Bob Wire Has a Point (It's Under His Cowboy Hat)
Hi, Max! Remember Me? I Voted For You.
Am I going to have to run for Congress just to get affordable health care?
By Bob Wire, 9-30-09
A watering hole in Central Montana is where I ran into Max Baucus. It was only a few hours after the town hall meeting in Belgrade last summer, where the Senator had appeared with President Obama to talk about his health care bill. But here he was in jeans and a casual shirt, chatting with the locals and relaxing after a contentious gathering in the airport hangar.
I asked him if he’d mind posing for a photo with me. My kids would be thrilled, I told him, to see their dad standing with a United States Senator. Baucus happily complied (“Call me Max,” he said), and a friend of his snapped the photo.
Now I wish I’d taken the opportunity to ask him a few questions, armed with the knowledge of his intentions on the health care bill.
“Max, who the hell are you working for?” I’d say. “You were not elected by the insurance lobby. You were elected by the very people who are DEMANDING that you include a public option in this health care reform bill. You were elected to represent the very people you are throwing under the bus by nixing the public option from your bill, giving the green light to insurance companies to jack up their already bloated rates because they won’t have competition from the government.”
Yeah, I know that there’s a lot of opposition to a government-sponsored insurance option. It’s mostly coming from loud-mouth conservatives, the tea-bagger and birther crowd, a lock-step minority that would oppose a cure for AIDS if it originated with a Democrat. But that’s a lot of white noise. People need affordable health care. If the government can offer a not-for-profit option, it will force Big Pharma, health care providers, and the health insurance industry to become more competitive, bringing down their costs and making insurance and basic health care more affordable to most Americans.
It’s a complex issue, to put it mildly, and I don’t pretend to understand every facet of the bill that’s being fought over in Congress like the last t-shirt at a Jonas Brothers concert. You can look elsewhere for the details, because I want to talk about what’s really pissing me off: the fact that our duly elected Senator has deliberately turned his back on his constituency, choosing to oppose the very thing that the majority of them want. You want transparency in government? Baucus clearly is beholden to the insurance lobby that donates millions to his campaign war chest. He represents the worst of our palm-greasing political system, and this kind of egregious influence-peddling has infuriated most of the voters who sent him to Washington in the first place. Baucus’ craven kowtowing to the fat cats of Big Insurance is so jaw-droppingly corrupt, it negates pretty much all of the good that Max has managed to do for Montana in his 31 years in office.
I don’t know him personally; we didn’t even get a chance to chat when I saw him at the saloon this summer. I can only comment on his actions as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and as Montana’s Democratic Senator. They suck. He approved $2.8 billion of U.S. money to fund a rum-making operation in the Virgin Islands. He voted to make filing bankruptcy more difficult, even though his health care bill, if it goes through the way he wrote it (which it won’t), will push more people than ever into the poor house. He voted against CAFE regulations, which would have raised fuel economy standards on business fleet vehicles. He was against increased funding for solar and wind power.
Goddammit, man, we didn’t elect you to look after the interests of big business and the insurance industries at the cost of our environment, our health, and our household budgets.
Max, it’s time for you to go. By turning your back on Montana and the rest of the country, and continuing to dip your snout in the trough provided by the health insurance lobby, you have signed your own retirement papers. It’ll be five more long years, and I’m sure you’ll be riding that gravy train all the while, but unless you pull your head out of your wallet and deliver what the majority of your constituency wants and needs, you’ll always be remembered as the ex-Senator to chose money over integrity.
[Bookmark NewWest.net/BobWire, and see what happens when Bob gets REALLY angry.]
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way to go buddy, i heard that. i have written baucus numerous letters. the first few were cordial but after receiving zero response from him or any of his aides they have gotten progressively less cordial to say the least. anyway man keep fighting the good fight.
Comment By john fleming, 9-30-09spot on bob. the senate finance committee health care bill is nothing more than 45 million new customers for the profit concerned insurance companies. how many more businesses will move their manufacturing base overseas when they either can't pay for mandated insurance or their employees demand raises to pay for mandated insurance. and what's up with that facebook poll about whether president obama should be killed? we live in weird times my friend....
Comment By Sam, 9-30-09Thanks Bob, I hope you will also consider joining our voting blocs.
To take a stand against the corruption in Washington please join our Reform voting bloc:
http://www.votingbloc.org/Reform_Bloc.php
To take a stand in support of health care reform please join our Health Bloc here:
http://www.votingbloc.org/Health_Bloc.php
bob,, in the pic your horns are showing. in the article your thorns are showing.
Comment By HonestCitizen, 9-30-09Show Bacucus, probably one of the most corrupt senators, what you think.
Go contribute to Howard Dean's group (whether you like him personally or not) http://www.democracyforamerica.com/. Click Take Action. They are running ads exposing senator Bacucus.
Ok, Bob and the rest of you, tell me, what is affordable health care? Is it $50-100 a week, $500 a month? How much a month are you ready to write Obama a check for to get medical coverage?
There must be a cost because at one time they (the govmit) said you would be fined if you don’t buy the mandatory health coverage. The govmit says they will subsidize those who can’t afford health care, hell I do that now.
Maybe I don’t want to subsidize some writer who is following their dream in Missoula and can’t make enough to buy health insurance.
When you can tell me what my monthly cost is for health care under Obama then we can talk. Until then I’m damn happy with what I got.
"You can look elsewhere for the details, because I want to talk about what’s really pissing me off: the fact that our duly elected Senator has deliberately turned his back on his constituency, choosing to oppose the very thing that the majority of them want."
Comment By UNC, 9-30-09ATTA BOY BOB- Thanks, this is what I've been saying and writing for at least, the last 2 years, he has to go, and that he like Lieberman, are excellent examples of Congress and of Republicans in Democratic clothing, people are the last thing on his/their mind(less). Corrupt and greedy is saying it politely. In the last election, "Ban Burns" worked, so let's start filling those bumpers with "BAN BAUCUS".
Over 60% of his campaign funding came from Health Insurance lobbyists, BAN BAUCUS BAN BAUCUS BAN BAUCUS, I think there's a song there somewhere. Your pal, UNC
Hey Bob, I just noticed in the picture, you're the one who has horns growing out of your head ;-)
Comment By Sue Orr, 10-01-09Hey Bob! Nice job.....you said it so nicely as you usually do. How do I forward that to my dad, he would love that! Way back when, Max walked in to the Missoulian editorial board and asked them if he should run as a Democrat or a Republican.......he still doesn't know what he is. And....when he says he has "the greatest bosses in the world, the people of Montana" he is such a liar! He just knows that sounds so good! I think we should recruit you to run for his seat in 2013? What do you think ? one kid off to college the other almost...what do you think? Bob Wire for Senate, has a ring to it!
Comment By former spud, 10-01-09Wait a minute Bob. Max might be doing exactly what I want him to do. Being a sought after quantity, my employer pays 64% of my health care premium, gives me a pretty good benefits package and more than a living wage.
Have you sent an e-mail, a letter or phoned his office or are you just bitching to be bitching.
Maybe I sent Max a letter, told him I don't want a public option and slipped a $200 check in there to bolster my position. Who do you think is going to get a hand written thank you note me or you? Oh, I know it will not be a real Max signature, his staff is pretty good at forging thank you notes, but there will be a bigger mark on the side "against" rather than on the "for the public option" side of the column.
I also mentioned the company has 1100 other employees and most of them think like I do. I know that's gotta piss you off too.
Spud - that 64% is still part of your compensation. If you add up the total of health insurance premiums paid to private corporations on your behalf, either by you directly or by those who employ you, you'll find that that in your lifetime, it's likely to approach $2 million dollars. Then add in what you have and will pay out of pocket.
So - do you really think you're consuming that much in health care? Wouldn't you really be better off just pocketing all that money and paying as you go? Why are you so set on making a few corporate executives phenomenally rich?
I called Max's DC office this week to tell him that this will be his last term, either by his choice or ours. Montana needs a Senator, not a whore.
You are right it is part of my comp package and I am worth every damn penny of it. I've worked for four companies in the last ten years I go where the work and the money is worth my efforts. All of them offered medical insurance, one of them offered a cafeteria plan that I could use to buy medical insurance or put a pool in the back yard if I wanted too. I provide for myself I don't trust the govmit with my health care.
Just last week I saw the incompetence of the govmit at an Army hospital. This is the end of the contract year and a new contract holder had not been determined. All the contract doctors were told; as of 30 September they were no longer employed. The hospital cancelled the next three months of appointments because no one was sure when the new contract would be approved.
Realizing how screwed up it was about to become somebody pushed through a contract, but many had already made other arrangements for employment.
When the AFGE, the unions and our elected representatives start signing up for govmit health care I’ll take a look at it until then leave my benefits alone.
"Fight Socialism: Abolish Medicare Now"
"Be a Patriot and let CIGNA run the VA"
"Profits always come before people! What's the big deal?"
"Thank Teabaggers for protecting the freedo to deny claims."
"Let the complainers and those who want to choose a public option eat Advil!"
Max has to be great! http://www.opensecrets.org said he's the best paid health care Patriot. Since the tracking began they report he collected:
$3.9 million from the health care sector
$675,000 directly from insurers
$1.1 million from Pharma
That's almost $1.5 million more than Orrin Hatch, and $2.3 million more than Grassley. Dang, he's good!
Don't mess with him. Based on his "healthcare patriotism" he should bring in a lot more for the last half of 2009. If he created a foundation he might be able to raise enough money to bail out Montana, or fund the "BlueCross/Palin Ticket for 2012".
Don't knock Blue Cross," because corporations are people too."
Spud, our "elected officials" already have health care. Paid for and provided by you and me.
Is it any wonder they don't get it?
Max, I have voted for you twice. I won't make that mistake again.
I don't know how I missed this column earlier. I also have a photo of myself with Baucus, taken in 2004 when I visited DC. I had always had mixed feelings about him, but continued to give him my vote. I won't vote for him again. We may have elected him, but it's now clear that corporate giants are signing his paychecks.
How did employers get stuck with the responsibility for providing health insurance to Americans, anyway? You'd think the Republicans, with all their self-proclaimed support for business, would have a problem with that. But no.
Jim Hightower just wrote a great piece:
"It was not so long ago that Montana sent people like Mike Mansfield and Lee Metcalf to the U.S. Senate -- real Democrats of stature who didn't suck up to lobbyists and run scared of Republicans. One has to ask: Is Baucus really from Montana?"
http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/143193/why_was_a_lightweight_montana_senator_on_the_finance_committee_tasked_to_take_on_health_care_reform
No, he isn't from Montana anymore. His behavior doesn't match the needs or values of 700,000 people from Montana. He is from the "greater America" which is floundering economically with 95% of the wealth controlled by 1% of us, and where money is leveraged through corporate takeovers (where a hunk of the price-paid is millions and sometimes billions of dollars based on the "good will" or "consumer confidence" by also buying the brand name). Then we have venture capitalists who micro-manage corporations and squeeze every cent out for profit and dividends for every 90 day, and with nothing reserved for the future, paying bonuses to senior management for cannibalizing their own company and work force, and outsourcing everything but the from door. When we buy big-name brands,and not locally, we are buying empty-shell corporations that make nothing and have "broken business models" that spend millions on lobbying Congress for federal tax dollar subsidies while also getting federal loans for 1% interest and fleecing citizen/consumers by charging them 10 times to 30 times that amount for credit.
That's Max's world. Your world is different.
Reality is that you don't need him anymore. You have great hope and possibility, and can have a bright future because you are small enough, have great natural resources and are far enough away from DC to succeed. The New West really has possibilities.
Don't worry. The "big guys" who are "too big to fail" have already failed. What you need are some intelligent, independent Congressmen, strong regional, multi-state cooperation in your New West region and a commitment to assure that, as we say in the national movement for universal health care coverage/single-payer: " Everybody's in, nobody's out", buy local, and create as many small local-owned businesses as you can that actually "make things".
If you can find someone to replace him who will work on the needs of the New West as hard as Max works for corporate interests globally, you'll be fine-- and a lot better than us in the the Northeast.