TGIF! Congratulations on making it through another week. For your reward, I’ve written a special edition of Caught My Eye for the end of July.
Caught My Eye (or CME as we like to call it around the newsroom) is where I take a look at some of the stories that I did not have time to comment about during the week. Sometimes I add just a touch of sarcasm. I also try to make my readers smile and forget about their worries (not really).
This week we take a look at people named Simpson, Rehberg, Tester, Schweitzer and Hill. We look at issues such as pell grants, the postal service, and circumcision. I also write about music and MTV and REO Speedwagon.
Sit back and relax. Grab a cup of your favorite drink and enjoy the read…
Alan Simpson:
Alan Simpson is a former Senator from Wyoming and he co-chaired the Debt commission. Last night on CNN, he gave a great interview and put it all into perspective. Watch it HERE.
When politicians (or former politicians) are not worried about angering the party faithful or raising money for their next election it is very refreshing.
It’s Politics:
The Concerned Women for America (CWFA), the group that is running the Spenditol political advertisement in Montana said in a release their “…message is apparently so offensive to Senator Jon Tester (D-Montana) that his campaign has resorted to slandering Concerned Women for America (CWA) in an apparent effort to fundraise and do damage control.”
Next week some group for Tester will say something about his opponent Denny Rehberg. It’s politics. I’m yawning…
Ouch:
CNN reports that “San Francisco residents will not be voting on whether male circumcisions should be banned in the city this fall.”
Let’s move on…
Pell Grants:
The remarks Congressman Denny Rehberg made comparing Pell grants to “welfare” is the gaffe that keeps on giving. Now there’s a story about it in The Hill. Some folks are angry about $17 million for pell grants being included in a supplemental spending bill.
Maybe that is one of the reasons why the House could not vote last night…
Billings Gazette, the Debt Limit, and Denny Rehberg:
The Gazette Editorial Board writes, “The impending crisis is that House Republicans refuse to raise the federal borrowing limit to finance the spending Congress previously authorized. House members, including Denny Rehberg of Montana, are holding the nation’s credit rating hostage in an ideological battle over future spending.”
That sounds wonderful, but one has to consider that the source, (Lee Newspapers, the owner of the Gazette and other newspapers) is in deep debt itself according to this article. Maybe they shouldn’t be advising anyone about debt…
Rehberg Answers the Gazette:
The next day, Congressman Rehberg fired back with a Guest Opinion saying, “Washington hasn’t been straight with you, and even though it might hurt my chances in the next election, I’m going to tell it like it is. You deserve a civil and respectful conversation that’s honest about the challenges we face.”
So far the Rehberg Senate Campaign is spinning its tires…in the pits.
Congratulations to Montana:
The State of Montana has $340 million in the bank – so congratulations to Democratic Governor Brian Schweitzer and the Republican-controlled Montana Legislature.
Also thanks to the people who wrote the Montana Constitution requiring a balanced budget…
Ironically, the last time the Federal Government had a surplus was when Democrat Bill Clinton was in the White House and the Republicans controlled the House and Senate for most of his eight years in office. It’s called compromise…
Hard to be Humble:
Governor Brian Schweitzer has no plans to run for the U.S. Senate or the U.S. House after his term ends in January 2013.
Schweitzer was quoted saying,
The system is broken, and it isn’t because we don’t have good people,” Schweitzer said. “We have some good people that we’ve sent from Montana, and we have good people there now. But it seems that the system is broken, and we’re all responsible for that.
Somewhere in 2013 or 2014 a three-ring circus will need a ringmaster…and the spotlight will burn too brightly for the “flim-flam” man to refuse…
Postal Service:
According to this story, “Senator Jon Tester wants to know why the head of the U-S Postal Service made $800-thousand dollars last year while the organization is dealing with a multibillion-dollar shortfall.”
Heck Yes! One thing though – we want to know why Jon Tester and those in Washington make $174,000 per year while their organization (the Federal Government) is dealing with a multitrillion-dollar shortfall.
Hill Wins July:
According to this article in Politico, Rick Hill is the winner in the Montana Governor’s race for July 2011.
I’m sure he’d trade it for a win in November 2012.
One thing the staffers here at The Western Word hope for is that Hill and other candidates crank up (or hire) someone who likes to use Twitter…as many of the candidates go days (weeks) between tweets. You can’t get followers if you don’t use it…and waiting until next year to crank it up is too late…(free political advice).
Happy Thirtieth MTV:
Thirty years ago on August 1, 1981, MTV (Music Television) was launched. The first video? “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles.
By the way REO Speedwagon plays at the Montana State Fair on August 2. REO had a few of the first videos on MTV: #9 was “Take it on the Run” and #17 “Keep on Loving You (Live).”
Time Magazine lists the Top 30 Music Videos of all time HERE.
Twitter:
It’s very simple and this is a plug – if you like what you read, you can get in the 140 character form via Twitter by following me @TheWesternWord. Since I don’t have a newspaper, television, or radio station to help direct people to my Twitter account, I have to plug it here.
August 2:
Reminder – The staffers from The Western Word will be attending the REO Speedwagon concert on August 2 (Tuesday) at the Montana State Fair. We hope to see you there. Rock on…
One More Thing:
Since the State Fair is happening in Great Falls – you need to drink plenty of liquids, wear sunscreen, and stay cool. Most importantly, don’t forget to stretch…
The Western Word 