Quote for the Day…

Three great forces rule the world: stupidity, fear, and greed. – Albert Einstein

Welcome to another exciting edition of Caught My Eye (CME)!

CME is the once-a-week column that is posted every Friday morning. This is when I look at some of the stories I did not have time to write about during the week.

Here are some of the things that “Caught My Eye” this week:

• Elsie Arntzen
• Healthcare & Politics
• Abortion & Gianforte
• One More Thing

ELSIE ARNTZEN:

I wonder how it feels for Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen to oversee an organization that probably 90% did not vote for her.

Arntzen recently weighed in on wearing masks in public schools. Montana Public Radio reported:

Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen told MTPR in a statement that masking should be a personal choice. She said OPI has heard of “negative impacts” associated with masks in school settings and hopes that students and staff can return to normal.

It is funny that so many Republicans are shouting “personal choice” from the mountaintops about wearing masks and getting the COVID vaccine, but when it comes to other “personal” issues, like abortion, they want to dictate what people can or cannot do. That is hypocritical.

We need to listen to healthcare professionals about masking and about getting the vaccine and keep politics out of it.

Read the complete story from MTPR HERE.

HEALTHCARE & POLITICS:

The Great Falls Tribune is reporting about the city of Great Falls and Cascade County Commissioners meeting this week to discuss the future of the Board of Health in light of a bill signed by Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte in the spring that limited the authority of local health boards.

The Tribune reported that HB 121 was signed into law by Gianforte in April, requiring a government body in charge of oversight of any local Board of Health, with the ability to override actions taken by the board in response to an emergency.

So now we have the city and county commissioners jockeying for the power to dictate healthcare oversight. In other words, politicians who probably have no healthcare experience will have the ultimate say in emergencies about healthcare.

If you’ve watched any city or county commission meeting, you can see that we don’t need some of the commissioners talking about health at all – they can’t even take care of themselves.

Read the complete Tribune story HERE.

ABORTION & GIANFORTE:

Lee Newspapers and the Associated Press reported this week that Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte was among 12 Republican governors signing onto an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in a lawsuit over a Mississippi law restricting abortion, the outcome of which could have implications for similar measures across the country. The case before the high court is over a 2018 Mississippi law that would ban abortion after 15 weeks gestation with exceptions for medical emergencies or severe fetal abnormality. The law was blocked after a federal court challenge by the state’s sole abortion clinic, with the decision upheld by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

It’s also been reported that the Mississippi Attorney General filed papers last week asking the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 court decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

That’s probably not going to happen.

I doubt Greg Gianforte signing onto an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court will have much, if any, impact on future decisions that will come from U.S. Supreme Court on abortion rights. It does impact Gianforte with his base of supporters and makes them happy.

Read the Lee Newspaper and Associated Press article HERE.

ONE MORE THING:

Why does Trump object to the infrastructure bill? It includes $45 to buy rakes to clean the forests of dead leaves. @PeterSandler

## HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND ##