The plans for the economy is a subject which needs to be handled as a cross spectrum situation. There are many things that effect our economy which need to all be addressed. I promote our economy on this premise. To start with we have to drive home the point that government can not create jobs. It can only create an atmosphere which allows for individuals to do so. The true base to build Montanas economy does not come from outside corp. influence. Our economy will only grow when we create Montana based businesses by Montanans. Cutting business taxes for Montanans who are currently in business or want to start one is a must. Getting rid of the maze of specialty licenses, requirements and over regulation is also a must. My plan includes these steps. I also promote the growth of co-ops. These organizations assist people in purchasing items for personal/business use at a lower cost, and gives a means for small producers to combine products for better market introduction. I also push hard for a more value added aspect to our production and marketing methods. It makes no sense at all to export raw products then import finished goods from these products back into the state. Let's create the finished products here at home, this will lower our cost as consumers within the state and give us a better return on what we ship out of state thus boosting the states economy. I am also pushing the hemp market (which is legal in MT). With putting just 1% of our agricultural lands under hemp we would boost the state economy well over $100 million dollars a year off just raw material and oil alone. Finished goods from this product would grow the economy many times over. It would also enrich our soil for other crops on a rotating basis, help purify the air better and clean up surface water which seaps into our water table. It is pest resistant and can be grown chemical free, thus being even better for our environment and creating a better profit margin than traditional crops with less cost to the farmer and less impact on the environment. I also promote better harvesting of our natural resources. This is one area Montana is in a prime spot to capitalize on. Better management of our wooded areas would boost our timber businesses, clean up large areas of bad lands, and cut our expenses on battling wild fires. This act alone would also help with air and water quality, and less medical bills to Montanans as a result of smoke issues related to wild fires. Insurance cost would come down as property would not be as threatened. All these things would free up money resources for Montana citizens which they would by human nature spend elsewhere on goods and services which would actually increase our economy vs draining it of funds or costing the state hough sums of money to combat. One area the state could help in a direct manner to boost the economy which does happen to be the responsibility of the state is with our infrastructure. Better flow of goods and services from a sound and sufficient infrastructure, (roads, power, water, communication), increases our ability to do business and have lower cost means of getting goods from production spots to market. There are areas within our current agricultural industry that we need to expand in which would also pick up our economy. The layout I have given here would grow the Montana economy and create good paying jobs across the state, virtually eliminating unemployment issues for our citizens. |



