The Policy Institute, based in Helena, Montana, blends authoritative research and hands-on political engagement to create public policy based on economic justice, fair taxation, corporate accountability and environmental responsibility.

Economic Justice

2011 Legislature Didn't Reflect True Montana Values

The 2011 Montana Legislature adjourned more than one month ago, but the memory of the rocky road that was the 62nd session is still fresh in many minds. Those on the progressive end of the political spectrum knew it would be rough go in this legislature for our values – including economic justice, fair taxation, corporate accountability and environmental responsibility – but I’m not sure anyone could have predicted the assault these values would be under in this legislature. Read more

Too Big To Fail

One of the sore points almost everyone has about the bailout of the banks and companies is that they "are too big to fail." That was probably the most unfortunate choice of words that Bush's Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Paulsen, could have used when he decided to bail out AIG; so what are we - "too small to matter?" People I talk with feel that there is a perfectly legitimate way to handle those companies and that is the bankruptcy route. If it's the only recourse for the little guy, it should be good enough for the big guys. Read more

I Don't Get Why They Don't Get It

AIG, the giant insurance company whose slipshod Financial Services sector is largely responsible for getting the world's financial crisis rolling, has announced that it will dole out somewhere in the ballpark of $730 million in "retention pay" and "performance bonuses" to executives and "valuable" employees. Now I know nothing is easier than doing someone else's job, especially if you've never done it before, so I can't offer anything more than a layman's perspective on why this is necessary, but according to my understanding it is to retain employees who have so much specialized expertise that only they can repair the damage that they caused. Read more

Runaway Executive Salaries Must End

When do we say enough is enough? Opening the local paper on Monday we were treated to yet another story about corporate CEO largess. There is nothing new in the story itself. Year after year we have been treated to occasional news stories about golden parachutes, stock options, and various perk packages handed to the managers of the corporate overclass. Read more

False Advertising in Congress

The “Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008,” recently approved by the U.S. Senate, breaks its promise. It’s one of those proposals that pretend to reflect popular sentiment through the attachment of a misleading title to language that either doesn't serve the sentiment or undermines it outright. Think “Clear Skies Initiative,” “No Child Left Behind,” or the “The Patriot Act.” Read more

USB: One Part of the Energy Deregulation Debacle that Could be Corrected

Montana's Universal System Benefits program, a product of Montana's energy deregulation in 1997, delivers some benefits to the state, but suffers from decaying financial strength, mixed objectives, big-business bias, uncertain and disparate contributions from cooperatives, and insufficient accountability. The program should be overhauled by the Montana Legislature to ensure adequate and fairly distributed funding and to establish an administrative structure that utilizes an independent, non-government organization to deliver USB services. Read more

Don't Burn Up the General Fund

Firefighting, as observed repeatedly during the recent special session of the Montana Legislature, ain’t what it used to be. But how firefighting is paid for in the state budget is what it used to be, and the disparity has created a growing virus of subsidy in the state’s tax system. Read more