Tea party vision for Mont. raising concerns

As a native Montanan, I think I can speak with some authority on this story. If any of these proposals are passed, they will not last for long, and not just becasue the courts will strike them down. Montana isn't exactly a hotbead of extreme conservatism. Currently we have an extremely popular Democratic governor and two Democratic senators. Historically, Montana was the first state to elect a female congressman and the home of Mike Mansfield, one of the most influential Democrats of the 20th century.

Above all else, Montana is a moderate state. I fully trust that moderate voices will have the last say here.

Wow, this collapse of the Empire stuff gets really weird. We need to find ohter trading partners pronto so we don't have to deal with these idiots as they go down in flames.

You're deluding yourself if you think that we can avoid not being crushed if the American economy implodes.

That's true currently, but those affects can be lessened.

yes, Canada could make radical changes and be vaporized rather than atomized. it ain't gonna happen.

That's true currently, but those affects can be lessened.


Ya, we can go from 80% trade with the US, to 75%.

Or be indebted to wonderful places like China, Russia, or Libya.


No thanks, I'd rather take my chances with the Yanks.

If you quit before even trying, yes, you'll be correct. We could get it down to 50% in a few decades, easily.

That's true currently, but those affects can be lessened.


Ya, we can go from 80% trade with the US, to 75%.

Or be indebted to wonderful places like China, Russia, or Libya.


No thanks, I'd rather take my chances with the Yanks.

We are Indebted to no one.

Really?? Seems Canada's net foreign debt, as of the first quarter of 2010, stood at $193.8-billion. We are indebted big time. Then again, you've never let reality interfere with your views before, so why start now?

http://www.financialpost.com/news/Canad ... story.html

Guys, you really don't need to worry about this story. Situations like this are why the USA has a written constitution.

"Schweitzer is watching, describing many of the proposals from the new majority as simply "kooky," such as a plan to make it legal to hunt big game with a spear."

I love that one

At the very least you've got the kooks (and no, not the Tea Partiers as a whole) out in the open.

The problem is that the Constitution is apparently unable to prevent the social conservative/TeaBircher rightists from attempting to nullify as much federal law as they possibly can. In fact, it seems like just having a written Constitution gives these idiots endless opportunities to parade their ridiculous causes in front of every court in the land until they finally find one that gives them the victory. The Supreme Court's been tossing out nullification attempts since before the Civil War and it still hasn't been enough to stop these maggots from pulling the same old quasi-legalistic stunts over and over and over again.

It's been only four months since the November elections, and what these Tea Party state legislatures and GOP governors have attempted thus far is just the tip of the iceberg. America is stuck with these whackos, and all the malicious mischief they can get away with, for at least the next four years. And then again possibly even be trapped in this reprehensible cycle of political/social conservative nihilism all the way up to at least 2016 if the unthinkable happens in 2012 and one of these Religious Right cretins actually manages to get into the White House.

Of course they can attempt to do anything. There is no constitutional restriction on proposing unconstitutional laws, just implementing them. If I was a state legislator I could propose anything I want. You know, free speech and all. It's just not likely to pass, and it's certain not to pass a judicial review.

Also I think you missing one aspect of the Montana proposals. If passed and actually used, an 11-person panel could trump the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court would NEVER let that happen.

Finally, Gov. Schweitzer still has his veto. These bills died the moment they were written.