Hello! Here are the topics for today’s independent commentary:

• Montana National Guard to Texas
• Montana Democrats & Medicaid
• Iowa and LSU
• One More Thing

MONTANA NATIONAL GUARD TO TEXAS:

In what most people with brains would describe as an election year gimmick, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte announced that he was sending members of the Montana National Guard to support the state of Texas in its efforts to secure the southern border of the United States.

MTN News is reporting that in response to a request from Texas through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, the Montana National Guard will place 10 soldiers on State Active Duty to support efforts in response to a declared state of emergency on the Texas border.

According to the Daily Montanan, the 10 troops will be used “to help maintain vehicles.”

I wonder if they will receive medals with Humvees on them?

It’s a shame that our elected officials can use the outstanding men and women of the National Guard for political purposes.

MONTANA DEMOCRATS & MEDICAID:

MTN News reports that since the start of a ten-month eligibility redetermination period, Montana regulators report more than 130,000 people have been removed from the state Medicaid program. It is also reported that this list includes 35,798 children.

It was good to see that the Montana Democrats are bringing this issue to the forefront. According to MTN News, they held an event at the Montana State Capitol to highlight stories from healthcare providers and patients, who said there have been real impacts for people who’ve lost Medicaid coverage.

It’s time for the Montana Democrats to take off the gloves and show Montanans what cold-hearted bastards the Montana Republicans have become under the leadership of Donald Trump.

Ryan Busse, a Democrat running for Governor, blasted Governor Greg Gianforte for allowing nearly 133,000 Montanans, including 36,000 children, to lose healthcare coverage over the past year.

Busse joined his lieutenant governor running mate, constitutional attorney Raph Graybill, and three Montanans whose lives and livelihoods have been impacted by Gianforte’s health care crisis. Most of the 132,697 affected Montanans lost their Medicaid coverage due to preventable procedural errors and red tape within Gianforte’s Department of Health and Human Services. This number includes 13,000 Indigenous People and more than 7,600 seniors.

Graybill noted that these Montanans “are not going away.” He also criticized Gianforte for refusing to fix his own crisis with $135 million meant for health care funding in Montana. Graybill then recalled a recent visit with community leaders in Sweet Grass County.

“In Big Timber, the health clinic made offers to 22 different people to hire an RN,” Graybill said. “No one could do it because they couldn’t afford the housing in Big Timber. What does that $135 million we’re turning away mean for Big Timber to hire an RN in their community? This affects all of us.”

“We should not mince words: it is evil—evil—to do this to people,” Busse added. “It is evil to strip kids who are obviously deserving of health care. It is evil to strip health care from Native American kids. It’s evil. Let’s call it what it is.”

The only thing I can add is it is terrible to hurt those who are struggling to make their way. Many Montanans are a paycheck or two from being in their situation.

IOWA AND LSU:

Iowa’s 94-87 victory over LSU in the Elite Eight of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Monday night averaged 12.3 million viewers on ESPN, according to Nielsen. That makes it one of the most-viewed games in any sport other than NFL football over the past year. (Source)

In the past 10 years, I have enjoyed watching women’s college basketball more than men’s. The women are better at the fundamentals and are better at passing and setting screens than the men.

I was happy to see Caitlan Clark and Iowa win. I was happy to see LSU lose. They were the champs, but they acted like punks as champs.

ONE MORE THING:

Maybe I am a little behind, but I like the song from Blake Shelton called “God’s Country,” which reminds me of growing up in Mill Grove, Missouri.

Right outside of this one church town
There’s a gold dirt road to a whole lot of nothin’
Got a deed to the land, but it ain’t my ground
This is God’s country
We pray for rain, and thank Him when it’s fallen
‘Cause it brings a grain and a little bit of money
We put it back in the plate
I guess that’s why they call it God’s country

I saw the light in the sunrise
Sittin’ back in the 40 on the muddy riverside
Gettin’ baptized in holy water and shine
With the dogs runnin’
Saved by the sound of the been found
Dixie whistled in the wind, that’ll get you Heaven bound
The Devil went down to Georgia, but he didn’t stick around
This is God’s country

Check out the video HERE.

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