When considering my friend Max Baucus’ long career in public service, one can look to the old saying “less talk, more action.” That kind of take-action mentality is what has defined Max’s long career in public service.

In a column printed on Sept. 10, Gene Fenderson, who purports to be a voice for labor in Montana but in truth represents no working man or woman in any capacity, haphazardly laid out a long string of half truths and distortions. Lord only knows what Fenderson’s personal agenda is, but I’m here to tell you that kind of thing doesn’t fly with working people in Montana. Mr. Fenderson has developed a pattern of misrepresenting himself. He does create organizations to which he becomes seated as an officer. His last organization is now defunct and his new one is reported to have less than a dozen members statewide.

The truth is, Max has been a get-things-done sort of leader for as long as Montanans have known him. And he’s earned a reputation in Washington as a guy who produces results — not a knee-jerker who throws rocks from the sidelines.

Working people know that Mr. Fenderson doesn’t represent their views. The AFL-CIO and the individual labor unions that represent workers do. And that’s why we’ve endorsed Max every single time he’s stood for re-election. And we’ll do it again in 2008 — no matter who his opponent is.

Max is now chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee. And he’s using that post to produce real results for Montana.

Highway jobs

Everyone knows that Montana needs more good-paying jobs. Max didn’t just talk — he made it happen when he wrote the 2005 Highway Bill that pumped more than $2 billion (yes, billion with a “B”) into Montana, sustaining 18,000 good-paying Davis-Bacon jobs. We get more highway dollars per capita than any other state. Why? Two words: Max Baucus.

Minimum wage raise

Congress wouldn’t have passed an increase in the federal minimum wage without Baucus. He stepped into the effort knowing that doing so would require him to achieve a difficult compromise between both sides of the aisle. Baucus broke a 10-year congressional stalemate when he ushered the minimum wage increase into law. The raise that was passed will mean a great deal to hundreds of thousands of struggling Americans.

Health care

Max knows that high health-care costs are choking the middle class in this country. And he wants America to move toward a “uniquely American” form of universal health care — that is, health care for everyone. He’s said he supports a combination of public and private entities that will ensure all American working families get access to the quality, affordable health care they need.

And, working to forge consensus from both parties in the face of a veto threat from President Bush, Baucus overwhelmingly passed a plan to boost Children’s Health Insurance Program coverage to 12,000 more Montana kids. Folks, that’s not talk. That’s action.

Taxes

Mr. Fenderson even tried to poke at Baucus for supporting some of the most progressive tax relief low-income Americans have ever received. Max supported the major tax cut in 2001 because the country enjoyed a record $2.4 trillion surplus. And he used his seniority to tailor the bill toward the middle- and lower-income-class taxpayer. Consider what Baucus put in the bill for Montanans: a new 10 percent tax bracket that helped lower-income Montanans, doubling of the child tax credit helping 34,000 Montanans get a break and simplifying of the Earned Income Tax Credit to lift people out of poverty. Mr. Fenderson should also do his homework a little better. Baucus actually voted AGAINST the second tax cut in 2002 because it wasn’t right for working families.

Federal funding

During the past 10 years alone, Baucus has used his seniority to deliver nearly $8.4 billion in federal funding to Montana. Those are dollars that create jobs, make our communities safer, and give our kids the tools they need to compete.

Protecting Social Security

Although President Bush came to Great Falls personally to pressure Baucus, our senior senator stood firm in his opposition to Bush’s plan to privatize Social Security, which would have meant massive cuts to benefits and exploded the national debt. Baucus said the plan was “dead on arrival” and he stuck to his word.

Real results for Montana

Over the years, Max has racked up some big wins for Montana.

For the first time in history, a Montanan chairs the Finance Committee. We haven’t had that kind of clout in Washington since Mike Mansfield was majority leader in the U.S. Senate. I don’t know what kind of Kool-Aid is in Mr. Fenderson’s cup, but I think Baucus is doing a heck of a good job doing less talking and making more happen for the state that he loves.

Jim McGarvey is executive secretary of the Montana AFL-CIO, which represents 33,000 working Montanans. He can be reached for comment at 442-1708.