Fact Check: Wyoming Sen. Barrasso's statement on health care reform

The Wyoming Democratic Party did a little research and came up with a fact check on some health care reform comments by Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, M.D. (hope he's a better doctor than researcher):

Brianna Jones, WyoDems communications director: Please see below for a fact check of the claims made by Senator Barrasso on the floor of the Senate just now on how the Patients Protection and Affordable Care Act would affect Medicare:

Sen. Barrasso: “When you look at the details of this bill, this is going to cut almost $500 billion. $500 Billion from our seniors who depend on Medicare for their health care.” [Barrasso Floor Speech, 11/20/09]

REALITY: MEDICARE SAVINGS DO NOT CUT BENEFITS

AARP: Statement That Reform Would Cut Medicare Benefits Is “Misleading And Alarmist,” And “The Proposed Medicare Savings Do Not Limit Benefits, They Do Not Impose Rationing.” The Wall Street Journal reported that, “[t]he Republican Party issued a new salvo in the health debate Monday with a ‘seniors' health care bill of rights’ that opposed any moves to trim Medicare spending or limit end-of-life care to seniors. Intended as a political shot at President Barack Obama, the Republican National Committee manifesto marks a remarkable turnaround for a party that had once fought to trim the health program for the elderly and disabled, which last year cost taxpayers over $330 billion…The country's largest lobbying group for seniors, AARP, said it welcomed the RNC's commitment to protect Medicare. But the group, which supports efforts to overhaul the health-care system, also dismissed the RNC statement as misleading and alarmist. ‘Change by itself is anxiety producing, but as we have analyzed the various bills [before Congress], the proposed Medicare savings do not limit benefits, they do not impose rationing and they do not put the government between patients and their doctors,’ said John Rother, AARP's executive vice president.” [Wall Street Journal, 8/25/09]

Hospitals Group Refuted CMS Actuary Report: “Hospitals Always Will Stand By Senior Citizens. This Summer, Hospitals Agreed To Contribute Substantial Medicare Savings Are Part Of Our Shared Sacrifice To Reform Health Care.” Politico Live Pulse reported: “The following statement was released today by Chip Kahn, President of the Federation of American Hospitals: Hospitals’ commitment to our mission of serving the health care needs of seniors in communities across America is steadfast. A memorandum recently issued by the CMS Actuary analyzing the effects of “America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009” (H.R. 3962) concludes that some providers may end their participation in the Medicare program. Hospitals always will stand by senior citizens. This summer, hospitals agreed to contribute substantial Medicare savings as part of our shared sacrifice to reform health care and achieve near universal coverage for all Americans. We are pleased with the legislative progress as well as the movement towards market-based solutions. And we look forward to working with Congress and the Administration to enact legislation that will enable hospitals to continue to provide our patients, including seniors, with ready access to the highest quality health care possible.” [Politico Live Pulse, 11/16/09]

Medicare Advantage Health Economist: 86 Percent Of Extra MA Payments Went To Profits, Only 14 Percent Went To Extra Benefits – “Cuts To MA Should Be A No Brainer.” Health Economist Austin Frakt, a professor at Boston University, has studied Medicare Advantage plans extensively and wrote on his blog about his findings: “Payment to MA plans has gone way up since 2003. Did the payment increase largely benefit beneficiaries or not? This is a current political and policy debate, about which much has been written in the media (both traditional and blogospheric). It turns out the answer is known and quantifiable. My work (with Steve Pizer and Roger Feldman) shows that for each additional dollar spent by the federal government (taxpayers) on the program since 2003, just $0.14 of it can be attributed to additional value (consumer surplus) to beneficiaries (see also: findings brief). What do we make of the other $0.86? That goes to the insurance companies but doesn’t come out “the other end” in the form of value to beneficiaries. In part it is accounted for by the costs of the additional benefits and in part it is captured as additional insurer profit. So, do higher MA payments produce little value to beneficiaries, as Obama claims, or are the benefits they fund important to maintain, as Republicans would have us believe? The balance of the evidence is on Obama’s side. In fact, it is a landslide: for each dollar spent, 14% of the value reaches beneficiaries and 86% of it goes elsewhere (profit or cost). Cuts to MA should be a no brainer.” [Incidental Economist - Austin Frakt, 9/28/09]

REALITY: REFORM WOULD STRENGTHEN MEDICARE

CBO On Senate Bill: Medicare Savings Amount To $491 Billion. In its estimate of the Senate reform bill, CBO wrote: “Other components of the legislation would alter spending under Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal programs…In total, CBO estimates that enacting those provisions would reduce direct spending by $491 billion over the 2010-2019 period.” [Congressional Budget Office, 11/18/09]

Senate Bill Includes $500 Shrinkage Of Medicare Prescription Drug Donut Hole In 2010. Politico Live Pulse reported that, “[i]n what can be viewed as an election-year sweetener for senior citizens, the coverage gap in the Medicare prescription drug program would shrink by $500 in 2010 only under the Senate bill. A Senate leadership aide described it as a ‘downpayment’ on closing the donut hole. ‘Our goal is to get it closer to the House bill,’ which would eliminate the coverage gap over the next decade, the aide said.” [Politico Live Pulse, 11/18/09]

AARP CEO: House Bill “Includes Critical Priorities For Seniors…Provides And Strengthens Medicare For Today’s Seniors And Future Generations.” The Hill reported on AARP’s endorsement of House Democratic health reform. AARP CEO A. Barry Rand said, “[t]his bill includes critical priorities for seniors – critical – ensures quality, affordable health coverage options for all Americans, provides and strengthens Medicare for today’s seniors and future generations and puts us on a path to improving our long-term health system.” [The Hill, 11/5/09]

New York Times: Reform Will Enhance Drug Coverage, Reduce Premiums, and Help Keep Medicare Solvent. “Far from harming elderly Americans, the various reform bills now pending should actually make Medicare better for most beneficiaries — by enhancing their drug coverage, reducing the premiums they pay for drugs and medical care, eliminating co-payments for preventive services and helping keep Medicare solvent, among other benefits.” [New York Times, Editorial, 9/27/09]

Progressives bring opposing P.O.V. to Casper teabagger rally

Casper progessives joined with a contingent from Laramie to present an opposing point of view at a teabagger rally Saturday across the street from Wyoming Medical Center. According to Laramie's Meg Lanker, the Casper tea party rally was co-sponsored by the Wyoming 9/12 Project, Wyoming Watchdogs and Wyoming Patriot Alliance worked with Docs 4 Patient Care. The rally was held Saturday just before the U.S. Senate held an historic vote to debate the health care reform bill. That debate will start after Thanksgiving. But we can give thanks now that the bill won't be stopped by a Repub filibuster. By the way, Wyoming's two senators voted with fellow Repubs to try to thwart health care reform for America. One of those senators is a physician, or so he says. Thanks to Meg Lanker for the photo.

Letter from D.C. -- and my response

Letter from Wyo. Rep. Cynthia Lummis, with her comments in red and mine in blue:

Dear Michael:

Thank you for contacting me regarding healthcare reform. It is good to hear from you.

Congressional Democrat leaders are working to create a new government-forced healthcare system that would put government bureaucrats between you and your doctor. The House Democrats' proposal - the Affordable Health Care for America Act of 2009 (H.R. 3962) - requires all individuals to purchase health insurance and all employers to provide health insurance to their employees or face steep tax penalties. The bill creates at least 111 new offices, programs and other bureaucracies - including a "Health Choices Commissioner" - that together will dictate to all Americans what health insurance they will be forced to purchase and how much the government should pay medical providers. The bill contains no prohibitions on federal bureaucrats denying access to life-saving treatments for patients.

No prohibitions exist at this time to prohibit health insurance company bureaucrats from denying access to necessary life-saving treatments to patients. Often, those insurance flunkies have no medical background and are making some pretty big decisions on long-term hospital stays, operations, and mental health treatment. You could call this rationing, and is exists now.

I don't know how many times I've chided Republicans for using "Democrat" instead of "Democratic" when referring to the party. We don't say "Republic Party," although some 10th amendment teabaggers might prefer the term. One of these days, the Republics will learn.

I agree with President Obama that people should be able to keep their health coverage if they like it, but this is not the case under H.R. 3962. While estimates range from several million to up to 114 million, experts agree that millions of Americans will end up being enrolled in the new government-run health plan created by H.R. 3962, many not because of choice but because of coercive government policies. Members of Congress, however, will not be required to enroll in the government-run health plan. Members of Congress who support this bill should be subjecting themselves to the same big government policies they wish to impose on the American people.

Members of Congress such as Rep. Lummis now are enrolled in a government-run health care system. Don't hear many complaints. Rep. Lummis underwent an operation earlier this year in Casper. Wonder if she used her taxpayer-funded health insurance to cover the bills.

To partially finance this over $1 trillion expansion of big government, the House Democrat health reform bill imposes over $700 billion in new taxes on individuals and businesses of all sizes. This includes $135 billion in taxes on individuals and businesses who cannot afford to purchase government-approved health insurance. Individuals would be subject to this tax regardless of their income, violating President Obama's pledge not to raise taxes on anyone making less than $250,000 a year.

I agree with Rep. Lummis that this tax issue is disturbing. I do think that some of that $700 billion in new taxes will come from rescinding Pres. Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy. I will check this.

Our nation's seniors would also have to foot some of the bill. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that H.R. 3962 will raise seniors' Medicare prescription drug premiums by 20 percent, even as Social Security benefits are estimated to stay flat for the next few years because of the bad economy. H.R. 3962 also slashes $150 billion from the Medicare Advantage program in which nearly 3,000 seniors in Wyoming are enrolled and from which they can obtain extra benefits and lower copayments.

Translation: seniors vote -- don't cross them.

I joined both Democrat and Republican Members in calling for the final language of H.R. 3692 to be posted online 72 hours before the House is expected to vote. Within this 72 hour period, I offered amendments to H.R. 3962 to allow states to protect their citizens from government-forced insurance, unfunded mandates, taxes and possible imprisonment for not buying bureaucrat-approved coverage, and government policies that come between patients and their doctors. My amendments and dozens of others were not allowed consideration on the House floor by the House Rules Committee, which also made several last minute changes to the bill the night before it was considered on the House floor. I voted against H.R. 3962, which passed by a vote of 220-215. A similar bill is now pending in the Senate.

I am urging our senators to vote for the Senate health care bill. They will not, but I shall continue urging them on until I am blue in the face. All over my body, and in my heart, too.

As an alternative, I support the Empowering Patients First Act (H.R. 3400). Under H.R. 3400, low-income, uninsured individuals would receive a tax credit to help them purchase private insurance. All Americans would receive a tax deduction for healthcare insurance costs, not just those that receive coverage through their employee. H.R. 3400 would devote more federal funds for state-based high-risk pools for those with pre-existing conditions that are unable to obtain private insurance. The plan would also allow small businesses to join together across state lines and create their own affordable health insurance plans. To safeguard access to medical care for Wyoming's seniors, H.R. 3400 prevents a scheduled 20 percent cut in Medicare payments to physicians. Perhaps most importantly, H.R. 3400 respects and upholds the notion that individuals, not the government, should be in charge of their healthcare dollars.

This sounds like more Republican dithering. This is supposed to be reform, not tinkering.

H.R. 3400's cost to the taxpayer is fully offset. It accomplishes this in part by imposing a one-percent cut in non-Defense spending and repealing unspent economic stimulus funds. H.R. 3400 would also step up efforts to eliminate waste and fraud in our entitlement programs and reduce defensive medicine through targeted medical liability reforms.

Let's impose a 1 percent cut in non-Defense spending and a 2-percent cut in Defense spending. This can be accomplished by finally getting the hell out of Iraq. It's time to stop bringing democracy and security and higher education and better healthcare to Iraqis and start bringing it to Americans.

As the healthcare reform debate continues, I will continue focusing on patient-centered and not government-centered solutions to improve access to affordable healthcare in rural and frontier America. In Wyoming, it's not just cost that gets in the way of your healthcare, it's a lack of providers, whether for primary, specialty or mental health care. I have joined the House Rural Health Care Coalition to address the unique healthcare challenges we face in Wyoming that are not fully understood by our urban counterparts, such as reimbursing doctors and hospitals more fairly for Medicare patient procedures.

I am impressed that Rep. Lummis addresses accessibility to health care in Wyoming. I'm even more impressed that she mentions mental health care in our 97,000-square-mile state with not one pediatric psychiatrist. Thank you for joining the House health Care Coalition.

As for government-centered vs. patient-centered care... How can she call the current system "patient-centered?" Yes, Wyomingites with insurance can make the claim that they can visit the doctor or dentist or surgeon of their choice. I do that. Often those professionals are located down I-25 in Fort Collins, Loveland and Denver. Still, most are in the Great West/CIGNA network and I usually pay only the 20-percent deductible. I am employed and am lucky to have insurance for myself and my diabetic wife and my daughter with epilepsy and mental health issues. I also have the advantage of living in the state's largest city, Cheyenne, and right on the border of a more populous and more health-conscious state

But Wyomingites in small towns don't have much choice. The town may only have a few doctors and maybe a dentist. That's their choice. They can drive 50 or 100 or 300 miles to the nearest cancer or pulmonary specialist. Veterans have a choice of V.A. Hospitals in Cheyenne and Sheridan, and across the border in Rapid City. The V.A. sponsors shuttles to get these vets to a doctor. Sometimes they don't have a choice of doctors, but... Hold on. Vets have the best health care system that taxpayer funding can buy. Popular with Vets, too. Just ask one. Doggone that terrible government-centered health care!

Speaking of government-funded solutions... Thousands of the state's citizens get Medicaid funding. These are people with no insurance, or insurance that's inadequate for required medical or mental health treatments. Approximately 75,000 of our people are covered under Medicaid, including 50,582 children (2008 Children's Defense Fund figures).

Thank you again for sharing your thoughts with me on an issue of importance to all of Wyoming's citizens. Please keep in touch, and I look forward to seeing you in Wyoming.

Sincerely,

Cynthia M. Lummis
Member of Congress

You're welcome, Rep. Lummis. Be seeing you next time you're in Wyoming.

CIGNA -- can you hear me now?

This comes from Badtux the Snarky Penguin (via Skippy the Bush Kangaroo), a blog that's new to me. Then again, lots of things are new to me. Oh brave new world that has such blogs in't! And I'm always partial to prog-blogs with animal names.

CIGNA denies hearing implant to child who will never be able to hear if she doesn't get it within the next few months [link to think progress].

Isn’t it wonderful that in the right wing's wonderful free market world this child doesn’t have to worry about the evil government getting between her doctors and her health care? And the magical Free Market Fairy smiles because that's $20,000 higher bonus that CIGNA's CEO can get next year. Why do you want to make the Free Market Fairy frown by, well, saying that this girl should be receiving the health care that her parents paid insurance money for? Heresy!

So why are we bothering with protecting these bastards, again?

Good question, Badtux. Cigna is my health insurer, mysteriously taking over from Great West Life about a year ago. The State of Wyoming pays the majority -- but not all -- of my health insurance premium which goes to a company that denies health coverage to six-year-olds whose families pay health insurance premiums. All those premiums get bundled together to pay a bonus to the CIGNA CEO who gets rich denying health care to little girls.

It's again time to share the new CIGNA logo



New revised logo by Ryan O'Connell and featured on Sick for Profit.

Dear Rep. Lummis: You'll be known by the company you keep

Rep. Cynthia Lummis toes the Republican National Committee line on most issues. She's consistently voted against health care reform, health insurance coverage for children, climate legislation and equal rights for gays. She loves the Department of Defense yet despises the gubment's role in almost all other things. So odd how Repubs hate gubment but have never met a defense appropriations bill they didn't like. "For the troops," they will say. What they really mean is, "For the lobbyists."

Rep. Lummis is fearful that Khalid Sheik Mohammed is scheduled for a jury trial in New York City. Most Republicans won't give New Yorkers (except the rich mayor) the time of day. Now they're all worked up, afraid that a raggedy band of Islamic extremists are so powerful that their very presence will instill terror in cops and firefighters and cab drivers and the other 9 million or so battle-hardened city dwellers.

Here's Lummis's statement today:

“The decision by the Obama Administration to allow the murderers of more than 3,000 Americans access to the federal court system will have serious negative implications for national security and the justice system. The terrorist attack orchestrated by KSM and his gang of brutal killers was an act of war against the United States and should be prosecuted by a military commission, not a common criminal court.

“It is unconscionable to think that these terrorists will enjoy the same legal rights and benefits guaranteed to U.S. citizens under the Constitution. That is why I joined Rep. Louie Gohmert in introducing legislation to amend the Military Commissions Act of 2009 to make it mandatory to try terrorists, like KSM, through military commissions.”

Obviously Rep. Lummis is not picky about the company she keeps in D.C. Rep. Louie Gohmert is a right-wing Texas fundamentalist. Lee Fang at Think Progress wrote about Rep. Gohmert's bizarre speech during the October House debate over the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Bill. He said that the bill

would lead to a legalization of necrophilia, pedophilia, and bestiality. Later in the speech, after reading lengthy passages from the Bible against homosexuality, Gohmert said that taking away “moral teaching in America” would create a situation similar to that of Germany in the “1920’s and 1930’s” when a “little guy with a mustache” took over:

GOHMERT: If you’re oriented toward animals, bestiality, then, you know, that’s not something that can be used, held against you or any bias be held against you for that. Which means you’d have to strike any laws against bestiality, if you’re oriented toward corpses, toward children, you know, there are all kinds of perversions, [...] pedophiles or necrophiliacs or what most would say is perverse sexual orientations but the trouble is, we made amendments to eliminate pedophiles from being included in the definition. [...] But people have always been willing to give up their liberties, their freedoms in order to gain economic stability. It happened in 1920 and 1930’s. Germany gave up their liberties to gain economic stability and they got a little guy with a mustache, who was the ultimate hate monger. And this is scary stuff we’re doing here when we take away what has traditionally been an important aspect of moral teaching in America.

Several times in the speech, Gohmert credited the conservative Christian “C Street” leader Chuck Colson for inspiration. Oddly, Gohmert also meandered into a self-defensive monologue about how he is not racist because he once voted for Alan Keyes, the birther leader who has said that President Obama is “a radical Communist” who “is going to destroy this country, and we are either going to stop him or the United States of America is going to cease to exist.”

That's odd. Don't those "C Street" Republicans revere old-line dictators such as the little guy with a mustache? Isn't it cute how a former judge, U.S. Army veteran and East Texas tough guy such as Gohmert can't even utter the name "Hitler?" Maybe it hits too close to home.

Rep. Lummis better watch out who she teams up with. Wyomingites, as a rule, don't care for extremists, whether they be from the right or the left. Hatred and fear don't seem to be family values in Cheyenne, at least not in my middle-class neighborhood. Maybe it's a different story for Lummis, who grew up in Cheyenne. Maybe she knows something I don't.

But I doubt it.

Enzi tours Wyoming to probe minds of voters

Brianna Jones at the WyoDems sends this:

This is a heads up that Senator Enzi’s staff will be holding sessions in the following communities over the next few weeks and starting tomorrow. Please share this information!

Buffalo – Thursday, Dec. 10 – Town Hall – 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Cowley – Tuesday, Nov. 24 – Town Hall – 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Kaycee – Thursday, Dec. 10 – Town Hall – 9-10 a.m.
Torrington – Thursday, Nov. 19 – Platte Valley Bank – 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Wheatland – Thursday, Nov. 19 – Platte Valley Bank – 2:30-3:30 p.m.

This is a great opportunity to encourage community members to speak to Enzi’s staff, ask him about some of his recent votes and impart the urgent need for robust health reform.

These are all solidly Republican outposts. I expect lots of softball questions for Enzi. But it's a small victory if even a few Dems show up and ask a real question without getting beat up. I expect a few Dems showing up in Wheatland due to the fact that the Platte County Dems are feisty. Check out their blog at http://plattedems.blogspot.com/.

A few questions for Enzi:

Why did you vote against the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act?
Why are you a health care reform obstructionist?
How can you continue to use my first name? Have you no shame?

What would you like to ask Sen. Enzi? I'm happy to pass any and all questions on to the senator via e-mail.

Learning something new from "WWII in HD"

B-17 Stratofortress, B-24 Liberator, M-1 rifle, dogface, Tarawa, D-Day, Kasserine Pass, Patton, Mt. Suribachi, panzer, blitz...

And so it goes.

Watching "WWII in HD" on the History Channel, I realized that all these terms -- and many more -- are etched permanently into my brain. Chris and I have been transfixed on the couch for the past three nights watching the personal WWII stories unfold in HD. Both of our fathers were WWII veterans. Chris's father was an Army lifer and also a veteran of Korea and Vietnam. It's not so much the HD but the new color footage that makes the difference. And I'm learning some new things in the process.

Baby Boomer boys devoured war stories. Those stories usually came from magazines and books and black-and-white TV and other boys. Fathers often didn't share the real stories about war. Maybe they thought it would damage our fragile sensibilities. Maybe they just wanted to forget.

I turned to books. In the fourth grade, I pulled Richard Tregaskis' "Guadalcanal Diary" from my dad's packed shelves and read it over the course of a couple days. It was more exciting than "Ivanhoe" and "Treasure Island," other books on my father's shelves. But Tragaskis' book was about recent history. It was also about my father and our neighbors and my Little League coach. I was pleased to see that the character of Tragaskis, the war correspondent, is being featured on the History Channel series.

After "Guadalcanal Diary," I turned to Bill Mauldin and Willie and Joe. I tried some of the war's "big books," such as "Berlin Diary" by William Shirer and Churchill's six-book series. Just couldn't get into it. Boring. Too much about politics. Too little action.

Not sure what makes "WWII in HD" so vivid. The only true HD is the film shot of living veterans. The old footage has been high-def'd, which may make it a bit more vivid. But most of the footage was shot from cockpit cameras or G.I. photographers dodging bullets. I credit story and editing. The twelve featured witnesses to that era have distinctive voices. Pilot Bert Stiles was obviously a talented writer and left behind some samples for the series. He was killed in action. There's an Army nurse and a Nisei soldier who wonders at the irony of being held behind barbed wire in a German prison camp while his family was being held behind barbed wire in an Idaho internment camp.

For me, it always comes down to story.

Cheyenne Zonta Club announces "16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence"

Mona Pearl at the Zonta Club of Cheyenne sent out this announcement today:

The Zonta Club of Cheyenne is again participating in 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence. The campaign formally kicks off on Nov. 25. Proclamation signings by Governor Dave Freudenthal and Cheyenne Mayor Rick Kaysen will take place on Nov. 20 and Nov. 18, respectively. The Wyoming Division of Victim Services' “Silent Witness” display in the Laramie County Public Library will open on Nov. 30.

The Cheyenne Zonta Club has invited other organizations to join the campaign, including Safehouse, Cheyenne Community Clinic, United Way of Laramie County Women’s Leadership Council and Prevent Child Abuse-Wyoming.

Since 1991, the 16 Days Campaign has helped to raise awareness about gender violence and has highlighted its effects on women globally. Each year, thousands of activists from all over the world utilize the campaign to further their work to end violence against women. The campaign has celebrated victories gained by women’s rights movements, it has challenged policies and practices that allow women to be targeted for acts of violence, it has called for the protection of people who defend women’s human rights and it has demanded accountability from states, including a commitment to recognize and act upon all forms of violence against women as human rights abuses.

Contact Mona Pearl at 307-772-9001; 307-421-3788; pearl@wslc.com

Nobody would be surprised to hear that violence against women is a problem in Wyoming. In a Sept. 23 article in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle,

Cary Heck, a professor of criminal justice at the University of Wyoming, believes domestic violence is a problem in the state. “I think that is linked a little to socio-economic status, and we sort of have a frontier mentality,” he said. “Wyoming is a drinking state -- and I think those things are linked.”

The professor said domestic violence is hard to prevent from a public policy perspective and that past domestic violence can be linked with future domestic violence. “Generally it’s an explosion that occurs,” he said. “It’s hard to make public policy that will keep those explosions from happening because they’re really not rational events.”

Eileen Gavagan, victim/witness coordinator for the Laramie County District Attorney’s Office, said the state needs tougher domestic violence laws, more counseling for offenders and education for family members.

In the article, the Violence Policy Center in D.C. ranked Wyoming third in the number of domestic violence murders. Wyoming usually places in the top ten in this category.

Not a pretty picture.

But it's not only murder. Most cases of violence against women end up in broken broken bones and broken homes. A woman and her children fleeing to a battered women's shelter. Traumatized kids, and the possibility that they may repeat the behavior as adults -- as either batterer or victim.

Take some time to go see the "Silent Witness" display when it opens Nov. 30 at the library.

If you still need to be pursuaded that gender violence is a problem, go to the Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence web site at http://www.wyomingdvsa.org/domestic/facts.htm

And if you're curious about how this subject fits into the current health care debate, go to my Sept. 15 post at http://hummingbirdminds.blogspot.com/2009/09/sen-enzi-please-explain-why-getting.html

An issue of morality -- "Healthcare For All Americans"

Cheney/Palin in 2012? How about Palin/Cheney?

The talking heads were having fun this morning over at Fixed News Sunday. Did I watch it? No. I was working on my own fiction in the form of a new book of short stories. I prefer fiction that comes out of my head (and heart) to that manufactured by Fixed News.

But Crooks & Liars reports that Liz Cheney was pumping up the volume for a return of her pops to the political scene.

Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Liz Cheney dropped the former vice president's name as the panel was discussing President Barack Obama's decision to respect the Japanese Emperor by bowing during a formal greeting.

Fox News felt compelled to cover Obama bow to Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko after conservative blogs attacked the president. "Sarah Palin would not have bowed to the Emperor of Japan. She wouldn't have even curtsied to him," said Bill Kristol.

But for Liz Cheney, Palin wasn't the only answer to replacing a president that would dare to pay respect to a foreign leader. "You can look at the comparison and think Cheney 2012," teased Cheney. It wasn't clear if Dick Cheney's daughter was joking but the Fox panel seemed warm to the idea.

"That's all I'm going to say," she said.

Kristol, who has long been an advocate for Sarah Palin, had an even better idea. Cheney/Palin," he suggested.

"Or Palin/Cheney. Don't be sexist," replied Chris Wallace.

Ha ha! A Fixed News reporter trying to be politically correct. That's a news item in itself.

But ponder the reality of a presidential ticket featuring the Wyoming-bred Lord of Darkness and the Idaho-bred and Alaska-trained Rouge Rogue. Yes, the mind reels. It would be a wonderful gift to us Democrats, and it might even help us elect some Wyoming Dems. Oh boy, I keep cracking myself up. Elect Wyoming Dems to national office? I suppose it could happen. But if a smart and savvy Dem entrepreneur such as Gary Trauner can't even beat the likes of the GOP's Cynthia Lummis in 2008, what chance do other candidates have?

I keep wondering if Dick Cheney can do more damage as president than he did as Veep. What do you think?

A president with ties to Casper and Jackson could bring some much-needed economic development to Wyoming. In the last year of the Bush Administration, Cheney and his oily cohorts spent a lot of time approving energy leases in the western half of the state. It doesn't seem like such a wise move now that natural gas prices are tanking, but if he could do a similar thing as president, we would no longer have to worry about wildlife and wilderness because every square inch of the state would be filled with roads and wells and poisoned prairie.

If any wild animals do survive, Sarah Palin can shoot them from helicopters. That will cut down on any excess population.

I don't know about you, but I'm going to shout it from the roof tops: "Cheney/Palin in 2012!"

Montana progressive org hiring director

This comes from the always-alert jhwygirl at 4&20 blackbirds

Forward Montana (FMT), a homegrown organization dedicated to training, mobilizing, and electing a new generation of progressive leaders based in Missoula, Montana, and Forward Montana Foundation, dedicated to engaging young Montanans in civic life, seek an energetic Managing Director to manage and grow the organizations. The Managing Director will work closely with the boards of directors as well as staff to achieve the organizations' financial and programmatic goals. The Managing Director will report to the Chief Executive Officer and work closely with the Board of Directors.

Deadline is Dec. 7. Go to http://www.forwardmontana.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=277&Itemid=10

Wyoming progressives, feeling lonely and forlorn, have been known to migrate north to Missoula for various forms of liberal-minded employment and/or education (just ask jhwygirl and Left in the West's Matt Singer). We hate to lose you, WyoProgs, but duty calls. Don't forget to write (or blog or twitter or FB)!