By Helena Independent Record. Original story here >>

Shortly after the start of the last legislative session, the Republican majority took a Saturday to invite business leaders from all across Montana to come to the Capitol to talk about the economic climate of the state, everything from taxes to regulations to workers’ compensation and other hot-button issues. Several of the issues that were aired that weekend became the basis for legislation throughout the session. In a session otherwise memorable for its extremism and deeply partisan rancor, that weekend jobs summit struck us as a comparatively party-neutral attempt to improve the state’s economy.

Now comes Chuck Hunter, a Helena Democrat, and a handful of his party colleagues from around the state, embarking on a statewide tour to talk with local businesses and collect job-creation ideas to take to the next legislature, in 2013. The tour kicks off this week in eastern Montana and will continue after the holidays.

At first glance this might appear to be little more than a campaign ploy for Democrats ahead of next year’s elections — but we don’t see it in that light alone, for a number of reasons. Read More→