Quote for the Day…

I don’t even have a sense of humor anymore. It’s literally just sarcasm and a general hate for the majority of the human population. -Unknown

Welcome to 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:

• Debt Ceiling
• Gianforte Tours Southern Border
• Montana Abortion Laws Blocked
• Trust in Politicians/Voters
• One, Two, Three More Things

DEBT CEILING:

The Associated Press (AP) reported Thursday evening that the U.S. Senate dodged a U.S. debt disaster, voting to extend the government’s borrowing authority into December and temporarily avert an unprecedented federal default that experts warned would devastate the economy and harm millions of Americans. The party-line Democratic vote of 50-48 in support of the bill to raise the government’s debt ceiling by nearly a half-trillion dollars brought instant relief in Washington and far beyond. However, it provides only a reprieve. Assuming the House goes along, which it will, Republican and Democratic lawmakers will still have to tackle their deep differences on the issue once more before yearend.

Guess which U.S. Senator from Montana voted for the debt ceiling increase and which one voted against it. (Source)

I know there’s a clue in the opening paragraph!

TESTER: YEA
DAINES: NAY

The debt limit has been raised or suspended 80 times since 1960. It was suspended three times during the Trump administration. (AP) I did not have time to check Daines’ votes, but I bet he voted to raise it when Trump was President.

Daines announced on Facebook that he voted against raising the debt ceiling to which a person correctly replied, “This debt ceiling vote is on the money you already spent. You just voted to default on the debt you incurred. Shameful.”

The Department of the Treasury has information that makes Daines look even sillier:

The debt limit does not authorize new spending commitments. It simply allows the government to finance existing legal obligations that Congresses and presidents of both parties have made in the past.

Read the complete story from the AP HERE.

GIANFORTE TOURS SOUTHERN BORDER:

According to a press release from the Governor’s Office, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte (R) and nine other governors from across the country on Wednesday received a briefing on the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border from law enforcement officers, toured the southern border, and provided a ten-point plan to resolve the crisis. The press release said that Gianforte was joined by Governors Doug Ducey of Arizona, Brian Kemp of Georgia, Brad Little of Idaho, Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, Mike DeWine of Ohio, Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, Greg Abbott of Texas, and Mark Gordon of Wyoming.

The governors are all Republicans. Surprise!

KTVH reported that Gianforte flew to Texas Tuesday on his own private aircraft and won’t be charging the state for the cost, his office said.

That is so darn nice of him to use his aircraft since this was more of a publicity stunt than anything else. There were some nice photos of Gianforte standing in front of the border wall and of him acting interested during a briefing, so at least he’ll have those for his next campaign, whatever campaign that may be.

In reviewing the ten-point plan, many of the ideas are not something that a governor can accomplish, but something the federal government needs to do.

Finally, Gianforte’s COVID plan is killing Montanans, his state goes easy on drunk drivers, plus there are many missing children and young people in his state. These are some of the things that I think Gianforte should concentrate on and stop with the Biden bashing and taking silly 2,000-mile publicity-seeking trips to the southern border.

Read the complete press release from the Governor’s office by clicking HERE.

Read the full story from KTVH by clicking HERE.

MONTANA ABORTION LAWS BLOCKED:

The Associated Press (AP) is reporting that Yellowstone District Court Judge Michael Moses has blocked three laws restricting abortion access in Montana while a legal challenge is underway.

According to the AP, the laws would ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, restrict access to abortion pills, and require abortion providers to ask patients if they would like to view an ultrasound.

I don’t think these three laws will stand up in court, so in about two years the Republican legislature will get to try again.

Ironically, many Republicans in Montana don’t want the government telling them how to handle their personal healthcare decisions – like wearing a mask or getting vaccinated.

Read the complete AP story HERE.

TRUST IN POLITICIANS/VOTERS:

Gallup reported this week that less than half of U.S. adults say they have confidence in people who hold or are running for public office. Meanwhile, a small majority express confidence in the judgments of the American people under the democratic system.

Gallup polling shows less than half of U.S. adults (44%) say they have a great deal or fair amount of confidence in people who hold or are running for public office, rivaling the record low of 42% from 2016. Meanwhile, a small majority (55%) express a similar level of confidence in the judgments of the American people under the democratic system, the lowest Gallup has measured to date but not meaningfully different from 56% readings in 2016 and 2020.

I think that both sides of the political aisle are at fault for making people less confident in their elected officials. They attack each other too much. There’s little decorum from the elected officials and political parties. I think that Donald Trump should get a lot of the blame for bringing politics down into the toilet.

As for voters, some are like sheep. Many just watch someone they like from their favorite cable channel and regurgitant the talking points.

Just the other day a friend told me that Trump won the 2020 election and that there may not be another election if he is not made President. This person gets their information from right-wing radio hosts and cable news, and he has been known to spew hatred on social media.

I said that Trumpers should probably concentrate in 2024 and not be looking backward at something that has been challenged over and over and has stood. I said the outcome won’t be changed.

Beam me up, Scotty!

ONE, TWO, THREE MORE THINGS:

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## HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND ##

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