Dragging feet on coal mining

The Montana Democratic Party likes to portray the Republican Party as scrooges, taking food and medicines out of the mouths of babes, and slashing funding for schools and social services.

As a former teacher, as well as a close observer of mental health, I have found the legislature to be pretty generous in both areas. If the Republican legislature hadn't cut business and income taxes in the 1990s, encouraging investment and business expansion and thus increasing revenues, the 2007 Legislature wouldn't have had the surplus to spend.

If the Democrats are really serious about money for schools, then they should get the Democrat-controlled State Land Board to quit dragging its feet on coal development in the Otter Creek deposits (school trust lands).

Wyoming produced 446,742 short tons of coal last year; Montana produced 41,823 short tons. Wyoming uses its coal money to give free college tuition to all Wyoming high school graduates and replace old school facilities.

The Montana Democratic Party would rather raise taxes. The governor, the attorney general, the secretary of state, the auditor and the superintendent of public instruction make up the land board, all Democrats except for Secretary of State Brad Johnson. Our current governor has talked the coal talk, but he hasn't walked the walk.

Mitzi Anderson

Whitefish