Veteran Report Card - Who supports our troops?

From thinkprogress.org:
During the first presidential debate, Sen. John McCain repeatedly emphasized his love of veterans — and their fondness for him in return. “I’ll take care of them. And they know I’ll take care of them,” he said. McCain frequently exaggerates his level of support for and from veterans groups, claiming to have “received the highest award from literally every veteran’s organization in America” and to have “a perfect voting record” on veterans’ issues.

Today, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America released its congressional scorecard for the 110th Congress, and awarded McCain a grade of “D” for his votes against veterans’ priorities. The grade makes McCain one of only four Senators to fall on IAVA’s “D List” — and marks a repeat performance for him, after receiving a “D” for his 109th congressional voting record as well.

These grades are based on a number of veteran based issues, which are explained in the report. So how did our Democratic candidates and Wyoming elected officials do on this little list? See for yourself:

Barack Obama = B
Joseph Biden = B
John McCain = D
Michael Enzi = D
John Barrasso = INC (not enough time in office for complete analysis)
Barbara Cubin = C

Looks like the Democrats ARE the ones who support our veterans more. View the .pdf file to see all the categories graded and scores for all legislators.

Why is Cynthia Lummis Running for Congress?

From the homepage of Cynthia Lummis' Website, I have taken the liberty to play the role of Gary Trauner in composing a rebuttal to Cynthia's interest in running for congress (my responses are in red):

Cynthia's Top 6 Reasons for Running for Congress
1. Because I love Wyoming; our state and its people represent a uniquely wonderful corner of the world. I completely agree, me too.

2. Because I am an idealist and an optimist; I think that public service can make a difference. Hey, so am I! I have great ideas about health care, green energy and especially taking care of our vets and soldiers. After all, haven't our military men and women provided the greatest service to our country? I 'm optimistic that I can help turn this country back around after having been under the Bush regime for eight years.

3. Because this is a challenging time, both here and abroad. Challenges, to me, are a call to service. Things have only become worse from the time I ran for congress in 2006. While Republican Barbara Cubin accumulated the worst voting record in congress, the last two years have brought us even more challenges. Challenges like the national debt, the further occupation in Iraq, the meager attempts to diminish our dependency on foreign oil. Gosh, where have those challenges come from? Oh, yeah. From the Republicans. Yeah, I am up for challenges, too.

4. Because the Federal government has always had, and continues to have, a big influence on the shape of Wyoming's future; Wyoming's voice in Congress needs to be strong and authentic. I'm pretty sure I act strong and authentic. For instance, I would never have a member of my election team call in to a question and answer session and pretend they are someone else to try and trip up my opponent. I would feel bad about doing something like that.

5. Because how we address the matters of energy, the environment, national security and the economy today, directly affects our children's future. Yeah, the Republicans have always been about the environment, haven't they. Alaskan wilderness. Spotted Owls. Global Warming. Nature freaks, that's what they are. Spending billions in Iraq, all the while creating more disdain for the United States globally, I agree are definitely affecting our children's future. In a bad way.

6 .Because I listen, and will continue to listen, to Wyoming people in order to most effectively represent their interests in Washington. I'm going to listen to all the people in Wyoming, including Democrats, Independents, and Republicans. Because I'm not about serving the party line. I'm about making a difference, and leaving this world a better place for the next generation.

With apologies to Mr. Trauner; who I'm sure would say these things more eloquently than me.

Regarding the bailout

I could be wrong, but my gut feeling is that this whole bailout attempt is a bad idea. My chief complaint is, why is this the only plan being considered? Shouldn't a problem this enormous have several solutions to discuss? The thought process that "This is our only option" reeks of short-sightedness. Perhaps we need to think outside the cardboard container. Jeffrey A. Miron, a senior lecturer in economics at Harvard University, provides a different point of view in this op/ed piece which frankly, seems to make more sense to me.

After eight years of bad policy, my litmus test is as follows: If George W. Bush thinks it is a good idea, then it most likely is a bad idea.

Perhaps this is our wake up call to stop living beyond our means. The US government needs to start leading by example, and start finding ways to pay down the national debt, not keep adding to it. Perhaps for us citizens, a jolt back into reality, and not a new big screen TV, is exactly what we need.

Lummis' Press Secretary Caught Calling Trauner

This is a good example of sneaky politics. The old "call-in-to-ask-a-question-to-your-opponent-and-pretend-you're-someone-else" trick. Well, Rachael Seidenschnur got busted and now she finds herself removed from the Lummis campaign. Serves her right. This just shows that Trauner is the right choice for Wyoming. No dirty politics. For more on Rachael AKA Sierra, check here.