Big Sky Cairn

Former White House Press Secretary and all around cool guy Tony Snow died today.  He was 53. 

The heart felt condolences of the BSC Team go out to his wife Jill, his three children and the rest of his friends and family.

For a brief time in college, a professor of mine forced us to watch the White House briefing every day.  This was an odious task given Scott McClellan’s emotionless, uninteresting and often convuluted delivery.  But when Snow came to the podium, things changed. 

I got the sense that Snow enjoyed his job and wanted us to understand that the topics he was discussing were interesting and important.  Suddenly, the painful task of watching the morning briefing and discussing it in class became the most fun I’ve ever had in school.  I don’t know that anyone else will ever have the talent to make the briefing appointment television.

According to Sports Illustrated, Obama’s campaign is in talks to sponsor a car for the Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway. For those of you not in the know, that’s a NASCAR event.

So he abandons public financing because he’s created this noble small donor based “semi-public” financing system of his own, and we’re all supposed to be okay with that. Then he refuses to use his millions to help Hillary (a woman he claims to respect and admire for the fight she put up in the primary) retire her massive campaign debt. And now he’s going to spend his extra millions to do something noble like sponsor a car during a NASCAR race?

Frankly, this whole thing smacks of pandering. But then again, maybe it will be like when Hillary backed Eight Belles to win the Kentucky Derby. We all know how well that turned out.

And Obama’s decision to sponsor a NASCAR entry lends itself to a lot of new slogans that his campaign might be able to throw on a T-Shirt or a Bumper Sticker.

Obama: Changes positions every lap.

Obama: He only knows how to turn to the Left.

Obama: Moving fast, going nowhere.

Obama: Makes more sense if you’ve been drinking.

Obama: Leading America in Circles.

Obama: His views depend on where he is in the race.

NASCAR: Because I am not an elitist. (feel free to add in Nixon’s double-V for the effect)

NASCAR: Because I believe in reducing fossil fuel emissions!

NASCAR: Because buying a football stadium would be pushing it.

Feel free to add your own Obama NASCAR slogans in the comments…have a good weekend.

I’m too young to remember the last time there was a major fire on Mount Sentinel - when the entire north face burned. And I’m also surprised that it’s been so long considering how dry it gets and how much traffic there is.

It was strange watching the fire yesterday, and I have to admit, I’m a little frustrated. I’m training for a climb in August and a big part of the training regime was climbing up to the wind-sock two or three times a week. Now I’m going to have to find a new trail with some serious vertical…

Any suggestions?

To close out a frantic writing spell after being away for a few weeks, really Lamnidae, you are going to go back to this?

You were shown to be a hypocrite once. My suggestion would be to turn off the partisan blinders for a little while - or just get over your infatuation with Erik Iverson. It is starting to get a little creepy.

The physician pay cut problem got me thinking on the broader health insurance issue.

One of the bigger flaws of single payer systems is provider reimbursements. This Medicare fiasco should serve as a warning of the dangers of letting bureaucrats - or formulas created by bureaucrats - dictate the payments for our doctors and hospitals.

Taking a look at the CBO score for the recent Medicare bill, it looks like it will cost $10.7 billion to maintain last year’s payment levels. Part of this is covered by assuming Congress will cut their pay by $5.2 billion in 2013-2014. A nice touch I thought.

This is an incredibly expensive operation here, and it is only for one section of the population. Obviously the country does need to take a hard look at our current system, but I do not see how we can afford single payer. I really do not see why any prospective medical student would want to work in such a system. Your wages are subject D.C. politics every year and rarely meet the cost of providing care, you are held hostage to increasing high medical liability costs, and your student loans are astronomical.

It is not rocket science why we have a shortage of primary care doctors. They are the most reliant on Medicare and Medicaid payments showing what happens when you combine all the above.

It is relatively easy to get everyone health insurance. The trick is to get providers to accept that coverage. Heck you could have the greatest insurance plan on paper, but if no doctor or hospital accepts it, who cares? For some reason, those on the left have been quiet about this part of the debate.

Government does have a role in providing safety net coverage, but it should not be the insurer of first resort.

Despite his cheerleaders on the lefty blogs, and in the newspapers, the fact Baucus failed to override the 10.6% cut in physician reimbursements is an astonishing display of inept leadership.

I will say a couple things about what Jay posted over at LitW; first, President Bush did not propose these cuts (more on that later). Next, I really do not see an issue that is going to break down on party and ideological lines more than health care in the next couple years - so lets give some credit to the fact that a wide majority of House Republicans supported the measure along with the House Democrats.

That last point makes it all the more astounding that Max Baucus, with all his power, could not sway one more vote. Worse still, you could have seen this train wreck coming since last December at least.

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A recent Treasury Report advises that the new and improved Internal Revenue Service could save a lot of money by streamlining documents and - gasp! - sending out less mail. Never missing an opportunity to see his name in the papers, Senator Baucus said the following:

“This is more than a matter of trimming government waste,” Baucus said. “Deficits in the publishing and postage budget at the IRS must be made up somewhere, and that can mean fewer resources to address other important objectives.”

Okay, that’s all fine and great, but remember when Big Sky Cairn uncovered the unnecessary millions spent on the stimulus package that came out of Baucus’ committee?

Here’s how much - in administrative dollars only - it cost Baucus to give you a rebate instead of a credit/cut.

Cost of mailing the rebate notice: $41,800,000.
Cost of mailing the rebate check: $42,000,000 (conservatively)
Estimated total expense to the taxpayer: $84,000,000.

Beyond this, there’s a cost to the economy from the lag between when people pay their tax and when they get their rebate. Taxpayers must front the cash to Uncle Sam for the time between when they pay their taxes and receive the rebate check. In other words, the tax rebate is taking money out of the economy for 30-90 days at the exact time that we need it most.

It would have made more sense fiscally and economically to provide taxpayers with $600 tax credit which would 1) credit any outstanding balance owed to the IRS and/or 2) get added to an existing refund? For the taxpayer, this would have accomplished the same thing as sending the rebates separately except it would have saved over $80,000,000 in administrative fees and infused the money into the economy without first having pulled it out.

I guess it’s a lot easier to send out a press release demanding some fiscal accountability than to actually pass the laws that make that accountability possible. In this case, Baucus takes a political victory lap at the taxpayers’ expense, and then criticizes the pit crew for the extra gas it used to take that lap. Classic.

Wondering how liberals handle good news out of Iraq? Selective reading. For example, take a look at this story from the Bush Propaganda Machine (you know, the British Times) - Iraqis lead final purge of Al-Qaeda. To read this like a liberal, just read the parts in bold.

Iraqis lead final purge of Al-Qaeda
Marie Colvin in Mosul

American and Iraqi forces are driving Al-Qaeda in Iraq out of its last redoubt in the north of the country in the culmination of one of the most spectacular victories of the war on terror.

After being forced from its strongholds in the west and centre of Iraq in the past two years, Al-Qaeda’s dwindling band of fighters has made a defiant “last stand” in the northern city of Mosul.

A huge operation to crush the 1,200 fighters who remained from a terrorist force once estimated at more than 12,000 began on May 10.

Operation Lion’s Roar, in which the Iraqi army combined forces with the Americans’ 3rd Armoured Cavalry Regiment, has already resulted in the death of Abu Khalaf, the Al-Qaeda leader, and the capture of more than 1,000 suspects.

The group has been reduced to hit-and-run attacks, including one that killed two off-duty policemen yesterday, and sporadic bombings aimed at killing large numbers of officials and civilians.

Last Friday I joined the 2nd Iraqi Division as it supported local police in a house-to-house search for one such bomb after intelligence pointed to a large explosion today.

Even in the district of Zanjali, previously a hotbed of the insurgency, it was possible to accompany an Iraqi colonel on foot through streets of breeze-block houses studded with bullet holes. Hundreds of houses were searched without resistance but no bomb was found, only 60kg of explosives.

American and Iraqi leaders believe that while it would be premature to write off Al-Qaeda in Iraq, the Sunni group has lost control of its last urban base in Mosul and its remnants have been largely driven into the countryside to the south.

Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq’s prime minister, who has also led a crackdown on the Shi’ite Mahdi Army in Basra and Baghdad in recent months, claimed yesterday that his government had “defeated” terrorism.

“They were intending to besiege Baghdad and control it,” Maliki said. “But thanks to the will of the tribes, security forces, army and all Iraqis, we defeated them.”

The number of foreign fighters coming over the border from Syria to bolster Al-Qaeda’s numbers is thought to have declined to as few as 20 a month, compared with 120 a month at its peak.

Brigadier General Abdullah Abdul, a senior Iraqi commander, said: “We’ve limited their movements with check-points. They are doing small attacks and trying big ones, but they’re mostly not succeeding.”

Major-General Mark Hertling, American commander in the north, said: “I think we’re at the irreversible point.”

Butte, America did its best to make sure that Obama and his family felt welcome in the Mining City. 

Police officers, highway patrolman, volunteers from the Search and Rescue and dozens of volunteer firefighters gave up their holiday vacations to help the Secret Service protect the Illinois Senator.  Supporters made signs and hung them throughout town and along the parade route.  And upon learning that it was Malia Obama’s birthday, Butte residents made sure that there was ample cake available and even a birthday announcement in the local paper.  Local candidate Samm Cox (Cox for County Attorney!!!) made sure that his band gave her a special shout out as well.

There was a great deal of confusion about the Senator’s visit.  The plans changed daily, sometimes even hourly.  Originally, Obama was going to ride in the parade but only from the Civic Center to Cobban (halfway).  Then he was going to walk some of the route with Baucus and Schweitzer. 

The plans then changed to include a short speech in the Albertson’s parking and watching the parade from the bleachers at the North end of the parade route.  Finally, the decision was made that he would watch the parade from the bleachers but that he wouldn’t arrive until seconds before the parade was to start and the public speech was rolled into an afternoon picnic for at Montana Tech.

Of the thousands who lined the parade route hoping to see Obama, only a few hundred had the chance.  A group of people seated near my family had driven all the way from Post Falls, ID only to find out that morning that Obama would not be riding in the parade.  Others at the start of the parade route were equally upset that they could not enter the secured area unless they walked several blocks south to the magnetometer at Harrison and Grand.  No word on how the businesses in the Albertson’s shopping center felt about the lost business.

Even several hundred people who stood in line for tickets to the afternoon picnic were not guaranteed a chance to see the candidate.  A miscommunication between security at the venue and the campaign led a few dozen people with tickets to be turned away from the event.  One woman, who waited an hour and a half to get tickets only to be denied entrance to the event, told the local paper that following the incident she intended to vote for McCain.

Several thousand Butte residents were also ticked off when the July 3rd fireworks display started almost an hour late of its 10pm start time.  The reason seems to be that Michelle Obama’s arrival into the Mining City delayed them.  Whether this was because of FAA regulations or the preference of the campaign is unknown. 

Other than some inconvenience to local residents, businesses and the like, the Obama Fourth of July extravaganza seemed to run smoothly.  And my family was able to secure our usually parade viewing spot without incident, so we were happy. 

This year’s parade was a long one, 160 entries.  And many of those spots were filled by politicians running for office.

In the first position behind the color guard, Baucus was in good spirits.  He and a sizable group of supporters waved to the crowd.  Nothing interesting to report on that front.

Behind him in the second spot was Governor Brian Schweitzer with his wife Nancy and of course, the dog Jag.  When he walked past, I noticed that he was surrounded by four serious looking men glowering at the crowd.  At first, I thought these men might be Secret Service but I later learned from a friend that they were highway patrol officers who work as Schweitzer’s personal bodyguards.

Apparently, our Governor thinks that he needs protection from the people of Butte.  Taxpayer funded protection no less.  Personally, I find the notion ridiculous and think that someone might have been playing “keeping up with the Joneses” with Senator Obama.  Especially since no one else that I have spoken to, can remember Schweitzer bringing bodyguards to the parade before.

I also didn’t see Lt. Gov. Bohlinger at the parade, but maybe I just didn’t recognize him without his bow tie. 

Linda McCulloch was there, and she was in fine form.  She and one supporter were walking the route near the Butte Plaza Mall when someone in the crowd yelled out, “We love you Linda.”  Her response?  In an exasperated tone she yelled back, “Oh my God, how much longer to the end?” 

When someone in the crowd yelled back that she still had a ways to go (another 1/2 mile or so to Elizabeth Warren), she very audibly remarked, “Why am I doing this again?”  Classy.

Bob Kelleher was there.  And McColluch could take a lesson since Kelleher is in his 80s (?) and walked the entire parade route without noticeable complaint (while wearing all black no less).  He was also sporting some awesome black glasses to which he had attached fake fuzzy eyebrows. 

Nice to see he has a sense of humor.