Greetings! It is Tuesday, October 3, 2023, and here are the topics on which I am providing commentary:
- Fair Tax Now Rally
- House Republicans Imploding
- Lottery News
FAIR TAX NOW RALLY:
Lee Newspapers reported that nearly 200 people added their voice to the growing clamor over the perceived inaction by the Republican-controlled Legislature on steep property tax hikes at a rally Monday afternoon in the Capitol Rotunda. Organized by Big Sky 55+, a special interest group advocating for Montana seniors, the rally hosted speakers Brian Schweitzer, the former Democratic governor, and Jane Weber, a former Cascade County commissioner who is running as a Democrat for a legislative seat.
In what was probably a carefully crafted email from the Governor’s office to Lee Newspapers, Kaitlin Price, press secretary for Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte, accused Schweitzer of telling “tall tales.” “In fact, Gov. Gianforte and legislators didn’t raise property taxes, but instead, they provided hardworking Montanans with the largest income and property tax rebates in state history, up to $3,850,” she said in an email.
OK, so Democrats want more property tax relief, and the Republicans say they have provided the “largest income and property tax rebates in state history.”
What about more? It would be great if the Montana Legislature which has Republican supermajorities and Republican Governor Greg Gianforte helped lower property taxes even more.
With the possibility in Great Falls of having our property taxes go through the roof if the Public Safety Levy and Bond request pass (I am voting NO on both), any cuts in our taxes from the Legislature would be wonderful.
Then we have Senate Majority Leader Steve Fitzpatrick, R-Great Falls, who I once considered a statesman, but that was before he abandoned his principles and became a MAGA darling. He sent a news release (he did not include The Western Word) Monday saying that he has filed a public records request with the Montana Department of Revenue seeking information about legislative Democrats’ tax rebates.
“Democrats were nearly unanimous in their opposition to giving Montanans property tax relief,” Fitzpatrick said. “Now that the window for claiming the first round of rebates has closed, I’d like to know which Democrats were happy to take a tax cut for themselves while they voted against tax relief for Montanans. I’m sure their constituents would like to know that information as well.”
I guess that is kind of like Steve Daines and Matt Rosendale voting against the bipartisan infrastructure bill in 2021 but taking credit for projects made possible by the $1.2 trillion law.
The bottom line that Fitzpatrick and others don’t seem to understand is that their “constituents” would love to have their taxes lowered even more.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS IMPLODING:
It seems we see this every time the Republicans get the majority in Washington, D.C. The U.S. House is controlled by the Republicans and their leader, Speaker Kevin McCarthy sold his soul to become Speaker of the House.
McCarthy recently made a deal last week with moderates to keep the government running and now the Associated Press (AP) is reporting:
Speaker Kevin McCarthy is facing an extraordinary referendum on his leadership of the House after a conservative member of his own Republican majority, a longtime critic, moved to launch a vote to oust him from the helm.
Late Monday, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., rose in the chamber as the House was almost done for the day to file the motion — a resolution that would set a snap vote in coming days that even Gaetz acknowledged may not have enough support to remove the speaker from the job.
Political junkies may remember that it took McCarthy 15 votes to become Speaker. He made a lot of promises during those 15 votes to finally become Speaker.
LOTTERY NEWS:
The Powerball Lottery jackpot is now $1,200,000,000. That is $1.2 BILLION!! Great googly moogly!
The next drawing is on Wednesday night. More details HERE.
The details for the next Montana Millionaire lottery were released.
According to the Montana Lottery, Montana Millionaire returns on Nov. 1 and this year they are drawing THREE $1,000,000 grand prizes. You can start buying tickets at 5:30 a.m. on November 1. There are other prizes, too.
More details about the Montana Millionaire can be found HERE.
The Western Word 
Well, the rebate bone’s connected to the hurt bone … https://mooreonmontana.com/2023/10/01/knick-knack-paddywhack/
Nice!
What Fitzpatrick et al don’t understand (or more likely know but simply refuse to acknowledge) is that their property tax rebate barely if at all covers the big hike in our tax bill we are about to see due to their inaction on the property tax rate.
I contacted the Cascade County property tax office about the upcoming tax bill. I was given an informal-don’t-quote-me estimate that my bill in late October will be for 25% more than it was last year. That consumes a VERY large portion of my $675. For others with more expensive properties it will consume it all and then some. Then on top of that we have to declare the $675 as “other income” and pay income tax on it when we fill out our 1040’s next Spring.
Handing out a $675 rebate that’s immediately clawed back as taxes just two months later does not constitute tax relief, Senator Fitzpatrick. That’s just a cheap political stunt.