Watch out – today is Friday the 13th.  Maybe you should just take the day off?

Today I am posting the 90th edition of Caught My Eye.  Caught My Eye is posted every Friday morning right here!  In this column I take a quick look at some of the stories I did not have time to comment about during the week – and I often throw in a touch of sarcasm just to make you smile…

ADVISORY:  Everyone and everything is fair game…

Today I write about Tester/Rehberg fundraising, the postal service, the Veterans Administration, planning ahead, Perry v. Schweitzer, rent a celebrity, my book, rocket man, I peek inside my political inbox and share, and there’s a lot more!

Tester/Rehberg One Point Two:

The Associated Press reported late Thursday afternoon that, “Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and Republican challenger Rep. Denny Rehberg are reporting that they each raised $1.2 million in the first three months of 2012.”

With each candidate claiming they raised $1.2 million, one would expect to see some “good-paying jobs” filled on these campaigns.  I am sure they are hiring maxed-out donor’s children first and third generation (and older) Montanans second…

Dog & Pony Show:

The Postmaster General, Patrick Donahoe, came to Montana on Thursday and told “residents in Montana’s capital and one of its smallest towns that thousands of post offices nationwide must be shuttered to cut costs.”

I don’t think he delivered any mail while he was here…

Realistically if the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) would have tightened their belt ten years ago, they would not be in this mess.  Closures are going to happen – and the weaker states (in political clout) will suffer… 

Reassignment:

We learned through the Associated Press that “The director of veterans’ health care in Montana was reassigned to Denver while officials review why an acute psychiatric wing has not yet opened in a mental health hospital completed last June.”

Steve Young, the Hall of Fame quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, will serve as interim director.  Not really, the interim director is Steve Young, but he is from the Salt Lake City VA.  I don’t think he’s the same person…

I would imagine a member of the Congressional Delegation had something to do with her reassignment, because almost as soon as the story hit the wire Senators Baucus and Tester had both issued statements about it to get some publicity (remember the Veterans’ vote is important).

The big problem is veterans getting their health care closer to home and using providers that will stick around for longer than a couple years.  We can’t build a VA Clinic in every town, but we can/should provide local care for veterans.

Plan for Closure:

I got quite a chuckle when I read the Great Falls Tribune story about the Great Falls City Manager telling local leaders they “need to begin a conversation on what steps local governments will take to insulate Malmstrom Air Force Base from closure, while also preparing for the possibility that it could happen.”

So soon?  I wrote about this issue in my “Ready to Fight” three part series almost two years ago…

I am sure City Manager Doyon and Cascade County Commissioner Briggs have the expertise and wherewithal to lead the city and county in their quest to save Malmstrom AFB from closure (I actually tried to keep a straight face while typing that last line, but I laughed so hard I spit on my monitor).

Perry Says No/Schweitzer Says Yes:

In what could be an interesting test of clout, Texas Governor Rick Perry (an Air Force veteran and former C-130 pilot) wants to keep eight C-130 planes in Texas.  Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer (a dog owner and the #9 most popular governor) wants them moved to Montana.

Meanwhile, the Montana Congressional delegation is watching from the sidelines, probably wondering where they can send their next letter…

Overall, Texas has a lot more clout than Montana so on paper it looks as though they should end up winning this little battle.  But “that’s why we play the game” of politics! 

Jack’s Political Inbox:

I subscribe to receive e-mail updates from the candidates, elected officials and groups and I receive some just for being an all-around nice fellow.  Almost every week I pick a few to share with my readers – I also add some (often snarky) commentary!  This week I selected nine to share with my readers.  Enjoy!

-Former Congressman J.C. Watts sent me an e-mail with the subject, “Fwd: Last Conservative Standing” and he writes, “Conservative pundits and activists across this country are all buzzing about what Rick Santorum’s exit from the Presidential race means.  I’ll tell you exactly what it means: that Newt Gingrich is the last conservative standing.”

Yes he is, but he won’t win.  The GOP Presidential field was pretty weak to begin with and now they are putting forth a filthy rich man who flip-flops on the issues…

–Sharla Tester jumped in the 2012 U.S. Senate campaign sending a supportive e-mail for her husband with the subject, “He’s got your back” and she writes, “Take it from me, Jon stands out in Washington.  He’s the only Senator who’s been working on the family farm since he was a boy.  He’s the guy who shows up at the airport lugging a carry-on cooler full of Montana beef (because the grocery store stuff you get out in DC is not the same).  And I’m pretty sure he’s one of the only ones who still pays ten bucks per haircut.”

There goes that carry-on full of Montana beef story again…for some reason I get hungry just reading that…

–Barack Obama sent me an e-mail with the subject “Now we know” and he writes, “We now know who our opponent is.  But what we’re really fighting against is what our opponent has pledged to do if elected.  He would shower billionaires with more huge tax breaks, oppose setting a timeline to bring our troops home from Afghanistan, starve investments in clean energy research, and make it harder for students to afford to go to college.  He’d outlaw a woman’s right to choose and completely cut funding for Planned Parenthood.”

Obama forgot to add a sentence about Romney installing an elevator for his cars at the White House…

-The Ken Miller for Governor Campaign sent me an e-mail with the subject, “I Challenge Former Congressman Hill’s Understanding of Montana’s Wolf Problem” and added the following sentence in (blood) red at the top of his e-mail, “WARNING: graphic images* contained in this letter may not be suitable for some viewers.”  He goes on to say, “Rick Hill is not in touch with Montana and the wolf situation.”

Of course if it says “graphic images” I have to sneak a quick look…

–Chuck Denowh, who apparently works for a group called “Montana Coalition to Protect Jobs” sent me an e-mail with the subject, “Shot/Chaser: Union pensions going bankrup/Labor [sic] bosses spend fortune on Obama.”  He writes, “”US Union Pensions Hole Deepens To $369 Billion” and “Labor Bosses Plan To Spend $400 Million Dollars For Obama During 2012 Presidential Election.”

Ol’ Chuck should start a group called “Montana Coalition to Create Jobs” and he can hire me to do a spell check on his documents before he hits send (Now that’s funny I don’t care who you ask).

-Someone named Sharon Day, who is the Co-Chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, wasted no time in using the Hilary Rosen comments to raise money.  In case you missed it, Rosen said during an interview on CNN that Ann Romney “never worked a day in her life.”  Rosen later apologized, but not before the Obama campaign and Democratic National Committee distanced themselves from her.

Ms. Day said that I could send her $15 and she would send me a travel coffee mug with “Moms Do Work Vote GOP” on it.

Although there’s no doubt that stay at home moms (and dads) do work (I am one right now) and what Rosen said was stupid, the whole incident started me wondering how many folks are employed in the Romney household…you know to “help” with things like run the elevator for the cars in the garage…or shine up those two Cadillacs that Ms. Romney drives…

-The Rick Hill for Governor Campaign graced my inbox late Thursday afternoon with an e-mail that had the subject, “New Video: Build the Keystone Pipeline” where Hill talked about “One of the great opportunities Montana has to create jobs and economic prosperity is the Keystone XL pipeline.”

I turned off Spotify to listen to the video.  After watching the 56 second video I turned Spotify back on…

-The Jim Lynch for Governor Campaign sent me an e-mail with the subject “Jim Lynch and Al Olszewski, Leaders YOU can COUNT on!”  They went on to say, “What we need as Republicans is a candidate that not only believes in the limited role government, but understands the need for government to work with a sense of urgency and efficiency, to best serve its taxpayers.”

Amen to that…

-The Congressional Office for Denny Rehberg sent me an e-mail early this morning with the subject, “Rehberg Schedules Rocky Mountain Front Listening Session in Choteau” to talk about the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act – which is sponsored by Senator Max Baucus.

Rehberg plans to hold the listening session on Saturday, April 21 at 2:30 PM at the Choteau Country Club (1502 Airport Rd).  Everyone is invited.

Rehberg was quoted in the release saying, “Most of Senator Baucus’ wilderness bill support is coming from the same groups that support Senator Tester’s wilderness bill.”  Rehberg then added this little zinger, “When I held public meetings about Senator Tester’s bill, it quickly became obvious that it was a lot less popular than the manufactured support had led on.”

Bada bing, bada boom…

A Celebrity for Every Budget:

According to this story, you can rent a celebrity for your party.  Prices vary, but Kim Kardashian will cost you about $125,000 and “Lady Gaga tops the list at $2 million.”

If that’s too much for your wallet, don’t despair.  Jack is in the house…for some beer and pizza/hot wings (plus you have to pay for my mileage), I’d show up at your party and make it a success…

Trails, Tales, and Journeys:

A big thank you to all the folks who downloaded my book for free this week!  My book made it all the way to number seven on Amazon’s “Best Sellers in Memoirs” free book list.  The promo has ended, but the good news is that you can still read the book – and for only $4.99.  Click at the top of this page on “Buy My Book” to get it now!  (Help a starving author)

I was honored that the book was downloaded so many times here in the USA, but a special shout-out goes to the many folks in the United Kingdom for downloading it.  I also want to give a high-five to the person in Denmark who took the time to download it!  Enjoy!

Rocket Man:

Reuters reported that “North Korea’s much hyped long-range rocket launch on Friday ended in apparent failure, South Korean officials said, dealing a blow to the prestige of the reclusive and impoverished state that defied international pressure to push ahead with the plan.”

“And all this science I don’t understand…It’s just my job five days a week…A rocket man, a rocket man.”  – From “Rocket Man” by Sir Elton John (Go ahead and click on the link to listen to the song – it’s Friday!)

One More Thing:

Don’t forget to stretch…