Schweitzer speaks to Lakeside-Somers Chamber

Last Tuesday, West Shore residents and business people filed into the Vista Linda restaurant in Somers for a chance to hear a different kind of speaker than is usually recruited by the Lakeside-Somers Chamber of Commerce for their month meetings - the Governor.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer made his address early, at 11 a.m., due to plans to attend the funeral of Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Mike Haynes, who was died of injuries sustained in a March 23 traffic accident.

Schweitzer delivered an emotional introduction that related the story of his Irish grandmother, Hannah Friel, who came to the United States illegally as a 17-year-old girl and nearly starved to death in New York. Freil traveled to Eastern Montana in a railroad boxcar to homestead in Chester and proved up on 320 acres while living in a sod house.

Schweitzer referred to recent talks by those in Washington D.C. who would like to send Hispanics who are living in the United States illegally back to their own country, adding that, "Onethose same lines, you would send the governor of Montana back to Ireland.

"If you think about who your ancestors are in this country, you might just arrive at the same conclusion that I have," Schweitzer said.

On the economy, Schweitzer said, "Montana's economy, as a whole, is one of the best in the country. While most states' economies are down 15-20 percent, Montana actually has a surplus."

Schweitzer said the reason for Montana's $545 million surplus is that he has forced the state's legislature to put money aside.

The Governor said that, while he has agreed to increase the state's budget allowance for K-12 schools by 3 percent and another 6 percent for higher education, Montana's universities will have to learn to live within their means. Schweitzer said he wants to cap tuition and noted that a hike in tuition should not be necessary since the cost of everything from building supplies to fuel has dropped substantially.

Next, Schweitzer addressed the issue of whether or not the state should accept and use federal stimulus dollars. He noted that federal stimulus money is one-time money to be used for one-time projects and referred to it as "stabilization money." He stressed that Montana's portion of the money represents just 5 percent of the federal dollars that come into the state during an eight-year period.

Schweitzer said that if Montana does not accept the money, the amount would be given to other states that will accept and use it. He stressed that since the money is going to be spent with or without Montana, there are plenty of worthy projects in the state that the money can be put toward.

About $16 million of the $45 million necessary to build the south part of the future bypass on U.S. Highway 93, he noted, will come directly out of the stimulus dollars.

"I'm not going to let legislators use this money to plug it into ongoing projects," Schweitzer said. "If they're not going to use this money for one-time projects, then they're not going to get it."

The Governor said he still has confidence in the economy and the ability of the U.S. dollar to bounce back, noting that the dollar has gone up over every other currency in the world except one.

"That tells me they have more confidence in the U.S. than they do in anyone else," Schweitzer said. "They think that we'll come out of this recession before anyone does. The whole world looks to America for leadership, and they're still looking to us today."

The Governor also called for a new energy system that will allow the United States to be self-sufficient. By simply producing and using hybrid cars, capable of storing enough energy for the first 40 miles of travel before the vehicle begins using gas, Schweitzer said the nation could end all dependance of foreign oil.

"We have an infinite capacity to produce electricity in this country," he said. "It's clean, it's green and it's efficient."

He then referred to Montana's reserves of coal and methane gas, which along with wind, hydroelectric and other energy sources, Schweitzer said make Montana the most important energy location on the planet.

"Montana has enough fuel to power the entire country for 50 years," he said. "But that's not enough. If we don't develop this new energy system, I can promise you that this next generation will be in a war over oil."

On that note, Schweitzer said only 18 percent of the oil used in the United States is produced in the Middle East. And, since we have historically sent our troops to places that we have a strategic interest in, he stressed that we have no reason to be in the Afghanistan.

"The only target left in Afghanistan is us," Schweitzer said. "I've been over there and, trust me, you can't bomb them into the Stone Age. They're already in the Stone Age."

Schweitzer said that if he has the opportunity to talk to President Obama, he intends to tell him, "You don't need this to be your Viet Naam. Get our people out of there."