Howie Rich doesn't like you

Howie Rich doesn't care if Montana children get an education. He doesn't care if Montana's low-income seniors get their next Meals on Wheels. He doesn't care if Montana towns have enough firefighters to keep people safe.

He doesn't have to care. This multimillionaire real estate developer lives in New York City. He doesn't believe in government, and he is bankrolling a trio of ballot initiatives designed to undo government, state by state.

Howie Rich doesn't like government. He doesn't like people who work for government, whether they are teachers, school support staff, firefighters, or any other public employees.

One could write him off as a right-wing kook, except that he and his shadowy allies have the money to get the job done.

Rich chairs the Chicago-based group Americans for Limited Government. He and his group subscribe to the ideology of Washington, D.C. lobbyist Grover Norquist, who is famous for saying he wants to starve government to the point "where we can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub."

Rich's three-headed monster
One of Rich's three initiatives is a spending cap that slowly starves state government budgets. In Montana, it's called CI-97.

The second initiative allows citizens to recall judges for any reason-CI-98 in Montana. The third allows outside developers to do whatever they want, while handcuffing local efforts to protect homes and property. Montana's version is I-154.

Rich's group is spending millions of dollars to push these initiatives in several states this fall. Montana has the dubious distinction of being the only state with all three of Rich's three-headed monster. Read more.

Rich's Montana front group
The Montana front group for Rich's efforts is called Montanans In Action. This group has steadfastly refused to report its funding sources. But Montana Senator Joe Balyeat, a key supporter of CI-97, CI-98, and I-154, finally admitted in a public debate September 21 that Howie Rich is the main funder.

Still on the ballot, despite fraud
Montanans In Action paid out-of-state mercenary signature gatherers nearly $700,000 to get CI-97, CI-98, and I-154 qualified for Montana's November ballot.

On September 13, District Court Judge Dirk Sandefur of Great Falls declared all three initiatives invalid due to pervasive fraud and deception in the signature-gathering process.

In a separate court case, District Court Judge Thomas Honzel found CI-97 unconstitutional.

The Not In Montana: Citizens Against CI-97 coalition, founded by MEA-MFT and AARP Montana, was instrumental in both court cases.

Howie Rich's front group has appealed both cases to the state Supreme Court.

All three ballot initiatives remain on the Montana ballot. As MEA-MFT Today goes to press, it appears that votes might still be counted, in case the Supreme Court overturns the decisions.

"It is essential that we vote, and vote NO on these radical initiatives," said MEA-MFT Eric Feaver. "Vote as if the votes will be counted. Better safe than sorry."