The Biblical Billionaire from Bozeman...

 

 

   Greg Gianforte wants to be our next Governor and he has several strange notions about why we will just fall all over ourselves vote for him.

 

   We applaud him for his success in the business world that reportedly earned him more than a billion dollars thus far.  It proves his business acumen must be top-notch and he should certainly be able to help a lot of other entrepreneurs in Montana.

   Which brings us to several important questions:  Why does he want to invade our Montana political picture with his "nutty religious ideas?" (such as the Earth is only 6,000 years old and retirement is not Biblical, so keep working until you drop.)  Why not stay in the business world and keep those dollars rolling in? Instead of buying yourself a public office, go buy some businesses.  Why do these mega-rich tycoons insist on showing us their business worthiness by buying themselves power and authority in the public sector? 

   Why do they think we Montanans simply sit around, salivating at the chance to be represented by "the rich" so they can heap more benefits on their rich friends while continuing to ignore and diminish the Middle and Lower Class?  Finally, why do they think we would let them take a  chunk of our taxes for public schools and give them to private, religious, and charter schools?

   Gianforte has a hidden agenda and it is  for us to find out why he is running for governor in our state - a state in which he is a relative newcomer.

   One answer comes to mind:  He can more easily buy his way into the governor's mansion where there are a handful of voters to buy, as opposed to New Jersey, for example.

   Or, said another way:  Does Gianforte fancy himself as the "Big Fish" in a "Small Pond"...of suckers?


 

All Tied Up and No Place To Go...

 

Montana Republicans are in the middle of a real donnybrook, and you'll never guess with whom.

Other Republicans.

At the risk of sounding like a damaged CD in an endless loop, there is a nesting of strange, uncooperative "demon eggs" known as Right-Wing Conservatives who are scattered throughout Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley.  Folks know them by the names of Daines, Gianforte, Wittich, and other lesser such species who wander the halls of the Montana Legislature.

These unconventional Republicans - shall we call them "Brotherhood of the Brood" - have no qualms about making full frontal attacks on those someday expatriates they refer to as RINOs. (Republicans in name only)

You all know the stories about how the "normal" Republicans in the past two legislative sessions saw benefits for Montanans in bills that the bad eggs didn't.  As a result, they crossed over and voted with the Democrats to get them passed.

Not a good idea, said the "brood," and the chicken coop erupted into a horrendous free-for-all that is still going on.

The "Brotherhood of the Brood" senses a disinfection of the chicken coop is in order and are now suing for closed primaries to cleanse the Democrats who are voting in GOP Primaries to keep the bad eggs out of the General Elections.  If successful, only registered Republicans would be allowed to vote in their primaries.

The chicken poop is getting smellier by the minute.  And, as Democrats see it, the Republican infighting has become strictly a spectator sport.  The only thing to do is just stand back and enjoy.

Two questions do come to mind, however:  What has seeped into the drinking water in Bozeman, and is there an antidote?



 

The idea of retirement is not Biblical...

May the Saints preserve us...because guys like this sure won't!

 

 

Question of the day:  Why do these highly successful business moguls think they should run for public office?  Why not just stay in the private sector, create lots of these jobs they all crow about, and continue making money for themselves?  Why do they have this drive to mess with people's lives by telling them what to believe, where they should send their kids to school, and why they should never retire?

Greg Gianforte, Bozeman's mega-money man, has filled out paperwork for a Republican exploratory trek he hopes will end at the Governor's Mansion in Helena.

His resume shows an abundance of skill at running a large company, but absolutely no skill at running for public office.  The Gianforte financial picture reportedly shows his worth at somewhere around one-and-a-half billion dollars...give or take a few million.  Have you noticed that there seems to be no shortage of very rich businessmen and women in the Republican ranks that believe they can be the saviors of our states and our nation?

Gianforte's wife, Susan, is also chin deep in educational politics.  She seems to have a serious bone to pick with public schools and would like to see much less taxpayer money going to them and much more going to charter and private schools.  It seems to be a religious thing with her.  She gets very excited when pushing for the study of creation   in our schools. 

Wouldn't they make a marvelous team running our great State of Montana...into the ground?

They're not from Montana and I can't find a single person who invited them...much less asked them to muck up the progress we've enjoyed the past several years.

One teeny weeny quirk about Gianforte you might enjoy:  He says the idea of retirement is not Biblical.  So, that would probably fit right in with all of his other Republican views:  privatize Social Security, cut Medicare, cut Medicaid, and don't even think about retirement.  (Biblical thought: anyone caught trying to quit at sixty-five will be taken to the town square and stoned to death.)  Hence, no further need for Social Security, no wasteful payout from a company's pension plan, and no bleeding heart Liberals' need for AARP!  

I do have something that is Biblical, however.  A rich man can no more get to Heaven (or the Governor's Mansion) than a camel can get through the eye of a needle. 

How can we be so lucky...it seems these meddling rich people just keep falling into our laps.  We Montanans listened to the Republican witch hunt of a man named Walsh and elected one of these rich guys to the U.S. Senate, and we're still feeling the misery of that.

Praise the Lord...pass the antacids...and hang on to your retirement accounts...the real Montana Westerners will rise again!





    

Damn the Billionaires...Full Speed Ahead!

I was once told by an attorney that I would make a lousy defense witness because I appeared too pontifical while giving my answers during his pre-trial questioning.  He implied I was expressing my opinions in a pompous or dogmatic tone.

 

I had a different version, however.

 

I thought the entire law suit was turning into a charade and I was to become the "fall guy."  Enough about that.  It was complicated and boiled down to how-much-money-do-you-want, to-make-this-go-away?  I have a real dislike for settling arguments according to who can come up with the most money.

 

That also applies to elections.

 

Newspaper and television coverage of candidates begins and ends with one basic question:  Who has raised the most money?  We all know who has the money because we all know who has sold their soul to the millionaires and billionaires.  The Conservative-led (five to four) U. S. Supreme Court has also done their share of skewing the election outcomes by paving the way for big, rich old white guys to buy any election they choose.

 

That brings me around to the basic question that should be on every voter's mind.  It lays out the contradiction in our elections that does not confirm to any known straightforward thinking.  It is undeniably the most wrong-headed calculation by voters that I can think of today: Why do you vote for the one who has raked in the most money?

 

It is, of course, due to voter apathy and refusal by them to pay attention to facts.  In short,  we simply vote for the candidate who can afford to shove their name and image in front of us the most.  That, and their ability to shove their negative - and often erroneous - ads in our faces, as well.

 

The richest of them count on our folly.  They spend and we bend.

 

When will we decide to vote for a man or woman who will govern on our behalf instead of those who filled their coffers with untold amounts of money?

 

Is it possible to fool the money-moguls this one time?  Could we actually vote for the better candidates instead of the richest? 

 

Or are we all just sheep to the slaughter?

 

 

 



Voters, we just ain't paying attention!

 

 

Remember the bad ol' days of Montana's U.S. House of Representative, Denny Rehberg?

 

Well, like most of our politicians from the past, we seem to always find one more useless than their predecessor.  Such was the case beginning with Rehberg.  We grumbled about his Republican rubber stamp method of voting and his lack of ideas as far as submitting bills.  He was a hide-in-the-weeds and hope-no-one-will-see-me-being-a-bump-on-a-log kind of guy.

 

Then came Steve Daines.  Total disaster.  He voted - among other dumb GOP brain freezes - to shut down the government if "Obamacare" wasn't repealed.  Following that, a really bad decision by the voters put him in the U.S. Senate.  Fool us once, shame on you, Mr. Daines.  Fool us twice, shame on us!

 

Now we have another GOP stooge who followed Daines into the U.S. House.  Ryan Zenke got there, in part, with the hysterical efforts of the Montana Media when they discovered (probably through leaks from the GOP muckrakers) that his incumbent opponent, Mr. Walsh, had not given proper credit to someone he cited in his thesis many years ago. (Never mind that the school didn't catch, but many years later the GOP did.)  That nearly caused the media to wet their pants in route to handing Zenke the victory.  (Note to future candidates:  Don't ever let the media tag you as a plagiarizer.)

 

So, we now have two Montana rubber stamps - one in the U.S. House and one in the U.S. Senate.

 

And that makes two "shame on us" mistakes as voters.

 

Let's try to rectify that when they come up for re-election.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



The Evil Elephant...

There once was a time when we would hear and read about the merits of each candidate as they trudged through the semi-friendly election cycles.  Well, there actually was, but you'd have to be as old as me to remember.  While some meanness prevailed, it was nothing like today.  Meanness and Money.  If we could go back and scoop up the money spent on elections the last few decades, we could...well, let's just say this:  With all of the money spent by candidates, donors, and super-pacs, you'd think we would have ended up with a better class of office winners.

 

But, the money is spent, so let's get back to meanness.  The Party of "Family Values" is testing our patience once again.

Remember this name:  Jeff Essman, (R-Billings), Montana Republican Chairman, Member of the Montana House of Representatives,  All-Around Mean Guy.

 

 

His track record as a Montana politician has always been rather questionable.  His operating style can be described, bluntly, as:  don't force it...use a big, dirty, greasy, unethical hammer instead.

 

His latest brain-sick act as Chairman was to send an email to all of the party elephants and ask them to send him any and all of the vicious and spiteful things they can dig up on Governor Bullock.  The "offerings" will be used to the fullest in next year's election to unseat the governor.

 

It's not as if the Montana Republican Party hasn't relied on this strategy before.  The difference, however, is that it's now spelled out, disseminated, and hanging out there for God and everyone to see and marvel at the thickheaded stupidity.  Is there no civility left in this group?  Is there nothing left of integrity?  Have they lowered the bar of common decency so low that anything can slither over it? 

 

I am one who still believes a voter wants to know something about a candidate that they could see as a positive reason to vote for him or her.  Trashing the opposition candidate may be the sick political way, but it's doesn't have to be the Montana way.

 

Republican Chairman Essman may turn out to be the Democrat's dream...and his own party's nightmare!



 

 

 

     

First Assess Blame...Then Read The Facts

Daines caricature source:  Creative Common

Let's begin with one glaring fact that no one can dismiss.  Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) and Rep. Ryan Zenke (R-MT) had little-to-no knowledge of the Iran Nuclear Deal when they began rejecting it out of hand.

     Only a fool would pass judgement without learning the facts.
   
First, we could excuse Zenke's "me too" opinions because he is fairly new in his job and is trying to prove to his party's leadership that he can rubber stamp an issue with the best of them.

Sen. Daines, however, deserves no such free pass.  His one term in the U.S. House proved he could vote 'no' about fifty times on the ACA with no reasonable argument, other than it was President Obama's bill.  (He offered no viable alternative health care reform plan.)

The Senator has given us his "expert opinion" on the Iran nuclear deal with no apparent need to read the full details.  As a matter of fact, nearly every Republican Senator and Representative condemned the deal before the 100+  pages of the negotiated deal were even available.

Sound familiar?  The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare, to the GOP) was trashed the same way.  Their modus operandi is to trash it first and trash it often.  Facts will, of course,  just muddy the waters, anyway.

Remember those forty-seven GOP nitwits who signed and mailed a letter to the Iranian Government during the negotiations, asking that whatever plan was presented by the U.S. should be thrown in the trash?

It's all simply another example of how far these Republicans will go to cripple their president.  When the GOP Leadership hands out the marching orders, the lackeys begin their goose- stepping.

For the record, I have no idea how good - or bad - this Iran Deal is...but I'd sure read it before offering an opinion!  Heck, I think I learned that piece of wisdom in middle school.

Daines and Zenke should have learned it then, too.



    

Bozeman Area's Incubator of Bad Eggs...

Sen. Daines caricature Credit Source: Creative Common

The conservative incubator in the Bozeman, Montana area has had its share of bad eggs. Their loud clucking has filled the halls of the Montana Legislature the past two sessions.  Art Wittich, Tom Burnett, Matthew Monforton, and Kelly White have been loudly squawking in the Montana House and Scott Sales and Gordon Vance have infiltrated the Montana Senate.  The question now is:  Will the Bozeman area voters return them to their Helena 'Coop' next time?  

The incubator has even  hatched one strange bird of prey (Senator Steve Daines) onto the national scene,  and now has another one under the warmer and already showing cracks in the shell of the hatchling who wants to be our governor.

His name is Greg Gianforte and he might even be more predatory and perplexing than the Senator.  He has stashed away much more money - billions, according to reports - while Daines is  sitting on a mere tens of millions.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. 

Senator Daines has already fibbed to his constituents with votes he has cast in the U.S. Senate.  He has  'turned tail' on several of his campaign promises and has only given his votes -  and loyalty -  to the rich and powerful.  (Birds of a feather, so to speak)

    We mere mortals are far down on his list of priorities.

Do we really want a mega-millionaire and a multi-billionaire representing us in the United States Senate and the Montana Governor's Office?

    Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of Conservative
    Tea Party Fanatics?

So far, not the voters.

My great-great-great-great-great grandma dined on dinosaur steaks and roasts

Remember this name:  GREG GIANFORTE

He is making serious noises like he might want to be Montana's next Governor and save us from all sorts of evil things.  Since he is a multi-billionaire and close friend to Montana Senator Steve Daines (a multi-millionaire) there just isn't anything about the average Montanan that he doesn't know how to fix.

For instance, he doesn't want anyone to retire.  He relies on the 'Good Book' for his thesis on why retirement is absolutely not necessary.  Noah, the biblical ark builder, never retired.  Moses never retired.  Abraham kept plugging away.  Methuselah lasted for hundreds of years without a rest.  So why do any of us think we need to kick back and enjoy the fruits of our labor?

You need to know that Gianforte believes the world has only been around for about 6,000 years (biblical lesson number one for all believers) and therefore man lived among all sorts of critters, including dinosaurs. Bwaaahahaha!  Well, no wonder those folks didn't retire.  They were fighting for food and drink while keeping a low profile and sharp eye out for T-Rex.  No time to retire there.

I'm assuming it's his new-fangled way of eliminating Social Security, like his Right-Wing brethren are poised to do. Probably no need for Medicare, either. I would assume few survived a dinosaur attack and needed medical aid.

Gianforte's wife, Susan, has some strange ideas, too.  Private and Charter Schools are big on her list.  But I digress.  Her exploits are for another blog.

A disclaimer is in order here:  I am an ever-practicing Christian, but I cannot tolerate those who insist on injecting religion - much less misinterrupted religion - into their politics just to garner votes from those misinformed Conservative Christians.  At least, I am assuming that he doesn't really believe that 'six-thousand-year-old earth' tall tale.  If he does, then we have even bigger problems.  Anyone that far out of whack doesn't have the good sense to be our governor.

We have enough big-money charlatans buying their way into elected offices already and it's going to take some time to get rid of them.

Just forget you heard about this one.

Grading on the Curve...

I must take issue with my friends on the Editorial Board of the Great Falls Tribune.

On their 'Two Cents' page of today's newspaper, they produced a report card on the Montana Legislative Session that just concluded.  They gave them a 'B'.

The anonymous writer of the editorial board detailed the  popular bills that were passed.  These bills will be met by most Montanans with jubilation.  Few can be unhappy with the Medicaid Extension Bill, the Water Compact Bill, and the Dark-Money Bill.

However, when considering the following information, I would have to knock that "B" down to a 'C-'.

   Bills draft requests:                                        2,471
   Bills introduced:                                              1,187
   Bills killed:                                                          566
   Resolutions adopted:                                          77
   Bills signed in law (so far):                              332
   Bills vetoed outright, by Gov.                            29
   Amendatory vetoes (so far):                              20
   Bills Gov. let become law w/o signature:        10

While I agree that bi-partisanship gave us a handful of successes that would warrant a "B", I certainly think the juvenile antics of other efforts should be taken into consideration when giving them a final grade. If those dunderhead efforts would have been eliminated, (allowing hunters to use hand-thrown spears, no yoga pants in public, guns allowed in bars, churches and banks, and a declaration that climate warming is good, etc.)  think of the many other worthwhile things they could have accomplished.

The final few minutes of the Session of the State House gave us the "straw that broke the camel's back."  No Infrastructure Bill was allowed because the Radical TEA Party folks didn't get anything they wanted this year...so it was revenge time!

I had a teacher in high school who always included a test grade adjustment for 'neatness, penmanship, and form'.  We all laughed about it then, but I've learned to appreciate that tactic over the years.

For the Legislature, it could be for 'honesty, bi-partisanship, and loyalty to constituents.'

As I think about it, I'm changing my 'C-' to a 'D-.'

Political Blogging: Spitting into the Wind...

When people ask me what I do to keep busy in retirement, I tell them I write a couple of political blogs and draw cartoons to, hopefully, dress them up a little.

I usually get the glazed-over eyes and quiet stare, and then the inevitable question: "Why?"

That's a fair question.

Too many people in America are sick and tired of politics and try to shove it out of sight, sound and mind.  By the way, how's that working for you?  Does ignoring it make it go away?

Did we ignore the news after hearing about Hitler's rise to power?  Did we clasp our hands over our ears when the Japanese Empire attacked Pear Harbor?

So why do we turn in disgust and close our ears and minds while the rich and powerful shred the workings of our own country?  Why do we shout down anyone who tries to inform their fellow - and greatly uninformed - citizens that America is coming apart at the seams?  Why do we categorize all of them as political hot heads who deserve none of our time and attention?

When future patriots of a new land decided to leave jolly ol' England, would we have squelched the idea as just another horde of wacky nut jobs that we were sick and tired of hearing?

Today, too many of our citizens have hid their heads in the sand and convinced themselves that all will be just dandy as long as no one asks anything of them, or reminds them that their country is in grave danger and in serious need of their help.

Of course, when things really do come unglued, they can always blame it on those other people.  You know, the ones who have been screaming for your help to fix the problems and you didn't hear them because you didn't like all of that political jibber-jabber.


Think about it. 

Maybe it's "sine die" for the TEA Party, too!

And just like that, the 64th Montana Legislative Session was over.

The Conservative Republicans (Wittich & Co. of TEA Party fame) voted to end their political charade a few minutes after the Montana House was called to order Tuesday Morning.  Left lying dead on the floor was the Infrastructure Bill that was so sorely needed by many locations in Montana.

It was their way of thumbing their noses at those they termed as traitorous Republicans.  The major bills they wanted to kill were all passed with the help of several Republicans voting with the Democrats.

With the Infrastructure bill the only major bill left to attack, they each pounced on it with all four feet by turning tails, without a vote, and limping home with one miserable win to their credit.

It was a rather unceremonious ending to their already childish actions in the Montana House.

The scene may be reminiscent of a remark I once heard:  "As we walk out the door, you'll notice the twig of mistletoe at the bottom of our coattails."  Wittich & Co. are a charming group of self-serving, anti-Montana miscreants.

The really sad thing about all of this is it was evident that these Tea Party folks were only interested in a win for themselves...not Montanans!  Strangely, they don't seem to understand the kind of people they'll need to face when they return home.   That Infrastructure Bill would have added many jobs!

Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Maybe more than one-third of the registered Montanans can get up the gumption to go to the ballot boxes next time and have a win for themselves.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Read by blogs at:  www.wethepeople.blogspot.com and
www.montanatroublemaker.blogspot.com


 

Others may see it differently...

This is the way a cartoonist I happen to know sees himself.

Sometimes we see what we want to see.

The TEA Party members of the Montana Legislature are bemoaning the unsuccessful battles they have waged this session.  They blame the failures on "Regular Republicans" who voted with the Democrats.

Rep. Art Wittich (R-Bozeman...yeah, another one of those) blubbers that his crowd has lost virtually everything they went to Helena to accomplish.  Those failures included opposition to the Flathead water compact, Medicaid expansion, and dark money reform...major legislation items that passed the session. The Senate's confirmation of Jonathan Motl as Commissioner of Political Practices was the crowning blow to Wittich & Company's failures as extremist Legislators.

The TEA Baggers only saw their failures as mistakes by others.  They tried to save the world, but were thwarted by those dastardly Democrats in Republican clothing.  Wittich & Company will tell us they were working for all Montanans.  At least, that's the way they saw it. 

Fortunately, that's not the way it was, however.  The bills they so viciously fought against happened to be the bills the majority of Montanans wanted passed. 

If they would sit down and honestly dissect their motives, they would learn a valuable lesson about blame:  When you point a finger at someone, look down at your hand.  You will see three fingers pointing back at you.

As the session winds down, it appears Montanans were, indeed, represented by cooler heads after all. 

Maybe this session will spell an end to those radical activists, and Montana will get back to honest differences between Conservatives and Liberals.

This might even be the time for voters to pay a little  closer attention to who they send to Helena, too.  Hmmmm?








 

 

An Incubator full of Bad Eggs...

 

 

The Bozos of BoZone, Montana (that's the city of Bozeman for the politically uninformed) are running amok in our state's political legislative theatre, and it's time we straighten them out.
 

The otherwise beautiful setting of one of my favorite cities is being used as an incubator for eggheads of the Tea Party.  They have hatched from a nest of bad eggs and are chirping at the top of their lungs in order to gain some attention. 

 

It possibly started with a billionaire named Greg Gianforte, who was instrumental in getting a millionaire named Daines elected to the U.S. Senate, and Greg's wife, Susan Gianforte, who is working hard to replace public schools with charter and private ones.  And, if that isn't enough to smell up the chicken coop, there are even more Bozos of the BoZone  making their political presence known.  Names you've come to know (and try to forget) such as Art Wittich and Scott Sales.

Montana's Tea Party is troublesome because they are against just about anything you can name that would be beneficial to the Middle and Lower Class Americans.  Human Rights, Women's Rights, Minority's Rights...things they simply can't be bothered with right now.  Interestingly, they are even against their brothers and sisters of the "regular" Republican party, too. 

What they are for is lower taxes on the rich;  more guns (concealed is good) in bars, banks, churches, and the Capitol Building;  sell-off or our public lands (state and national parks) to private ownership;  declaration by the legislature that global warming is good;  and a host of other equally insane ideas.

This fiasco is rooted in the hands of the Bozos in Bozeman and the Bozemanites who sent them to Helena.

Maybe by next election they'll examine their eggs before they hatch!






Proposed Bills From the Twilight Zone...

The bills illustrated above are but a few of the proposals that are still bouncing off the walls of the Capitol Building in Helena.  Other well-thought-out proposals from their pointed little heads included: No yoga pants in public; Allow guns in schools; Lift nuclear ban so the Flathead Valley could build a nuclear reactor; Eliminate all state incentives for wind power development; Give Sheriffs authority over Federal Government in terror investigations; Require the Federal Government to prove in court that the National Parks were lawfully acquired; ...and my personal favorite: Officially designate the "Code of the West" as the "Code of Montana."

Laughter will be heard until the last drink is poured and the last Far-Right Conservative buffoon picks up his cherished "Fifteen Minutes of Shame" Award and goes home.

 

Such is life for those who came to Montana's Legislative fiasco with nothing but a desire to disrupt and demean our state's system of government.  They shall be known by their misguided acts of self-importance and efforts to stir the pot of political upheaval.

TEA Party members are a rare phenomenon in today's political arena and hopefully will disappear as quickly as they came.  They serve no useful purpose when their only desire, seemingly, has been to show how much they dislike our government.

Spending precious legislative time by fighting for a bill that would allow hunters to use hand-thrown spears was not the best use of their time?

Let's hope they've had their fun and stay home in their own sand box next legislative session.

 

 

So, Right-Wing Rudy Shocks you?

The whole nation is in shock at what the "Nation's Mayor" had to say about our president.

Really?

Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York, said to a select group of Right Wingers that President Obama does not "love America."

Really!

Well, let's see...in the past six or seven years, President Obama has suffered hundreds of wounds from this "family value" political party.  He has been accused of not being our president because he was born in Kenya.  He has been accused of being a Muslim.  He has been called a liar by a simpleton seated in the Republican section during a State of the Union address.

He has been referred to in insulting ways too numerous to mention and bombarded with hate the likes of which no president has ever endured.  When cornered for a reason, the GOP will offer up unproven charges and political rhetoric from their grab bag of ready-made racist innuendos.

It was recently reported that the Secret Service revealed that since he has been in office, there have been roughly 3,000 threats on his life each year of his presidency. A considerable sum, and much higher than any of his predecessors.

The Republican Right in this country's U.S. House and Senate have threatened impeachment, law suits, and outright rebellion in efforts to bounce him out of office.  All to no avail.  And why, you ask?  Because he not only won election once, but he won it twice...as a man of color.  And as we all know, those folks have yet to accept the fact that General Lee did actually surrender.

So, why do we carry on so much about ol' Rudy's comments?  He's not running for any office that we know of...yet, and he can, therefore, say things as an ordinary American that his candidate friends on the Right won't say.  He does get a round of "atta boys" for his efforts to "fire up" the ol' GOP base, however.

It's undoubtedly the dumbest thing this man of low morals could have ever said.  If he doesn't have proof of the president's love of America, then we can all assume Rudy has truly lost his way in the world.  (To be unnoticed and forgotten is a terrible thing.)

I no longer see him as the "Nation's Mayor."  I see him more like the "Nation's Court Jester."  And he deserves to take over that title from the movie actor who walked out on stage and jabbered on to an empty chair during the last presidential campaign.

I hope we have enough vacancies for these "unwell people" back at the "home."





   

Are they an entity unto themselves?

Let's decide it's time to call a spade a doggone shovel!

I'll admit right up front that this is going to be very partisan, so if your political leanings are to the right of center you may want to stop reading now.  On the other hand, if you want to experience the real reason why this country is circling the drain, read on... and repent.

The over-used explanation of what's wrong with American politics is "polarized politics."  That's true, to a point, but at this particular time in our nation's - and state's - struggles, we all can see the obvious.  And it isn't a two-sided battle.

The facts are: The Right gained control in the U.S. House and Senate in the last election.  The Right continued control of the Montana State House and Senate.  The grief that ensued, however, is the over-riding problem for all of us.

Nationally, the Right continues its nonsensical battle to kill everything the president and his party has passed, and everything they will ever try to pass.  Not because they are bad for the American people, but because they originated from the president and the Left.

It has been better explained as "the Republicans who are sitting around hoping America will fail."

If you question that quote, consider the latest poll that says a majority of the American people believe that statement.

In Montana, you only have to sit back and stare in wide-eyed wonderment at the ultra-ridiculous bills that our elected lawmakers on the Right are submitting.  If you doubt that statement, it is quick and easy to find the bills and read them for yourself.   I know of no one who hasn't been exposed to such madness.

So...it is my opinion that we are not facing a polarized political scene as much as we are facing a herd of elephants running amok with little regard for the rest of us, and the opposition simply spending their valuable time trying to explain - and counter - the stampede.

   What value is there in winning the majority of anything if you persist in not only celebrating the win but - through  arrogance and high-and-mighty insolence - keep fighting to crush the opposition?  That represents your overriding desire to grasp control for your own party, with little regard for the majority of the American people.

In short, who in the blazes are you representing?

It's Time To Say, 'I Told You So'

 

 

U. S. Senator Steve Daines just couldn't wait to prove what all of his adversaries had always known.

 

He wanted to be Montana's United States Senator for his own personal interests, as well as his rich friends' greedy desires, and not give a tinker's damn about the constituents back home.

 

One of the first votes he cast was in opposition to a bill he had sponsored while in the U. S. House of Representatives.  It was a Senate vote that went against what the majority of Montanans wanted!

 

I wrote many times in previous blogs that if Daines was elected to the U. S. Senate, he would sell out Montana Residents to the rich and powerful every time.

 

First and foremost on his pointed little Tea Party mind will always be efforts to feed the greed of the mega-rich and toss the riff-raff (middle and lower class) to the wolves.  And his opening act is running true to form.

 

There is a terrible plague infecting the political landscape of Montana and America, and while it reveals itself in the actions of many winning candidates, the nucleus of this bad germ took shape within the voters who placed an "X" next to the names of some of these winners.

 

Senator Daines (and many Montana Legislators) have foisted their own selfish greed and self-interest onto the majority of their constituents.  They seem to view the serious ramifications of some of their bills as a game, somehow, trying to see how outlandish they will be allowed to go.

 

Hopefully, perhaps we have learned that what we need more than anything to combat this plague is to get more people to the voting booths next time.

 

Or, start learning the procedures involved in firing up a politicians' recall! 

 

 

 

 

   

That Mentally Unsound Tea Party...

 

 

Alice is certainly right about her assessment of the present Tea Party faction in the Montana Legislature this Session.  And, if you remember a tea party that Alice once had to endured,  you have an idea just how bad Montana's must be.

 

Montana's TEA Party rascals have most certainly fashioned their behavior by renewing their memories of the fabled "Alice in Wonderland" and the episode of the Mad Hatter.  The Hatter was equally "off balance" and filled with gibberish as he hosted his infamous "tea party" for Alice.

 

Within our Legislature's controlling political party, you can  find the frivolous and out-of-whack counterparts that remind us of that Mad Hatter.

 

It's astounding to most of us that their prioritized list of important things to do are headlined with the likes of:  A ban on Yoga pants in public,  Montana taking control of our public lands from the Federal Government,  Abortions outlawed because a fetus is a person from conception,  Guns allowed on the grounds and in the buildings of our colleges,  Taxpayer money to help fund charter and private schools...  and on and on.

 

This Legislative Session has thus far produced a three-ring circus to behold and an embarrassment to all.

 

Be proud of your votes last November.

 

And if you forgot you voted for those TEA Party folks...like chickens, they will come home to roost...and poop all over your living room!

 

 

     

 

  

Oil, Water, and Paddlefish...

 

 

Once upon a time, down in the Yellowstone River swam a happy  Paddlefish named Zelda .  She knew her day would come when she'd be hooked and dragged ashore, rolled over on her tummy, and have some brute squeeze the livin' caviar out of her.

 

But fate had a more dastardly plot in mind for poor Zelda. She was about to become a victim of the nemeses of the deep, the every-popular, safe and secure Big Oil Pipeline.

 

According to Big Oil Companies, you can put oil leaks into your supply of drinking water out of your mind.  They just don't happen.  But when they do, the company will tell you about it two or three days after it happens and they'll fudge on just how much of the stuff really slipped into the river.

 

By now, poor Zelda is getting a little steamed at the sticky black stuff hanging on her like Velcro. And, it probably won't do much good for her caviar, either.  Darn.  She was looking forward to a little squeeze from a handsome fisherman, too.

 

Man, I hope they build that Keystone Pipeline...don't you?

 

 

 

 

Bozeman is a magnet for Right-Wingers

There's something strange in the drinking water in Bozeman, Montana.

 

That beautiful little town nestled in the splendor of everything that is "high, wide, and handsome" about our state is being taken over by out-of-state, right-wing, Tea Party-thinking politicians and power-hungry evil-doers.

 

U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-Bozeman, MT) is but one of the people we need to keep a close watch on as he votes in the U.S. Senate.  While in the U.S. House, he voted to shut down the government and that nitwit idea cost Montana millions!

 

Greg Gianforte, founder of RightNow Technologies, and a Bozeman multi-millionaire, is a close friend of Daines and shares the same radical views.  Gianforte's wife, Susan, is pushing hard for charter schools and more religious education through her association with an organization called Montana Family Foundation.  They spend heavily on Republican Right-Wing candidates who share their views.  A mini-version of the Koch Brothers, if you will.

 

Montana Legislator, Art Wittich (R-Bozeman) is another Montana calamity who has a bill he is trying to get passed that would give Montana Sheriff Departments domination over Federal authority when it comes to gun control issues. He represents one more Bozeman nut with a hatred for our government!  Their theory consists of a simple idea that if they can get issues shoved to a state level, these control freaks will find it much easier to manipulate them.

And, if those yahoos aren't enough, let's not forget Scott Sales (R-Bozeman), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who quickly tabled a motion concerning a Human Rights bill. The bill had strong opposition from people of religious faith.  Sales has already attracted hostility from level-headed, common sense Montanans!

 

Some people just have a hard time looking for something to do with all of their money.  They turn to the hobby of buying political seats for their friends and forcing their warped ideas on the masses, or just buying a political office for themselves.

 

They do not understand - or care - about the Montana way of life.

 

They are too busy living in their own mega-rich world where their only friends are like-minded troublemakers.

 

 

Some Guys Just Love Awards!

This week's "Clown of the Week" Award will probably come as no surprise to most of you, but I'm still a little peeved that State Rep. Matthew Monforton (R) Bozeman has seen fit to hog the award the first two weeks of the Montana Legislative Session.

 

The first week, he wanted to change legislative rules that have been around longer than dirt in order to give his Republican Party an even bigger edge in voting on bills.  If you'll remember, he also wanted to close Republican Primaries to only Republicans.

 

His mug is back in the news again this week to earn him another "Clown of the Week" Award, and it's for another equally dumb grab for the spotlight.  As Montana comes off a year of the fewest number of abortions in 39 years, Monforton has decided now is the time for him to tear into issues regarding something a man has no business tearing into:  A woman's decisions on how to manage her own body.

 

Most of the Republicans who think like Monforton when it comes to abortions are really just looking for the "Pro-Life" votes.  They don't really give a damn about the women and their rights.  The issue is what it is:  "Fire up the Right-Wing base!"

The missing ingredient in Monforton's issues is "why now?"  If he really wants to get his name in headlines, why not work on the serious problems that are at the heart of all Montanans, instead of looking for unethical shortcuts for his own political party. 
 

As we move into week three, will Monforton be looking at a third award?  Maybe the old "hat trick," the bowling game "turkey,"  the old "three time's a charm," or the old "three strikes and you're out?"

 

Maybe he'll find a reason to attack apple pie and mom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



A Montana School System Wrecking Ball...

There seems to still be a highly vocal gaggle of Tea Party folks in the halls of our Montana Legislature and they can still give the "Regular Republicans" a bucket load of fits.

Some of these Tea Baggers have wiggled their way into highly important committee chairperson positions.  For example, Rep. Sarah Laszloffy (R-Laurel) is the 23-year-old Chairwoman of the House Education Committee, with her own education coming from home schooling and private schools.  While Laszloffy gives lip service to public schools, it is very evident where her heart looks for taxpayer funding. Her father, Jeff Laszloffy, a former Republican Legislator, and the Montana Family Foundation is a nonprofit organization that promotes and has sought out legislation to protect "pro-family values."

Bozeman millionaire Greg Gianforte and his wife, Susan Gianforte, sits on the board of directors for the Montana Family Foundation.   Gianforte is a close friend of Sen. Steve Daines, in case you were wondering.

All in all, Conservative money and power are creeping into our school system like a mighty wrecking ball, and the aforementioned folks are the leaders of that demolition team. 

Funding for Montana's Educational System is a big deal every Legislative Session and this session is no exception.  While most Republicans would like to see our tax dollars spent on private schools, they are absolutely delirious about allowing the radical Tea Party folks to lead the charge.

If you think this is just another annoying move on the part of these folks, you better think again.  These annoying people control the Montana House and Senate...again.  They would be happy as little clams if they could get us to pay for their kids in their private schools, and our kids in what's left of our public education.

Wake up, Montana...it's our education system that is at stake.

And it's our children who are at stake, too!