Montana

Montana Republicans
by Katy Brown

             Montana is the fourth largest state in terms of size, but ranks 44th in population. According to the 1990 census there were 799,065 people living in the state and in 1996 an estimated 879,372. The state is a two party state, but is controlled by Republicans. There is a Republican governor. The State Senate consists of 50 members, of which 34 are Republicans. The State House has 100 members, of which 65 are Republicans. Montana is your typical western state, large amounts of land with few people living there. There is an average of 6.0 people per square mile. When people register to vote in Montana they do not have a system of party registration. In 1996, there were 650,000 registered voters and in the 1996 election roughly 62% of the voting population turned out.
             Population wise, Montana is a small state. There are no cities in Montana with more than 100,000 people. The most densely populated city in Montana is Billings, which has approximately 81,200 people. Predominantly the people in Montana are white. In 1990, of the 786,690 people that lived in Montana, 741,111 were white. Most people in Montana are educated, with 85.6% having graduated from high school, and 21.9% from college. The main staple of the Montana economy is agriculture. The total Gross State Product (GSP) was $16,862,000,000, with agriculture services coming in first with $970,000,000. Montana is a state that depends on the goods produced on farms around the state; there are currently 22,000 farms in Montana.
             Agriculture is the main staple of the Montanan economy. Though foreign policy in a national issues, the Republican Party of Montana understands that importance on taking a stand on the issues. The party believes that because of instability in Europe the nation must maintain a high level of military competence. The party platform states that political turmoil in throughout world makes it imperative the nation meet the challenge that lies ahead, with emphasis on research and development, armed forces, and improving our defense strategy technology.
             Ideas the party has regarding foreign Policy are: to continue to prevent nuclear proliferation without unilateral disarmament in the Unites States; US military or its resources must never come under United Nations or foreign command, nor should UN or foreign troops be allowed on American soil. The party favors the country's right to defend itself against terrorism. The party feels that there should be stronger control in the transfer of technology that might be used for military purposes in any country that poses a military or political threat to the United States. The party also feels that defense spending is important but that the money should be spent in a manner that is both productive and efficient. However, concerns about cutting the defense budget in a time of political crisis around the world need to be addressed. Instead of cutting the defense budget the party argues that the amount should remain the same. On the issue of troops, the party feels that American troops should only be sent overseas when national security is threatened, and only under the command of the nation's Joint Chief of Staff.
             On the issue of Equality and Opportunity, the party states their "historic commitment to equal rights and equality for every citizen regardless of gender, age, race, national origin, religion, creed or physical impairment." The party encourages citizen participation in all levels of government, especially elected offices. It also supports equal opportunity laws and the elimination of discrimination, including reverse discrimination. It affirms the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all individuals, stating that partial birth abortion if a brutal procedure that denies and individual the right to life. Abortion and equality are linked together because the party believes that every individual whether born or not is endowned with certain rights. It condemns President Clinton's veto on the partial abortion ban, and encourage Congress to override the veto as soon as possible.
             On the issue of education, the party feels that the system should be controlled on the local level. The party feels that the Board of Public Education must be performance oriented, but that the local school board must be given the flexibility to achieve preset state standards. The party feels that the parent should make the ultimate choice on how their child will be educated and oppose any effort to limit academic freedom of choice by state regulation of church, private or home schools. It also feels that competition serves the educational marketplace and strengthens both public and private education, with children benefiting most. It supports educational policy that allows for the education of the child to be the choice of the parent.
             On the issue of health care, the party recognizes the need to have public health care, but also feel there needs to be private health care as well. The party supports the patients' right to choose. It supports the use of nurse practitioner and physicians' assistants under the supervision of qualified physicians. It believes that hospitals should be linked to health care facilities in both large and small communities, should any complications arise. They also believe that physicians should get a tax credit, low-cost equipment loans, and rural care residency programs for family physicians to encourage physicians to settle in rural areas.
             On the issue of welfare, the party feels that feels that administration of the system does belong in the hands of the state. It promote a workfare program where recipients earn their benefits by performing a specific job. It wants limitations for the amount of time that people can receive benefits. Job training should also be available to those people that are on the welfare rolls, so that they will be able to become “self-supporting” citizens.
             Gun control is an issue where the party feels that they do not have the right to regulate. Quoting the Second Amendment to the Constitution that a, "well-regulated militias being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arm shall not be infringed." The party is opposes the confiscation of firearms by regulation or taxation. The party is opposes any system of national registration of firearm owners and their guns, or setting limits to the amount of firearms and ammunitions owned by any citizen. The party also calls for the recalling of the Brady Bill.
             The issue of services to children and youth are a part of the party platform. The party believes that children need to protected. They need to live and learn in an environment that is conducive to their growing into functional members of society. The party is pushing towards social policies and services that preserve and protect the traditional family unit. They support inter-agency planning, collaboration, and coordination to maximize the use of community-based, family-based services tailored to the needs of children. The party feels that more resources must be available so that children that come from abused homes can receive the proper treatment for their individual needs. In addition, the party feels that the juvenile correction should be changed so that judges have the option as to whether the child should be incarcerated in order to make them accountable for their actions.
             On the issue of economic issues and the environment, the party feels that it is imperative to reduce government to achieve a balanced budget, and to protect our remaining natural resources. A balanced budget must be achieved not by raising general taxes, but with less government spending. The party also feels that they need to make economic policies that produce an environment that creates more jobs and encourages private enterprises. "A favorable economic climate will provide the needed opportunities for our young people to stay in Montana." In Montana, the Republican Party believes that their economy and the environment go hand-in-hand, since the economy is based largely on agriculture. The party feels that in order to Montana to prosper that their agricultural producers must prosper as well. They support economically sound recycling. They support informed natural resource decision-making policy based on scientific proof. They oppose policy that is based on misinformation and scare tactics.
             The Republican party of Montana is a party that believes in less government intervention so that local governments will have the power to make the decisions within the state. The Republican party believes in the fundamentals of the Constitution. It believes that national government should reduce its spending but not at the expense of the states. It believes that all people should be treated equally regardless of the race, creed or color. The rules for the Republican party of Montana they state that they are Republican because they believe, "...the Republican Party is the best vehicle for translating these ideas into positive and successful principles of government."