Monthly Archives: September 2008

Pulling Out

You may have read about Barack Obama and his road show leaving North Dakota. It was reported he has 11 offices and about 50 staff. Recent polls show he has no chance of winning the state. Rasmussen reported on September 10:

“Like neighboring Montana, North Dakota has become a lot friendlier to John McCain in the first polling conducted since Sarah Palin was nominated to be the Republican Vice Presidential nominee.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of North Dakota voters shows McCain with a 14-percentage point lead over Barack Obama, 55% to 41%.”

So, being a kind and considerate person, and since most of the Obama staffers here in Montana are from out of state, here’s a map to make your soon-to-be exit out of Montana easier.

Hint: Take an interstate – it’s faster.

I’d like to be the first to say, “Thanks for visiting. Maybe we’ll see you back here in eight years.”

I need a bailout, too!

Wow. $700 billion dollars.

Dear Max, Denny, and Jon:

Hey guys – I could use a bailout, too! I need a lot less than $700 billion. Maybe you guys could have the Feds print about $1 million for me? I would happily go away. If that’s not feasible, I could “survive” on half a million. It would be tough, but I would suck it up. No more cheap hamburger, Mac and cheese, and tuna for this boy! The government cheese would go, too. I could also buy a new Sony TV!

If you don’t help ME, I will not vote for you.

Sincerely,

Jack

It’s an election year and the Government is handing out money like a candidate throwing candy in a Fourth of July parade.

Someone asked me the other day, “Why is the government doing this?” Quickly putting on my economy hat (it’s small and does not fit well) and my political hat, I said, “It’s an election year and they are basically paying for votes and these companies have several donors who gives money to candidates.”

Look for Congress to quickly address this issue because it’s an election year. Since the Democrats control Congress, look for a few more billion to be added to “help the downtrodden.”

This whole mess sucks.

Grades

Montana gets a “D” for providing access to campaign finance information. You can read the story HERE.

On the other hand, Schweitzer gets an “A” from his party and supporters for rigging the 2006 election.

Of course, Schweitzer received an “A+” from Jon Tester.

Schweitzer gets an “F” from many newspapers around the state for bloviating about it.

You can read those stories HERE.

Malmstrom and the CTL Plant

It appears there’s more wrangling going on in regards to the Air Force’s idea to have private companies build Coal to Liquid (CTL) plants on Air Force bases. A friend sent me this link from Politico.

Malmstrom AFB is being looked at for a CTL plant, but as I see it the project faces at least two major hurdles:

First, base supporters don’t want the plant to hamper any type of future air operations the base may obtain. I agree with this. The last planes left Malmstrom around 1995. Despite what many in the Air Force say, the runway could be up and running for a few dollars (these are few Federal Government dollars, which means a few million in my terms). The runway is in decent shape and could be reopened by the military. Or, the runway could be used by a private defense or other civilian company if/when the base closes or maybe while the base is open.

Second, another hill to climb according to the Politico article is:

“The Montana Environmental Information Center, based in downtown Helena, is still aiming to derail the project, if it survives in Congress, because of concerns about coal’s notoriously dirty footprint.

“I don’t care who is making the proposal,” said Anne Hedges, the center’s top lobbyist and program director. “The Air Force is not above the law, and there’s no exemption for the Air Force in the Clean Air Act.”

Hedges isn’t making an empty threat. In the past several years, her group has stopped at least four coal plants. Most recently, it blocked the Roundup Power Project, a $910 million, coal-fired power plant proposed by the New York-based Bull Mountain Development Co. by lobbying the state government to revoke the company’s air pollution permit.“

I believe time is quickly running out for Malmstrom AFB. With the new Democratic majority in Congress, Malmstrom recently lost one-quarter of their missile mission which means hundreds of base personnel and their families were reassigned. Then on the same slippery slope, 100 new houses that were going to be built were cancelled. These actions must bring a big smile to the anti-military folks around the area. If another BRAC round happens in the near future, I would be very skeptical that Malmstrom could survive.

It does not appear the future for the base is in a Coal to Liquid plant, but only time (and maybe a few lawsuits) will tell.

Update: More Tampering

Correction: The story “Schweitzer staffer changes ‘Wiki’ entry” is linked on the Great Falls Tribune website HERE. It is on the right side of the page.

In a follow-up to my recent commentary called “More Tampering” it appears the “Wikipedia” editor for the Governor is none other than his spokeswoman, Sarah Elliott (see story below).

She claims it is part of her job. Maybe editing things like this is part of the job, but deleting whole sections is probably taking it just a little too far. The information deleted was accurate and it was sourced. Currently, the information about the Governor’s speech to the trial lawyers convention in July is not listed on his Wikipedia entry.

The U of M College Republicans discovered someone had been deleting the information on Wikipedia about Governor Schweitzer’s tampering with the 2006 U.S. Senate election here in Montana. It appears it was being edited/deleted from a state-owned computer.

The Great Falls Tribune has the story in their hard copy edition, which is posted below. The story appeared in the Thursday, September 18, 2008, edition on Page 3, Section M:

Senate Resolution 636

The U.S. Senate has passed many resolutions in the 110th Congress, which is soon coming to a close.

Remember the one about dirt? The Senate recognized soil as an “essential” natural resource. Now dirt is right up there with water and air. Or the Resolution that honored the Ohio State football team for its 800th win, or the one about National Funeral Director and Mortician Recognition Day.

But the one they haven’t passed is Senate Resolution 636, which was introduced on July 31. S.R. 636 is “A resolution recognizing the strategic success of the troop surge in Iraq and expressing gratitude to the members of the United States Armed Forces who made that success possible.”

As of today, there are 33 co-sponsors for Senate Resolution 636. Barack Obama is not a co-sponsor. Max Baucus and Jon Tester are not listed as co-sponsors, either. Sad.

Meanwhile in the House, House Resolution 511, which is a similar resolution has been languishing since early 2007. HR 511 has 183 co-sponsors, including Montana’s Denny Rehberg. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) is not a co-sponsor. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D) and House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D) aren’t either.

Hey Senate and House members: It’s OK to admit the surge worked because it did. It’s also OK to honor the troops, too, because they are doing a tremendous job.

Vets for Freedom has a new video out about Senate Resolution 636:

Besides calling Barack Obama, Montanans should call Max Baucus and Jon Tester and ask them to show their support of the troops.

More Tampering?

Besides Governor Brian Schweitzer embarrassing our state with his speech to the trail lawyers in Philadelphia where he detailed how he tampered with the election of 2006, it appears his staff has been doing a little tampering with the Governor’s Wikipedia site. Check out the story HERE from the U of M College Republicans.


Of course, they wanted to take down the section that informed readers about the Governor turning some dials to rig the election victory for Jon Tester.


They also apparently used a computer registered to the State of Montana when editing the site. Taxpayer-funded staff helping the Governor to look good – sounds like the PSA issue all over again.


Will the Governor and his employees ever learn that using taxpayer-funded computers for non-duty related work or campaign work and doing it during the time you are earning a paycheck from the state is illegal, not to mention unethical? Maybe they need to remove Internet access like they did the games that come installed on the computers?


In 2006, the Montana media went wild about the same issue when it was a Republican. We’ll see if they cover this. It won’t be going away anytime soon.


Also, for more news about the Governor’s election rigging scandal, click HERE.


Money

Tailored suits, chauffeured cars. Fine hotels and big cigars. Up for grabs, all for a price! -Money Talks –AC/DC



We’ve all by now probably heard of the problems that House Ways and Means Committee Chairman, Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), is having. There is now an ethics investigation going on regarding his problems with, of all things, taxes.



So much for the promise by the Democrats to clean up things in Washington.



Back in early 2007, I commented about Rangel and Montana’s own Max Baucus, from the Senate Committee on Finance, starting their own Political Action Committee (PAC) to raise money.



Interestingly, they abruptly ended their PAC in late July 2007 after raising around $150,000.



Maybe Rangel and Baucus already knew there were going to be rough waters ahead for Rangel. Each have 30+ years back there. They can read the tea leaves well.



On another, more current, issue involving Rangel and Baucus which deals with the failure of some investment firms, CQ Politics reports today that:



Congress is likely to feel the loss as well of securities firms Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch, as well as the downward spiral American Insurance Group (AIG), particularly in their campaign coffers.



The three financial institutions and their employees have given about $4.7 million this election cycle to members of Congress, presidential candidates and parties; particularly to those who oversee economic and monetary policy.



And guess who received some of that money?



Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus , D-Mont., and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel , D-N.Y., also cashed in from the three PACs. Baucus accepted $15,750 and Rangel, $14,000.



Maybe they should give it back?



The Debate

Wow! Holy Cow! While Brian Schweitzer, Roy Brown, and Stan Jones were debating in Missoula, the Eagles and the Cowboys put 48 points on the scoreboard.



At halftime there are 54 points on the scoreboard.


Now that was exciting. As for the debate – not so much.


I was waiting for Brown or Jones to ask Schweitzer after he reeled off a list of accomplishments that were started long before he became Governor, “Brian, are you joking with us like you were with the trial lawyers?”


I guess statements like that are a little too spicy or pointed for Brown or Jones to ask. Attack, attack, attack! Don’t play defense – offense is the key to win!


That is all I have to say about that. Back to the game.