Check your pockets

Gov. Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat, has announced his intention to propose to the 2007 legislative session a bill to give a one-time property tax rebate to Montana homeowners. The proposal will give $100 million of the $500 million tax surplus back to taxpayers, or about $400 per homeowner. The governor's proposal would give the money to homeowners not to big corporations owning property in the state.

Schweitzer's thinking goes like this: Over the past decade property taxes have done nothing but go up for homeowners.

The Republicans have countered with a proposal to give back funds to all property owners and not just one time, but every year. Besides finding the money to make good on that promise, there is an expense in writing and distributing those checks. In either plan. Where does that money come from?

The GOP has also proposed to cut tuition to state colleges and universities. But they are going to raise the amount of money we taxpayers pay for funding the colleges and universities. Ten to fifteen years ago, the state paid a greater share of the cost of higher education than it does today. It kep tuition relatively cheap and affordable for state residents. That tuition has climbed steadily during that time period and there has been a cut to the taxpayers' share of funding higher education — just less money.

Brace yourself: There will be more proposals to save ourselves from the other party. The devil will be in the details so that neither party and no politician at the state level should be trusted. The state politician approach to a tax cut is to call it that and raise some other fee somewhere that will have us all seeing red along with the threat of enjoying fewer services.

It's called election year politics. It's called a great American smoke screen.

According to The Taxpayers Network, we rank:

* 44th in population;

* 35th in housing and rental costs;

* 44th in median family income;

* 16th in population living below the poverty level;

* 40th in state and local tax burden as a percent (9.5 percent) of income;

* 44th in salaries for state and local government employees;

* 5th in receiving federal pork.

These are a few things to consider when offered a rebate from political parties. Along with where does it come from? What will I lose in return? And how much is it really going to cost me? — Roger Morris