Taxpayers vs. Taxpayers

Do lawmakers really look out for the taxpayers who elect them?  Do they understand where the money comes from that supports public programs and pays their salaries?  In this day and age of budget deficits and threats of government shutdowns I really wonder if they do. 

Here's a prime example.  On April 1 (yeah, April Fool's Day), Missoula County Commissioners joined three environmental groups by filing a lawsuit against the Montana Department of Transportation.  They are concerned about MDOT's decision to approve a plan by Imperial Oil Company to ship 207 massive shipments of oil refinery equipment through Montana into Canada.  Let's see, the Missoula County Commission is funded by taxpayer money.  The Montana Department of Transportation is funded by taxpayer money.  Am I missing something here?  Why in the heck would a county government use taxpayer money to knowingly sue another public organization funded by taxpayer money?  Why?!?  The National Wildlife Federation, Montana Chapter of the Sierra Club and the Montana Environmental Information Center were already filing suit on their own.  Why did Missoula County join in?  Is this a belligerent, all-knowing, chest-pounding stand of "we know what's better for your money than you do?" 

You can agree or disagree with allowing "megaloads" to travel through Missoula County, but that's NOT the issue.  The issue is our elected government leaders consciously made a decision to use taxpayer money in a lawsuit against another public organization that also uses taxpayer money.  We interviewed Missoula County Chairperson Jean Curtiss.  She explained the commissioners' actions by saying, "This was kind of a last resort. It wasn't something that we weighed lightly, but we decided that we needed to get these questions answered and this was the only way to get it done."  Really? 

When our reporter asked Curtiss how much this suit will cost the taxpayer, her response was nothing because the county will use existing resources the county attorney is already paid for his work for the county.  Really?  It costs the county nothing?  Time is money!  And in this case, time dedicated to an environmental suit by the county commission is time the county attorney does not dedicate to working with law enforcement to prosecute criminals.  Besides, commissioners are using our money to sue the state, which also uses our money.

It's only fitting Missoula County filed suit on April Fool's Day because this is a joke!  But the thing is, I don't think any of us taxpayers are laughing.  Are you?  The bottom line is the joke is on us!