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Economic Development still key to raising state standing

Montanans live surrounded by the bounty of agriculture: wheat, cattle, barley, sheep and dozens of other ag products.

All that food, yet a new report ranks Montana seventh among states for the number of people who go hungry.

Great Falls Tribnue

Interestingly, the six states with worse rankings — Oregon, Washington, Utah, Idaho, Alaska and New Mexico — also supply the rest of the nation with substantial crops, livestock and fish.

Meanwhile, a separate study shows that about a third of all school children in Montana qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.

More than 50,000 children in the state live in homes that fall under the federal poverty line. Just imagine, that’s the equivalent of Havre, Helena, Lewistown and Whitefish populated only with poor children.

And most of them — roughly 40,000 — have no health insurance.

"It’s an awful indictment of our society that we have so many disenfranchised people, particularly the children who find themselves in that position through no fault of their own," said Great Falls physician Susan Effertz, who also is immediate past president of the Montana Medical Association.

Perhaps even more of an indictment is that people have become nearly numb to such statistics.

We have been buffeted by so much bad news for so long in Montana that stories of poverty, hunger and need begin to seem normal.

Nearly everyone knows by heart that Montana pay is at the bottom of the nation, while the number of folks here working multiple jobs is at the top of the charts.

So it’s no surprise that kids are hungry and health insurance is out of the question for many families.

Now the state faces a massive budget deficit and likely cuts in the very services that can help those in need.

That means the numbers could get worse before they get better.

It’s up to the 2003 Legislature to put at least temporary patches on these gaping wounds. But it’s going to take a long-term strategy and strong leadership to budge Montanans up the ladder of prosperity.

Economic development must be among the top priorities. Without better jobs and better pay, there’s little hope of changing the state’s dismal rankings.

Legislators face tough choices as they prepare to meet in Helena next month.

But as they begin work with the governor on the state’s budget and strategies for the coming two years, we urge them to keep intact those programs that help poor Montanans, especially children, and to adequately pay for economic development efforts that will dig us out of this hole.

In this nation of wealth and this state of great bounty, it should be unfathomable to have so many children living in poverty and so many families going hungry.

For comments, tips or corrections: Call Managing Editor Gary Moseman at (406) 791-1465 or (800) 438-6600

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/news/stories/20021204/opinion/503341.html

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