Funding 911 services is essential
The Republican leadership in the Montana House of Representatives is holding up legislation to help fund 911 emergency services statewide because they say it includes a "tax increase."
All right, let's get this straight.
In an emergency, Republican legislators would rather pick up a phone, hope they can locate the correct number for a police station or fire station, hope that the line is not busy, hope that they get transferred to the right person, hope that they have time to explain the nature of the emergency, and hope that someone actually gets sent to the right address - they would rather hope for a miracle in an emergency rather than pay 50 cents more per phone so that local 911 emergency call centers can do their job the right way and save lives.
Come on, folks. We are talking about 50 cents a month here.
Any legislator who doesn't think that saving lives is worth 50 cents a month ought to sponsor a bill to end all government funding for 911 services. Let's just go back to the days when everybody took care of getting themselves to the hospital or doctor or putting out fires with the help of their neighbors and a bucket brigade.
We certainly wouldn't want to think of raising taxes to pay for essential services, would we?
Well, let's think about that.
Either there is a purpose for government or there isn't. You can't just say you are against taxes unless you are against government - all government - and that means you are not in favor of the general welfare and public safety of our citizens.
Once you accept the notion that we have a right to band together for the common welfare, then you also have to accept the fact that taxation is the only way to pay for government services.
If they are essential services, then our government leaders should be under some obligation to find a way to pay for them. If there is sufficient money to pay for them out of the general fund, that's great. If not, then a user fee or dedicated tax may be necessary.
Most Montanans would probably agree that 911 emergency services are an essential service provided by modern government. Those of us interested in living through a heart attack or car accident are well aware that every second counts in an emergency, and a modern, efficient 911 service can speed help to you literally within seconds.
Unfortunately, Flathead County doesn't have modern, efficient 911 service. This is no reflection on the corps of employees who are dedicated to making the system work, just a statement of scary fact. The county's 911 equipment is horribly out of date. In fact, the basic equipment was donated to the county in 1982 by the city of Pittsburgh after it had outlived its usefulness there.
Just how long do we have to make do with such outdated equipment here? Why can't we get computer-assisted dispatch technology that will bring modern life-saving techniques to the Flathead? Why can't we incorporate cell phones into the system properly?
Well, the reason is because there isn't enough money. That's why the Flathead City-County 911 Board is supporting House Bill 27, which would increase user fees on telephones from 50 cents per month to $1 per month to help pay for 911 services.
The bill actually made it through the full House twice, passing the second time on a bipartisan vote of 71 to 28. But then somehow the bill was sent back to the Appropriations Committee, where it is now tabled. Two local Republicans - Rep. Bill Beck of Whitefish and Rep. Craig Witte of Kalispell - sit on that committee and could probably get the bill back to the floor.
But they don't seem to want to. Beck said he is against increasing the user fee because there is a surplus in the general fund. Well, fine, then pass an amendment that 911 services will be funded out of the general fund, but don't just do nothing.
HB 27 has to be out of the committee by Thursday or it is dead. Let's hope the Republican leadership decides not to let that happen. Let's hope that people's lives are more important than political games, political philosophies or political parties.