State has a growing problem

A story by the Montana Policy Institute this week highlighted a growing problem — government is now the largest employment sector in the state.

It’s no wonder. Seems like every year, Congress is funding some new bureaucracy or expanding an existing one. Meanwhile, traditional sectors of the economy such as manufacturing, construction, transportation and hospitality are lagging as the economy continues to weaken with jobs going offshore.

There are many reasons why the trend is frightening. For one, the private sector has to compete with high-paying government jobs for a limited pool of  trained employees. That puts an artificial upward pressure on wages that ultimately threatens many businesses with insolvency.

For another, private citizens and businesses are the ones who are paying for the increased size of government through our taxes, and eventually the breaking point has to be reached. Not only do we have to meet the burgeoning payroll of the expanding government sector, but we the people are taking on an ever-increasing liability for government pensions that are already famously underfunded.

In the current economy, it is easy to look on the bright side and say we are glad for jobs of any kind, but don’t be fooled. A growing government will just lead to more troubles down the road.

When it comes to roads, however, we do have to rely on government.

And government — in the form of the Montana Department of Transportation — is poised to possibly add a key road link in north Kalispell this year.

Depending on right-of-way negotiations, the new connector road behind Home Depot might go to bid as early as this summer. Funding appears to be set with money left over from the U.S. 93 Alternate Route project.

This new road essentially would connect West Reserve Drive with Hutton Ranch Road and give drivers an alternate roadway to avoid the “intersection of doom” at U.S. 93 and West Reserve.

The connector has the prospect of not only alleviating the traffic problems in north Kalispell (a situation that can only worsen when the Wal-Mart Supercenter opens in June) but also is another road project that will produce construction jobs.

And perhaps during all the traffic work up north someone in power can put turn-lane lights at the crossing between Lowe’s and Mountain View Plaza to fix another traffic bother.