As is getting to be the norm on Fridays, here are a few things that caught my eye this week that I did not have time to comment about:　

Kagan is in:

Elena Kagan was confirmed by the U.S. Senate yesterday with a vote of 63-37. Montana Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester voted for Kagan. Five Republicans (Collins, Graham, Gregg, Lugar, and Snowe) voted for Kagan, too.

Back in May, I wrote that this nomination was not too exciting. If the GOP is so concerned about “liberal justices” on the Supreme Court, then they need to work a little harder at getting their candidate in the White House and controlling the U.S. Senate.

One must also wonder why pro-gun groups, like the NRA, opposed Kagan and still give their endorsements to senators who support her. For example, Sen. Tester claims to be pro-gun, but he voted for Kagan and against the NRA. We’ll see how the NRA spins this when Tester tries to get their endorsement for his election in 2012.

Finally, with the Supreme Court tilting only slightly to the right, if a conservative justice retires and Obama is still the President; the anti-gun folks will have a chance to pass gun bans.

Michelle in Spain:

OK, taking a vacation is fine, but what First Lady Michelle Obama is doing is ridiculous. The cost for the travel and security to taxpayers for her trip to Spain is outrageous. Someone did not think about this plan very much. Or maybe, Michelle does not really care what the American people think. Maybe a trip to the Gulf Coast would have been nice, Michelle.

Where to Find Montana Democrats:

If you missed Sen. Tester’s campaign call on Wednesday (before he headed home for harvest) there are still some events (but not any listening sessions) for you to corner your Democratic Senator here in Montana. Be Advised: You will probably have to pay to see them.

August 8:

Senator Tester will be at a reception (for himself) in Helena from noon-2:00 p.m.

August 14:

You can catch Senator Tester and Senator Baucus at the Sieben Ranch barbecue north of Helena at 5:30 p.m.

August 21:

There’s the Jackass Open (not kidding) golf scramble and BBQ in Butte starting at 11:00 a.m.

Social Security = RED:

Remember back in 2005, when President Bush attempted to fix Social Security. He even ventured to Montana to talk about his plan. Democrats, like Max Baucus, blocked it. Now we find that Social Security will pay out more than it takes in for the first time ever. First time ever.

Cascade County Commission:

For those local readers, Commissioner Peggy Beltrone is stepping down as long-time Commissioner of Cascade County. Beltrone did a decent job in my mind. Now, there’s a list of folks who want to take her seat and, let me humbly say in my personal opinion, there are two on the list that the Cascade County Commissioners should not appoint. One’s leadership and management style has been lacking in certain issues that I wrote about on this website. The other one is a very partisan person. But, we don’t get to vote as they are appointed by the other two commissioners, so it really does not matter enough for me to mention their names or comment more about it. As Forrest Gump would say, “That’s all I have to say about that.”

State Fair:

Another short commentary about some local stuff: I’d give the Montana State Fair a grade of “B” this year. The free general admission to the concerts was one of the better ideas to ever come from the people who manage the Fair. Sadly, it does not appear they can count as I have attended a couple of the concerts and what was reported about attendance at these concerts was way low. Styx was fantastic, by the way!

Also, the traffic control on Thursday night while attempting to leave the fairgrounds (after the rodeo and concert) was terrible (taking over 30 minutes). I regularly attend some major league baseball games and NFL football games and have never had to wait for more than 15 minutes to get out of the parking lot – and there were a lot more people at these events.

Have a great weekend!