How Montana balances the budget (credit, taxes, military)

[geos]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/19/op...me&ref=general

For six years it has been one of the only states in America with a budget surplus: this year it is a record $433 million, proportionally equivalent to a federal surplus of $858 billion. Thus we’ve been able to cut taxes, invest in education and infrastructure and keep essential services intact. We recently got our first bond rating upgrade in 26 years.

[Reziac]

YES!!!!!!!

And he is absolutely right. Government should be run like a ranch, not like a bottomless credit pit.

Loved the example of a military base with contracted civilian security, when you've got a base full of trained soldiers ready to hand!

[ElkHunter]

Reagenomics. I was in the military and I remember it well. The military was sent a letter that said, "Gentlemen, we must show the nation and tighten our belts. The military got no pay raise. However, there wre silly villians hired to do everything. They mowed the lawn, the stood gate duty, they run the exchange, they fixed the plumbing, they did everything. We loved it.

That was the same year that congress picked up a 18% pay raise. We got zip.

[2018]

Perhaps he would like to start with the $2.5 billion of federal spending in excess of tax revenue in MT (fiscal year 2005)?

[Threerun]

Why, is that shocking?

Considering the interstate infrastructure expenditures required for this state as well as the expense of the nuclear deterrent presence I would imagine Montana gets a steady stream of federal dollars, but that doesn't impact the states budget per se.