One more reason to like Calexico

Wow! Arizona and France and Mexico on stage in London. Hummingbirdminds craves Calexico.

Book launch party of the week: "Cowboy Trouble" by Joanne Kennedy

Here's my writing group pal Joanne Kennedy as she got ready to sign books March 2 at the launch party for her first novel, "Cowboy Trouble." The Cheyenne Barnes & Noble sold lots of books (five to the Shay family) and Joanne signed them all. A good time was had by, especially when we bugged out of B&N to Uncle Charlie's where we drank beer and ate wings and listened to music by Todd Dereemer and his band. Get "Cowboy Trouble" at your local bookstore. Get more info about Joanne and her work at http://kennedysmyth.com

Dave Freudenthal will not seek a third term

Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal announced today that he will not run for a third term.

I was at the Capitol Building this morning when the news broke. The last few days of legislative business is filled with salutes to our troops and performances by drum groups -- along with some last-minute votes and bill signings. This morning, Wyoming Poet Laureate David Romtvedt read his poetry in each chamber. Both were about his daughter, who's now 21 and attending college out-of-state. This is the sixth year that David's read to the legislators. They always seem interested in his words. Maybe it's because his words are a welcome break from the avalanche of legalese they face each session. It's also because David tells stories they can relate to. Riding horses across the prairie or fixing fence in Johnson County. Kayaking with his teen daughter on a Wyoming lake. Love and fear and relationships and all the things people care about, whether they be legislators or poets or even bloggers.

While I waited for the reading, I ran into one of my fellow Dems from Laramie County. She's a lobbyist, and once upon a time staged a losing race for a legislative seat. We jawed about gubernatorial possibilities with the Democratic Party. Milward Simpson had declared several weeks ago that he wasn't running. He's a Democrat in a family full of Repubs, including his cousin Colin Simpson, son of Big Al. Colin is running for governor, but must first get through a phalanx of other Repub candidates, including Matt Mead, grandson of a former Wyoming U.S. senator, and Ron Micheli from the southwest corner of the state. Also, State Auditor Rita Meyer. There will be more, making for a lively primary.

Meanwhile, crickets are chirping on the Dem side of the aisle. Tumbleweeds roll unmolested through party headquarters.

My lobbyist friend today wondered if candidates could emerge from the ranks of county commissioners or city councils or the legislature. I wasn't sure. The name of Sen. Mike Massie from Albany County has been bandied about. But conventional wisdom has him running for Superintendent of Public Instruction. Conventional wisdom can be woefully incorrect. But he's also from the university town of Laramie, known for pointy-headed intellectuals, even in Wyoming. We even have special pointy-headed intellectual cowboy hats for them to wear to summer rodeos.

Someone will emerge from the shadows. It's possible. But this year's governor's race looks as if it belongs to the Repubs.

WyoDems' Chair issues statement on health care reform

From a Wyoming Democratic Party press release:

Wyoming Democratic Party Chair Leslie Petersen issued the following statement after President Obama today called on Congress to finish the job and take a final up-or-down vote on health insurance reform legislation:

“After a long and rigorous debate, it’s time for Congress to act and provide their constituents a final up or down vote on reform. Patients who are being denied care when they need it most, small businesses that are struggling to provide insurance for their employees, and state budgets that are being crushed by the cost of treating the uninsured can no longer wait for reform. President Obama and Congressional Democrats have had an open dialogue with Republicans, and President Obama has announced his support for additional Republican ideas that may be included in the final bill. Now it’s time for Congress to act, and act soon. We are on our final march for reform—Wyoming residents can no longer wait while Republicans play political
games on the issue. It’s time for Congress to finish the job and take simple up or down votes on this critical legislation.”

Democrats and Republicans have extensively discussed how to repair our broken health care system, and it’s clear that everyone agrees the status quo isn’t working.
Insurance companies are denying coverage to people when they need it most and
rising costs are crushing families and businesses as well as state and federal budgets. And if we don’t act now, things will only get worse – it will send more families into bankruptcy, prevent businesses from being able to hire workers and drive up the deficit.

President Obama and Congressional Democrats believe we need to put more control in the hands of consumers. The heath care legislation, which has already passed initial votes in both the House and the Senate, does just that with three critical reforms:

1. It ends the worst practices of insurance companies – they will no longer be able to deny coverage because of a pre-existing conditions, drop coverage when you get sick, charge unlimited amounts for out of pocket expenses, or arbitrarily raise
premiums;
2. It gives all Americans the same options that Members of Congress have by creating a new health insurance marketplace, including tax credits based on income for those who still can’t afford insurance in this new system;
3. It brings down the cost of health care for families, businesses, and the government by reducing fraud, waste and abuse.

I dispute the claim that all Tea Partiers are Baby Boomers -- and vice versa

A few weeks ago on Keith Olbermann's show, comedian and political commentator Christian Finnegan has a comment about members of the Tea Party Movement. It went something like this: "Teabaggers are a bunch of Baby Boomers scared that the world has passed them by."

I took umbrage with this. Normally umbrage is the last thing I take with the proceedings on Keith's show. I'm yelling at my flat-screen TV: "Yeah, Keith, go baby go!" Sometimes I'm yelling at Keith's guests: "Yeah [guest's name], go baby go."

But I had to chew on Finnegan's comment. As I've said on these pages before -- I'm a Baby Boomer who's a bit scared that the world has passed me by. I'm chewing though my 60th year on Planet Earth. I'm not overly scared about this world-passing-me-by-thingy -- but I do have some suspicions.

I'm a writer and I work in the field of arts administration. I could easily be an accountant like my father or a nurse like my mother or a machinist like one of my brothers or a postal delivery person like another one of my brothers. I'd have a lot more job security if I had chosen a more practical field. But I drifted into my career through stints in print journalism and corporate PR. If I had stayed in any of those fields, I'd probably be unemployed now. I could have fallen into other careers or other jobs. But here I am, an aging English major Baby Boomer who wants nothing to do with the Tea Party.

So note to Christian Finnegan: Baby Boomers come in all shapes and sizes and political persuasions. Just like you and your fellow Gen-Ys or Gen-Xs or Gen-Zs (how old are you anyway?).

Yes, it does appear that Tea Party demonstrators tend to be white and male and rotund. That could easily describe me, although I like to think that I'm not rotund but slightly overweight. I am white, with a Celt's traditional array of freckles. I'm male, and have been for almost 60 years. I'm a member of the Baby Boomer generation, one of the most annoying cohorts in U.S. history.

But not a member of the Tea Party.

I drink coffee.

Reading the Sunday paper -- food co-ops, neglected houses and news about upcoming governor's race

I read today's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle almost cover-to-cover. I spend more time reading news online these days than I do in the paper. But the Sunday paper is still a ritual. Something about the tradition -- the rustle of the pages and the smell of the coffee and not having to go to work. Local stories, too. These are tough to find online, especially since the WTE has such a lousy web site.

One local news headline got my attention: "Alternative grocery store might replace old Safeway." News came a few weeks ago that the State of Wyoming bought the downtown Safeway property. The store will shut down this week. The wrecking ball will follow.

On Saturday, about 30 people met at the library to discuss forming a food co-op downtown. I wouldn't actually call a food co-op an "alternative grocery store." It's a membership organization that usually stocks food not available in chain grocery stores. Twenty years ago, I belonged to the food co-op in Fort Collins. I bought granola in bulk, and organic rolled oats and local honey and veggies in season. Thing is, you can get most of this stuff at Safeway or King Soopers, even Albertson's. My local Albertson's stocks a great selection of mixes from Bob's Red Mill, including Buckwheat Pancake Mix, my favorite.

But it's not about discounts or replacing a chain store in the downtown area. It's about community. It's about growing and eating and purchasing locally. It's about making downtown a thriving livable place. So many empty buildings in our downtown. So few residents, especially in the city's core area. A food co-op would be a great addition. Hope the organizers are certain of their goals. If you're interested, the next meeting will be on Saturday, March 6, 2 p.m. at the Laramie County Public Library in Cheyenne.

I was glad to see that the Cheyenne City Council is taking up an ordinance on vacated residences. This fits in with the previous story. The houses on the block adjacent to the downtown Safeway have been abandoned and boarded-up for more than a year. Safeway bought the houses and once had plans to tear down the old store and build a new Super Safeway with a big parking lot such as the one on South Greeley Highway. But the economy turned south, and the neighbors were stuck with a block of abandoned houses. Safeway should have been fined for every day those houses stood abandoned and neglected.

That's what we should due to other negligent slumlords in Cheyenne. Until a few weeks ago, we had an abandoned house in our neighborhood. It was an eyesore. Abandoned along with the house was a beat-up pick-up and a van. They just sit on the street, blocking the road grader which smooths our dirt street each month. I saw today that someone has bought the house and has put up a "for rent" sign. Let's hope this landlord doesn't morph into a slumlord. By the way, I have nothing against renters. I was a renter for more years that I've been a homeowner.

Syndicated columnist Bill Sniffin out of Lander announced that Wyoming U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi will not be running for governor. Huh? Late last year, Mr. Sniffin had teased us about a mystery candidate for the governor's race.

A lot of wild speculation was dished my way as people speculated that I was talking about Dick Cheney, Liz Cheney, John Barrasso, Cynthia Lummis, Dave Freudenthal turning Republican, Ray Hunkins, Eli Bebout and even this writer (wow!).

Dick Cheney? Liz Cheney? God forbid that those plagues would be loosed upon the state. Ditto Cynthia Lummis. Gov Dave turning Republican? Guess it could happen. Some of my lefty friends might say that Dave is DINO -- Democrat in Name Only. But this is Wyoming with its one-party system. I guess you could say there are two parties -- Republicans and Republicrats. I belong to the fringe party that nobody pays atention to -- Democrats.

But Enzi isn't running. He's too busy singing in the No Chorus of Senate Republicans. Maybe next time...

Welcome to spring training -- origins of Arizona's Cactus League

Douglas McDaniel writes an intriguing article for the Phoenix Performing Arts Examiner on the origins of the Cactus League. Very timely as Major League Baseball starts spring training in Arizona and Florida. Read the entire article at http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-2040-Phoenix-Performing-Arts-Examiner~y2010m2d27-Spring-training-brought-civil-rights-legacy-to-Arizona

When baseball "broke the color barrier," there were all kinds of ripple effects. Arizona hasn't always been the most hospitable place for non-white people. Those migrating across the border aren't always welcome, unless they're mowing golf courses or washing dishes at your favorite Mexican restaurant. Arizona voters turned down a 1990 MLK Day proposal. The NFL yanked the 1990 Super Bowl out of Arizona. In 1992, state voters finally recognized the evil of their ways and okayed the MLK Day holiday. The Super Bowl finally came to Sun Devil stadium in 1996.

In the 1940s, economics and nice weather and a few pushy individuals such as Bill Veeck made the Cactus League happen.

Florida, on the other hand, was definitely a part of the Dixie South. I just finished listening to a PBS series about the very slow dissolution of the color barrier at NASA during the 1960s. Some of the NASA employees interviewed cited Cape Canaveral as the worst place for a black employee. Worse than Huntsville, Alabama? Well, Huntsville had a long-standing federal presence. The military had been integrated since 1948 and many had been stationed in Huntsville. Scientists and researchers had been coming to Huntsville from all over the world. Houston, home to the Johnson Space Center, was at least a big city where blacks and white occasionally mingled.

Brevard County, Florida, was not so enlightened. An African-American town was obliterated to make way to launch facilities. "Separate but equal" was still in effect at schools and restaurants and the workplace.

I grew up one county to the north. Volusia County was home to the Daytona Speedway and the World's Most Famous Beach. Blacks couldn't go to this famous beach. They had to go to Bethune Beach, or N----- Beach as it was known to Crackers. Sundown laws kept blacks off of the beach side at night. Schools were segregated through the 1960s. The KKK was active into the 1970s and may still be.

How did black players on MLB teams fare in Florida? Did they have to stay in separate hotels and eat at separate restaurants? I don't know the answer to those questions. But I plan to find out.

To view a hilarious mockumentary on "The Old Negro Space Program," go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6xJzAYYrX8

HCR Summit clip: "Would your healthcare platform be the same if you made $40K?"

Video clip of the day from Health Care Reform Summit (via a TPM post): POTUS vs. The Colossus of Casper. No contest!

"Science is the Poetry of Reality"

Thanks to Ellie Chamberlain and Kevin Shay of Tucson for referring me to this beautiful vid about "real poetry in the real world."

Pres. Obama takes Sen. Barrasso to the woodshed today at Health Care Summit

Something weird happens to physicians when they're elected to the U.S. Senate. Especially Republican physicians.

I thought Sen. Barrasso's remarks at today's Health Care Summit would be just as thoughtful and as succinct as Sen. Enzi's. They are both conservative Republicans from Wyoming -- Barrasso from Casper and Enzi from Gillette. They have both been in lockstep opposing Pres. Obama's health care reform ideas. As U.S. Senators, they both dwell in a higher income bracket than you and me.

But there are differences. And these may be issues of class and income bracket, possibly even empathy.

Anyway, Sen./Dr. Barrasso said some bizarre things today.

More from Washington Post transcripts (in entirety):

MCCONNELL: Yes, Mr. President, Dr. John Barrasso is going to make our opening statement...

OBAMA: OK.

MCCONNELL: ... on (inaudible).

OBAMA: And then I will call Henry Waxman, and we'll just go back and forth.

BARRASSO: Thank you very much.

OBAMA: And because we are short on time, let's keep our remarks relatively brief.

BARRASSO: Thank you very much, Mr. President.

For people who don't know me, I practiced medicine in Casper, Wyoming for 25 years as an orthopedic surgeon, taking care of families in Wyoming. I've been chief of staff of the largest hospital in our state. My wife is a breast cancer survivor. Bobbi's been through three operations, a couple of bouts of chemotherapy. We've seen this from all the different sides of -- of care.

And this discussion needs to be about all Americans because everyone is affected, not just people that don't have insurance. And I've had dozens and dozens of visits to senior centers and town hall meetings and visited at -- at service clubs. And if you go to any community in America, and you ask the question, do you believe that this bill up here, that this bill will, if it becomes law -- do you believe you will pay more for your health care, you personally, every hand goes up.

And then you say, do you believe, if this bill becomes law, overall health care and the spending -- and spending in the country will go up, every hand goes up.

And then you ask the most personal question of all, do you believe, if this bill becomes law, the quality of your own personal care will get worse? Every hand goes up.

And most worried of all are the seniors, when you go to the senior centers, because they know there's going to be $500 billion taken away from those who depend upon Medicare for their health care. And it's not just Medicare Advantage. It's hospitals; it's the doctors; it's the nursing homes; it's home health, which is a lifeline for people that are home alone; hospice, for people in their final days of life.

That's all going to be cut. That's why the seniors are most concerned. And even the White House's own actuary says, if this goes into play, one in five hospitals, one in five nursing homes will be operating at a loss in 10 years. That's what we're looking at.

Now, for 25 years practicing medicine, I never asked anybody if they were a Republican or a Democratic or an independent and asked if they had insurance or not. I took care of everybody. And many, many doctors -- and I know Dr. Coburn, Dr. Boustany -- do that. We take care of everyone, regardless of ability to pay. Doctors work long hours. Nurses work long hours.

And, Mr. President, when you say, with catastrophic plans, they don't go for care until later, I say sometimes the people with catastrophic plans are the people that are best consumers of health care, in using -- the way they use their health care dollars.

Because a lot of people come in and say, you know, my knee hurts; maybe I should get an MRI. They say -- and then they say, "Will my insurance cover it?" That's the first question.

And if I say yes, then they say, "OK, let's do it." If I say no, then they say, "Well, what is it going to cost?"

And "What's it cost?" ought to be the first question. And that's why, sometimes, people with catastrophic -- catastrophic health plans ask the best questions, shop around, are the best consumers of health care.

But to put 15 million more people on Medicaid, a program where many doctors in the country do not see them, as Grassley said -- you know, you say, how are going to help those folks?

And, Mr. President, you know, when I talk to doctors, I say, I have a way; put all the doctors who take care of Medicaid patients under the Federal Torts Claims Act. That will help them, because they're not getting paid enough to see the patients. But if their Medicare -- if they accept those patients and then their liability insurance is covered under the Federal Tort Claims Act, I think you have a lot more participation in that program.

I do believe we have the best health care system in the world. That's why the premier of one of the Canadian provinces came here just last week to have his heart operated on. He said it's my heart; it's my life; I want to go where it's the best, and he came to the United States.

It's where a member of parliament, a Canadian member of parliament with cancer came to the United States for their care. They all have coverage there, but they want is care. So coverage does not equal care.

What we heard from Senator Conrad is actually -- is also right. Half of all the money we spend in this country on health care is on just 5 percent of the people. Those are people, for the most part, that eat too much, exercise too little and smoke. And as a result, we need to focus on those people.

So the focus ought to be on the best possible care. People are happy with the quality of care they get and the availability, but they sure don't like the affordability because it's not affordable.

And, you know, Mr. President, the first week in medical school, we got our stethoscopes, and the professor of cardiology, who just died this past year -- he said this is to listen. This is to listen to your patients, listen to their heart, listen to their lungs. But it's a constant reminder to listen to them, listen to what they are telling you. And it means to listen to the other people in the room.

If you're seeing a child, listen to what the mother is saying. If you're with an elderly person, listen to what their -- their adult child is saying. And it's a constant reminder to listen.

And I have great concerns that people around this table are not listening to the American people and are fearful of the consequences of this large bill, which is why only one in three people of American support what is being proposed here. And that's why so many people, Mr. President, are saying it's time to start over.

OBAMA: The -- I mean, let me just -- there's one thing I've got to -- there are a number of issues, as usually, that I've got significant difference with.

I just am curious. Would you be satisfied if every member of Congress just had catastrophic care? Do you think we'd be better health care purchasers?

I mean, do you think -- is that a change that we should make?

BARRASSO: Yes, I think -- I think, actually, we would. We'd really focus on it. You'd have more, as you'd say, skin in the game...

OBAMA: Because...

BARRASSO: ... and especially if they had a savings account...

(CROSSTALK)

BARRASSO: ... a health savings account. They could put their money into that and they'd be spending the money out of that.

OBAMA: Would you feel the same way if you were making $40,000 or you had -- that was your income?

Because that's the reality for a lot of folks. I mean, it is very important, when you say to listen, to listen to that farmer that Tom mentioned in Iowa, to listen to the folks that we get letters from.

Because the truth of the matter, John, is they're not premiers of any place. They're not sultans from wherever. They don't fly in to Mayo and suddenly, you know, decide they're going to spend a couple million on the absolute best health care. They're folks who are left out.

OBAMA: And this notion somehow that for them the system was working and that if they just ate a little better and were better health care consumers they could manage is just not the case. The vast majority of these 27 million or 30 million people that we're talking about, they work, every day. Some of them work two jobs. But if they're working for a small business they can't get health care. If they are self-employed, they can't get health care.

And you know what? It is a scary proposition for them.

And so we can debate whether or not we can afford to help them, but we shouldn't pretend somehow that they don't need help. I get too many letters saying they need help.

And so I want to go to...

BARRASSO: Mr. President, having a high deductible plan and a health savings account is an option for members of Congress and federal employees...

OBAMA: That's right, because members of Congress get paid $176,000 a year.

(CROSSTALK)

BARRASSO: ... 16,000 -- 16,000 employees take advantage of that.

OBAMA: Because they -- because members of Congress...

(CROSSTALK)

BARRASSO: It's the same plan that the -- that the park rangers get...

OBAMA: John...

BARRASSO: ... in Yellowstone National Park.

OBAMA: John, members of Congress are in the top income brackets of the country, and health savings accounts I think can be a useful tool, but every study has shown that the people who use them are folks who've got a lot of disposable income. And the people that we're talking about don't.

So... (CROSSTALK)

As always, CROSSTALK gets the last word...

Now we know what Sen. Barrasso believes. If all of us middle class Americans just had catastrophic coverage -- better yet, no insurance at all --- we'd all be better shoppers of health care.

Transcript of Sen. Enzi's remarks at Health Care Summit

Since I've been jabbering on about Wyoming's obstructionist GOP senators, I thought it would be wise to reprint in full Sen. Mike Enzi's remarks today at the Health Care Summit in D.C. This was billed as an exercise in bipartisanship, so it was interesting that Sen. Enzi took the theme seriously (see boldface section) and recounted ways he worked together with the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, as liberal as Enzi is conservative.

From transcripts on the Washington Post web site:

ENZI: Thank you, Mr. President, colleagues.

When we're -- when we're talking about insurance reform, we haven't really talked about, but Representative Slaughter kind of opened the door on it, and that's Medicare.

Seniors out there are really nervous. Seniors are the ones objecting the most to the program, and it's because they see half a trillion dollars coming out of their program.

If Medicare were separate, and any savings that we did in Medicare reform went back into Medicare, it would do a lot to relieve the tension that's out there. It'd even be a way to pay for the doc fix.

So I'm hoping that can be a piece of what we're doing.

I really appreciate this exchange. It would have been helpful had we had this nine months or a year earlier and had it in even more detail and for more days.

What we were presented with in the HELP Committee of course was a bill that was already half drafted, and we started the markup on it, and then we got the other half later, and since we had not had any input to the drafting we're credited with 150 amendments. Well, 17 of those amendments were Senator Murkowski where she was inserting Native Americans and tribal in 17 different places. I had 11 of them where we put in a thing that required agencies to cooperate.

So the ideas that we had -- when Senator Kennedy and I were working bills, we'd set down some principles and then put some detail in, and then draft the bills together. And I hope that that's something that we go to on future bills. It works. In a three-year period, he and I got 38 bills signed by the president. In the last year I've gotten two that I've gotten pens from this president. And the way that we've done those has been through that kind -- that kind of a process, and unless we go through that kind of a process, I don't think we're going to -- I don't think we can get to the bipartisan thing, and that's what the purpose of this meeting is, is to kind of get all these ideas together and see how they gel.

In insurance reform, small-business health plans, that's different than the AHPs, which is what they were talking about, and it covers some of the problems that were talked about.

One of the problems is mandates. And Olympia Snowe contributed to that part. She had a provision that if 26 of the states adopted a mandate, it would be a mandate nationwide. And as other mandates became 26, they would be included with it, too.

We talked about health savings accounts. I don't think that meets some of the federal minimum standards that the federal government might put on it, and that's going to disappoint some of our employees, because that is one of the options that federal employees have, is health savings accounts.

And it's particularly good for the younger, healthier people. They can get that. They've got catastrophic coverage. If they put the amount of money that they would have spent on a Blue Cross plan or some other plan, the difference between the two, into a savings account, in three years they've covered the huge deductible, and they can continue to do that tax-free. So it's a -- it's a process that would be really objected to if it's excluded or changed.

I like the exchanges, and the reason I like the exchanges is it's kind of a form of bidding, it's more transparency, people can see what they're buying, and that would be a big help. When we were in the shoe business, my wife used to -- after 10 years she decided she'd bid out our insurance.

We didn't know there was that much flexibility in insurance. She saved a bunch. And then, of course, she didn't -- since we were selling shoes, it's kind of a fixed price, so she didn't really take the low bid and then go back to somebody else and say, "Can you make this a little lower?" But that insurance company we'd been with for 10 years came to us and said, "We could have done a better deal." She said, "You should have when I was buying the insurance." And we got much better -- much better bids the next year.

So these exchanges can be good. But what I would hope you would consider is having the exchanges to list anybody's insurance that wants to put in on there, and then mark the ones that meet the federal minimum standards so that people can decide really what's out there in the market, and I think it would pull up some of the ones that are lower down up into the category, and at the same time everybody could see what all is on the market out there, and hopefully regardless of states.

Thank you, Mr. President.

OBAMA: Thank you very much, Mike. And thanks for (inaudible) succinct. Thank you very much. And I thought you shared some important ideas there.

Repubs shut out of health care reform debate? I think not...

Anyone who doubts that Repub ideas have been included in Pres. Obama's health care reform proposal -- check this out:

It’s clear that the American people want health insurance reform. They aren’t interested in Democratic ideas or Republican ideas. They’re interested in the best ideas to reduce costs, guarantee choices and ensure the highest quality care.

They’re interested in ideas that will put them back in control of their own health care.

Throughout the debate on health insurance reform, Republican concepts and proposals have been included in legislation. In fact, hundreds of Republican amendments were adopted during the committee mark-up process. As a result, both the Senate and the House passed key Republican proposals that are incorporated into the President’s Proposal.

Here is one that I especially like:

Community Mental Health Centers. The President’s Proposal ensures that individuals have access to comprehensive mental health services in the community setting, but strengthens standards for facilities that seek reimbursement as community mental health centers by ensuring these facilities are not taking advantage of Medicare patients or the taxpayers. (Source: H.R. 3970, “Medical Rights & Reform Act”)

I just read Sen. Enzi's ten-point plan for reforming health care. I even went to the extended version incorporated into a Senate bill. I now have a headache. I can't find anything about "comprehensive mental health services in the community setting." Very important issue in rural Wyoming with its shortage of mental health professionals for children and teens -- and shockingly low Medicare reimbursement rates.

Nothing for my headache but to turn on CSPAN-3 and listen to today's health care summit at the Blair House in D.C.

Lamar Alexander speaking. Now I have a whopper of a headache.

Next up: Know Nothing Republican Physician Tom Coburn of Oklahoma. When Coburn refers to government, he says "gubmint."

Both of Wyoming's GOP obstructionist senators will be at health care summit

Hope spring eternal, eh?

From the Wyoming Democrats:

The Wyoming Democratic Party calls on Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso to make honest efforts to negotiate in good faith with Democrats to find solutions to the health care crisis during the White House summit on Thursday.

Senate Republicans announced Tuesday that Enzi and Barrasso would be two of the seven senators the party will send to the summit scheduled by President Obama to break through the congressional log jam on health care reform.

"We encourage Senators Enzi and Barrasso to go to the summit with open minds, bring their own plans for comprehensive health insurance reform, and engage in honest negotiations instead of playing politics," said Wyoming Democratic Party State Chair Leslie Petersen. "The people of Wyoming and this nation demand and deserve nothing less."

Petersen noted that a poll released Tuesday by the widely respected Kaiser Family Foundation revealed that key components of health reform legislation receive broad, bipartisan support and that 58 percent of the public would be "angry" or "disappointed" if Congress failed to pass health reform.[http://mlist.orchidsuites.net/lists/lt.php?id=KkoGBAJTVAFQBx4BC1dWSgACBlNb]

The poll showed that 76 percent of Americans support "reforming the way health insurance works," while more than two-thirds support providing tax credits to small business, creating a health insurance exchange/marketplace, helping close the Medicare "doughnut hole," expanding high risk insurance pools, and providing financial help for low/middle income people.

"There is strong support for many aspects of health insurance reform, and a a widespread expectation that Congress must act now on health reform," Petersen said. "We urge Senators Enzi and Barrasso to rise above the petty partisanship of those who calculate that it's better for them politically to block solutions than to address this crisis. As President Obama said in his Inaugural Address, quoting Scripture, 'The time has come to set aside childish things.'"

In Wheatland, the students are the ones who make sense

Susan Greene wrote a column in today's Denver Post about the now-infamous banning of the ADL's "No Place for Hate" banners by the Platte County School Board in Wheatland. This is the first place where I've seen the term "Hategate." I, for one, am disappointed that we've come to the point where this incident is now a "-gate." I thought we'd all outgrown Watergate and Plamegate and Troopergate and Gategate (made up that last one).

The column ends with a thoughtful quote from a Wheatland High School student. Many of the most incisive protests against the school board's decision have come from students. They are learning a valuable lesson in "How the Real World Works." Let's hope they use this hard-earned knowledge to lead Wyoming forward rather than backward into a dark past.

Here's the comment:

Abbie Geringer, an 18-year-old Wheatland High senior, said she regrets that Hategate is giving her town a bad name.

"The world is looking at us now like we all hate gay people," she says. "Removing the banner reflects the opinions of the school board, not the student body. The world is changing. Board members are way behind the times in that respect."

Geringer is a well-known family name in Platte County. Jim Geringer was governor before Dave Freudenthal. Not sure if Abbie is an offspring of the former Republican Governor, but some parents up there know how to teach their children well -- as the song says.

Read entire Denver Post article at http://www.denverpost.com/commented/ci_14451599?source=commented-#ixzz0gMxXaiEJ

Wyoming Democrats celebrate diversity Feb. 27 at Nellie Tayloe Ross banquet

This comes from Bill Luckett, WyoDems E.D.:

Nearly 200 Democrats from across the state will gather in Cheyenne on Saturday, Feb. 27, for the 2010 Nellie Tayloe Ross Banquet, the state party’s annual celebration of Diversity in Politics and Government.

This year’s keynote speaker will be Colorado State House Speaker Terrance Carroll, a dynamic speaker who is both an ordained minister and an attorney from Denver. He is the first African-American to hold the position of Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives.

Among the other event highlights will be the announcement of the Nellie Tayloe Ross Award for outstanding contributions to the state and the Democratic Party.

The dinner follows a 1 p.m. meeting of the Wyoming Democratic Party Central Committee at the Plains Hotel at the corner of Lincolnway and Central Avenue. No-host cocktails begin at 6 p.m., followed by the dinner at 7 p.m., also at the Plains.

Tickets are still available for the dinner. They are $75 per person. People can reserve tickets by calling 800-729-3367, or by visiting http://www.wyomingdemocrats.com/. A very limited number will also be available at the door.

The annual event honors Nellie Tayloe Ross, who was elected to fill her husband's unexpired term as governor following his death in 1924. Campaigning in a "dignified and honest manner," Ross' straightforward approach helped her win against the Republican nominee, who was caught up in a special interest scandal. The state party's dinner honors that example and our shared Democratic values. In her first speech as governor, Ross reflected those values calling for "government assistance for poor farmers, banking reform, and laws protecting children, women workers, and
miners."

Livingston provides a model for local foods movement in Wyoming

Great idea I read about in the Billings Gazette:

The Western Sustainability Exchange of Livingston will provide information on the production, distribution and purchase of local foods during a workshop from 1-5 p.m. Monday at the Mansfield Health Education Center at St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings.

The organization’s Local Foods Commerce Day is advertised as the state’s premier training and marketing event for simplifying the processes involved in supporting locally grown foods. The event will feature a panel of producers, distributors and chefs who are already successfully buying, selling and using local foods. The first half of the workshop is open to the public.

Registration is $25 for nonmembers and $10 for members. The “Speed Dating” session, which consists of fast-paced meetings between producers, buyers and distributors, is reserved for members who have passed sustainability criteria. For more information, call 406-222-0730.

I like the phrase "simplify the processes involved in supporting locally grown foods." It is a bit confusing trying to find out what's local and where you can get it. Two farmers' markets in Cheyenne. Many vendors are within-100-miles local, and some aren't. Still, I like the fruit that comes from Utah. As far as I know, no part of Utah is within 100 miles of Cheyenne. There's canteloupe from Rocky Ford and peaches from Fruita. I would rather buy those at the Depot Plaza Market than tasteless varieties at the grocery store. Fruit from California and Texas. But Utah and Colorado closer than Salinas, California.

The Livingston folks seem more interested in really local -- the food grown around their fair city. And connecting local producers and distributors and chefs. Last week on Facebook, someone suggested that all of us should ask our waiters and waitresses for dishes that are made from local foods. I have never done this in Cheyenne.

Me: I want to eat only locally grown food tonight.

Waitress: Blank look. Crickets chirping in background.

We have a burgeoning local foods movement. We're a bit handicapped by the fact that our growing season is short and the soil is not soo good. But more of us are growing at least some of our own food.

What we need now is a way to connect us all.

Wyoming's new "Code of the West"

A couple of lawmakers were sitting around the Wyoming Capitol Building.

Lawmaker 1: What we need is a new Code of the West.

Lawmaker 2: We already have a Code of the West.

Lawmaker 1: But that's an old Code of the Old West. We need a new Code of West, one that seems old but also is up to date.

Lawmaker 2: What's wrong with the old one? If it ain't broke...

Lawmaker 1: Just seems like some of those old values and traditions are slipping away from us. We need reminders of the way things used to be.

Lawmaker 2: Like that bumper sticker: "Wyoming is what America was."

Lawmaker 1: Just like that.

Lawmaker 2: Maybe there's something in the old code that would be useful.

Lawmaker 1: Don't spit into the wind?

Lawmaker 2: That's more common sense than code.

Lawmaker 1: Never draw against a man named Doc?

Lawmaker 2: Never sit with your back to the saloon door?

Lawmaker 1: Those are both good. But I was looking at something a bit more generalized. Some wise saying a modern cowboy might utter.

Lawmaker 2: "Better smile when you say that, pardner."

Lawmaker 1: Still a bit too specific. I like Owen Wister and The Virginian. If we had an official state book, that would be the one.

Lawmaker 2: I think I see what you're getting at. Universal truths, as in the Bible. Do unto others, etc.

Lawmaker 1: That's right. Words to live by.

Lawmaker 2: I got one: take pride in your work.

Lawmaker 1: That's great. Write it down.

Lawmaker 2: Ride for the brand.

Lawmaker 1: Sure, just like the old cowboys. Be loyal to your employer, even if you're paid a dollar a day like cowboys were.

Lawmaker 2: They got beans for dinner, didn't they?

Lawmaker 1: I see your point. Ride for the brand -- and don't complain.

Lawmaker 2: Ride for the brand -- and don't complain. I'll write that down.

Lawmaker 1: Erase the last part. Some people will complain about it.

Lawmaker 2 (erasing the last part): What's next?

Lawmaker 1: Remember that some things are not for sale.

Lawmaker 2: Do you think that's wise? Won't the oil and gas and coal companies get mad? We've sold them just about every square inch of land that we can.

Lawmaker 1: Yeah, damn federal government. If they didn't control half the state, could have sold those parts too.

Lawmaker 2: Damn federal government -- is that part of the code?

Lawmaker 1: Better leave that one out. Wyoming gets more in federal funds than we pay in taxes.

Lawmaker 2: Maybe we can put that in the footnotes.

Lawmaker 1: Can't have a Code of the West with footnotes. A Code of the West has to be simple and pure of heart, like the people of Wyoming.

Lawmaker 2: Simple and pure at heart -- does that go in?

Lawmaker 1: Better say it this way: Talk less, say more.

Lawmaker 2: I like it. What else?

Later that same day.

Lawmaker 1: The code is finished. We now have ten good points on the list.

Lawmaker 2: It's a fine code. Our colleagues will like it. The Governor will like it. Cowboys should like it.

Lawmaker 1: Energy companies will like it.

Lawmaker 2: You betcha. It's a kind of code that can change history.

Lawmaker 1: Prog-bloggers may not like it.

They both laugh hysterically.

Lawmaker 2 (harumphing loudly): Prog-bloggers! There ought to be a law.

Lawmaker 1: Or a code. We'll work on that one tomorrow.

FOOTNOTE: On Thursday, the Wyoming Senate passed a bill authorizing a new state code. The votes were almost unanimous, with one nay from Sen. Bruce Burns, a Republican from Sheridan. What's with that? Sheridan (according to its web site) has been "voted in the Top 25 Cities & Towns with the Best American Values and No. 1 Western Town in America!" A town of the West certainly needs a Code of the West. When this new code becomes law, Sen. Burns shall be dealt with by the proper authorities. I hope everyone in the state gets deputized to enforce the new code. Can't wait to "Get Western" on some of my neighbors.

Here's the new state code, as derived from the book, "Cowboy Ethics," by James P. Owen:

(i) Live each day with courage
(ii) Take pride in your work
(iii) Always finish what you start
(iv) Do what has to be done
(v) Be tough, but fair
(vi) When you make a promise, keep it
(vii) Ride for the brand;
(viii) Talk less, say more;
(ix) Remember that some things are not for sale
(x) Know where to draw the line.

Among Baby Boomers, there are many visions -- and plenty of non-visions

On Keith Olbermann the other night, guest commentator Christian Finnegan made an interesting comment about Tea Party attendees (a.k.a. teabaggers) who happen to be white and middle-aged and elderly and angry, etc. He called them "a bunch of Baby Boomers scared that the world has passed them by."

I've been thinking about this. I'm a Baby Boomer that is quite certain that the world is passing me by. Obama's election confirmed this notion. He was elected by youngsters and ethnic minorities and aging Liberals and Raging Grannies and disaffected veterans and gun-toting union members and transsexuals and people of all ages fed up with the status quo. People like me.

Baby Boomers were in there somewhere. After the 2008 election results came in, I texted my son in Tucson, thanking him for voting and getting his friends out to vote. They will continue to vote for change because change is what they know. My Tucson son looks at his fellow Arizonan, John McCain, fulminating against liberals and gays and Obama and change and he thinks: "Why is that old guy yelling at me?" And then this: "This angry old guy expects me to vote for him?"

I'm just guessing what my son thinks. He's full of surprises.

People get scared when life speeds up so much that they can't keep up. People get scared when someone who doesn't look like them gets elected president. People get scared when answers to their questions aren't readily available.

I'm scared, too. But I can't slow down the world. I am along for the ride. More than that. I have hopped on the intergalactic bandwagon and I'm on for the long haul.

Diabetics in rural Wyoming on their own

From an AP story (via Billings Gazette):

The Wyoming Department of Health reports that the number of Wyoming adults with diabetes more than doubled in the past 13 years.

The department said Thursday that more than 7 percent of Wyoming adults have been diagnosed with diabetes, up from 3 percent in 1997.

Diabetes prevention and control manager Star Morrison said the disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the state.

From July 2006 to June 2007, diabetes led to 615 Wyoming hospitalizations costing $7.5 million, according to the department.

Washakie County has the highest rate of adult diabetes at 9.3 percent. Teton County has the lowest rate at 2.4 percent.

Morrison said the prevalence of diabetes is expected to increase as the state's population ages.

Let's see. Wyoming's population is aging. The diabetes rate is climbing. Our family knows something about diabetes. Chris was diagnosed with Type II diabetes 17 years ago when she was pregnant with our daughter. She sees an endocrinologist in Fort Collins across the border in Colorado. Each month, she goes to her diabetes educators (also in Fort Collins). She is careful about what she eats. She monitors her blood sugar. Our local pharmacist knows her and her prescriptions. In short -- it takes a team to manage diabetes. Family physician, specialist, nurses, educators, pharmacists.

Last year, the Wyoming Office of Rural Health release a report that showed 13 of the state's 23 counties had a shortage of primary-care doctors.

I posted this on the blog Dec. 26:

Washakie County in the Big Horn Basin hasn't a single primary care practitioner for its 8,000-some residents. No OB/GYN docs for healthy baby checkups. No pediatricians for when Johnny pokes his eye with a stick. No nurse practitioner to find out whether you have the flu or just a bad cold.

Or diabetes.

Star Morrison at the Wyoming Department of Health has her job cut out for her. "Aging" is just one factor. Lack of proper medical care in rural areas is another.

Will national healthcare reform address these issues? Perhaps we should ask Senator and physician John Barrasso. He and his Republican cohorts have done their best to derail healthcare reform. Why? Don't he and Sen. Enzi and Rep. Lummis have any empathy for the rural residents of this state? They say they do. But saying and doing are two different things.

Barrasso practiced medicine and politics in Casper, Wyoming's second largest city. Enzi lived in Gillette, booming coal capital of the nation. Lummis is from Cheyenne, the largest city in the state and the capital.

All of these places have hospitals. All have family physicians and specialists. Sure, some of us with insurance still go out of state for better care. We have that option.

But what are rural residents to do?

Suffer, I guess. Live with the fact that if they get diabetes, they're on their own.

Big Al Simpson appointed to deficit commission by Pres. Obama

Alan "Big Al" Simpson, a senator from Wyoming back in the day when GOPers and Dems would sometimes lie down together, lion-and-lamb-like, has been named by Pres. Obama as co-chair of a commission on reducing the federal deficit. His Dem co-chair is former Clintonian Erskine Bowles.

I sighted Sen. Simpson Friday evening at the annual Governor's Arts Awards in Cheyenne. Big Al is a big arts supporter, sitting on the board of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody. His wife Ann has been such a solid arts supporter statewide that the University of Wyoming Art Museum named its roving Artmobile program after her. Big Al was at the annual arts awards event because one of his fellow board members, Naoma Tate, was being honored. Half of Cody was at the event, it seemed.

Progressives don't seem to know if this commission is the real thing or just one of those "inside the Beltway" exercises. But it is good to see Sen. Simpson back in the saddle in D.C.

Bloomberg had more info (via Cowboy State Free Press):

“Erskine and I have a philosophy that’s very simple: We’re going to move this issue forward,” Simpson said in a telephone interview from Wyoming. “We’re going to say, you’re entitled to all of your emotion and guilt and fear and whatever you want to throw in to the game, but you’re not entitled to your own facts.”

Meanwhile, emotion- and guilt- and fear-mongers Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio "declined today to say whether the party would participate."

“Blue-ribbon commissions are fine and dandy, but we’re still waiting for a response from the president on our proposal to start cutting spending right now,” Boehner’s spokesman, Michael Steel, said.

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, said earlier this month Obama would name other Republicans, “perhaps former members” of Congress, if they chose not to participate.

Obama may call. But it will be interesting to see if any Repubs (other than Sen. Simpson) answer. As you know, the present-day GOP is The Party of N-O Spells No.