now we're trying to turn the state into a wildlife refuge for international enjoyment, and the good paying jobs are gone.
Nobody loses their small farms or businesses.
We need an appropriate level of taxation and a good tax base. People at the dot-coms in California have to drive four hours just to get to the Sierra's for recreation, I think we really have something to offer. We need a partnership between the public and private sector. The surplus doesn't look like it's going to be there, and it might not come back. We need to bring in new technology, and help businesses that are here to bring in modern technology.