The best state in the US

World Population - 6,817,500,000
United States Population - 307,006,550
Montana Population - 974,989
Idaho Population - 1,545,801

Why is it that the world population keeps going up but Montana's small towns keep disappearing.  How do we bring people back to Montana?  This was a question I personally asked House of Representatives candidates Jack Allen and Steve Fitzpatrick.  Both of them gave me some what the same answer, some towns just die that is a fact of life.  Being from a small town it breaks my heart to know that probably in a few years my high school will not exist anymore.
Back when gold was discovered then ran out we had the same problem towns that were very large  just disappeared.  They disappeared so quickly because there was noting to keep them in the area, but it today's technology we should be able to find ways to create jobs in smaller community's as well as the larger ones.  I think this is a very big issue facing Montanan's today, why do people not want to stay in Montana?
First lets talk about jobs, some of the biggest industries in Montana are farming, ranching, and mining.  Most farmers in Montana grow wheat or barley because that is what people have always grown here.  Well the fact is the world doesn't need wheat and barley as much as we used, so the state government should be pushing for more diversified crops in Montana.  Why not give incentives and free clinics to help farmers get more educated about these new crops and how to grow them.  The eastern part of the state can be growing Canola it was developed to grow in Canada so I know it will grow here.  Grow Canola and you will get bio diesel factories popping up to convert it.  Once you have the farms and the factories you will need trucking companies to haul it.  The money these people make will trickel down to the local communities.
Canola isn't the only crop that can be grown for profit in Montana, hops, sorghum, sunflower, amaranth, and millet.  These are just to name a few that can be grow in the right areas of Montana, all we need is to educate the farmers on how to grow them.  
As far as farming and ranching go why don't we create a new tax that taxes grocery stores that do not buy their meat and veggies locally.  That will boost the economy of the local growers around Montana which again will trickle down to the communities they live in.  
Another suggestion I had was for the government to come up with some kind of grant program for first time small business's since the average wage of a Montanan is so low and the cost of starting a business is so high everyone is reluctant to take the chance with their whole life savings.  Which in turn has us relying on out of state people who make their money in bigger cities then move out here to start a business.  Which does not happen often enough to really help the economy.  The state government should come up with a $10,000 grant program that people can put as a down payment on a small business loan.  By doing this banks will get more money and you will be able to tax the new businesses that are starting up.  The more businesses that start up the quicker the government will get their money back from the grant program.  I just wish the state government would see fit to invest in the future of Montana's economic growth.


Please comment and give me your ideas on how to make Montana a better place to live.