PORCH PONDERINGS

Zoomed Out

Anyone else out there being Zoomed to death? One week I had 6 meetings, all on the computer. Now granted technology is wonderful. We don't spend time and gas traveling to meetings. And here in Montana, sometimes you can spend hours in travel for a few hours in meeting time.

But really. Today I had another meeting of a new group I was requested to join in October. This is a lobbying group for tourism in Montana. Montana is in a unique position this legislative year. We have billions, yes, that is right, billions with a B, of dollars that need to be allocated to something. The Governor wants it to go to the people, the tourism groups want it back. The money came mainly from a tax on lodging. Montana is a great place to visit in a pandemic, lots of wide open spaces, we said. And people came. Lots of people came.

We in Montana don't have a sales tax. That is wonderful thing. I am painfully reminded of sales tax when I travel out of state. And I am so glad to get back home again. What the price is on the label is what I pay. Of course there are exceptions. The bed tax is added to hotel/motel stays and recently to the VRBO type lodgings.

Our lobbying group, Montana Travel Association, is brand new. We are forming and deciding and building this group week by week. A lot of back and forth, a lot of meetings. All by Zoom. And now the Montana legislature is meeting. Daily for three months to decide on over 4,000 bills. Yikes. Lots of jockeying for notice, for position, for money.

So now I am off to another meeting. Luckily this one is in town. I can walk there. And meet with real people in a real live situation. Hallelujah.