Wishing

<a href="http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/12/29/news/state/35-budget.txt" >Schweitzer: Budget plan works</a><br />n<br />n<blockquote><a href="http://governor.mt.gov/governor/govbio.asp">Gov. Brian Schweitzer</a> said he thinks his budget proposals, which include double-digit spending increases, are sustainable for future years, contrary to warnings in a new legislative analysis.<br />n<br />nSchweitzer said much of the spending is "one-time" for such things as repairing buildings and fixing a troubled state pensions system.<br />n<br />nThe governor, during an interview Thursday with the Associated Press, responded to a Legislative Fiscal Division analysis that said the budget may set spending levels that can't be maintained.</blockquote><br />n<br />nIf you wish hard enough, I guess it will be true, at least according to <a href="http://governor.mt.gov/governor/govbio.asp">Gov. Brian Schweitzer</a>. Now I'm not an expert on these things but it does seem to stretch the mind a little to think that such large increases in spending are sustainable. Let's see, cut taxes, spend more money, seems like a recipe for trouble to me. <br />n<br />nOne thing mentioned in this article is a pet peeve of mine. The bailing out of the "troubled state pensions system." This pension fund lost money in the 2001 stock market crash and now doesn't have enough money to pay for people's pensions. These people are all government employees. Why if I, as a private citizen, lose money in a stock market crash which I am holding for retirement, am I just shit out of luck and have to accept the loss but the government employees just get to take more of my tax dollars to fix their losses so they have the money they want for retirement? Shouldn't they just have to take their lumps like the rest of us do when the stock market has troubles? Seems only fair to me, but fair doesn't apply to government employees obviously and my money gets used to bail them out instead of being used by me for maybe my retirement fund. Then the government employees wonder why people have a low opinion of them. This might be one of the reasons why.<br />n<br />nHell, as a private citizen and business man if I cut my income and increased my spending hoping to spend my way to wealth it wouldn't work very well. Why does the government think it can? Because that's what the people like and tough decisions aren't required by the politicians. I sure hope it works out for the Governor because if it doesn't, I, and a lot of other people, as a taxpayers will pay for it.<br />n<br />n<strong>I wish my name was Brian because maybe sometimes people would misspell my name and call me Brain. That's like a free compliment and you don't even gotta be smart to notice it. Mitch Hedberg</strong>