Senator's field reps hold listening sessions

It should be crystal clear to Montana's senators in Washington: the issue of the moment is health care. That's what the field representatives of Sen. Max Baucus and Sen. Jon Tester heard most about last Thursday when they visited Glasgow. More than a dozen people gathered in the Community Room of the courthouse to sound off, and they didn't hold back.

"Tell Baucus and Tester the government should stay out of health care altogether," said Bob Potter. "They can't run the post office or anything efficiently. They should take care of important things like Afghanistan. It sounds like we need more troops there. You can't fight wars with politicians."

"Tell them no government-run health insurance," said Jerry Jacobson. "Medicare is dictating what hospitals do. I object to the whole program the Democrats are trying to do. I object to doing it without letting the minority party in. Nobody is playing open with us. It's outright lies. And the opt-out provision is baloney."

"Baloney," echoed Penny Zimmerman, Tester's field director from Glendive, scribbling on a notepad. "That's a good one. I'll send that along."

She and Cathy Kirkpatrick, Baucus's field representative, also from Glendive, represent the state's two Democratic senators in the mostly Republican eastern part of the state. At sessions like this in Wolf Point, Poplar, Culbertson, Sidney, Plentywood and Scobey this week, their job is to hear the people and log the comments for the boss. They track opinion on the computer by zip code.

"They do read these comments," Zimmerman assured the group. "I write them down and the senator sees them. Do you watch C-SPAN? When he presides over the Senate, he reads them while the Senate roll call is going on."

Bob Farrell tried to inject some support for health care reform.

"I think there should be something done. There are a lot of people out there hurting. I don't mind paying a little bit to help them."

He got support from the man sitting next to him, Commissioner Bruce Peterson, but the next comments returned to the attack.

"In a democracy, private does better."

"This bill is going to be a huge tax increase on the middle class. They say the rich but it's going to be us."

"My Canadian friend says 'You don't want what we've got.'"

"We're not going to government health care," Zimmerman said.

"It sounds like it," Potter replied.

"Be sure they read and understand the bill," Ron Gilbertson said. "Vote what's right, not what the Democratic Party tells them to."

One person wanted to know who writes these bills. Nobody can understand what they say. It must be million-dollar lawyers.

"Like in Helena, people familiar with the intent of the issue write it in legalese," Peterson explained. "That's why the bill gets longer. It has to be defended in court someday."

Jacobson insisted that it should be put in plain language.

"We don't need 20 pages. And I don't know why we should criminalize not having insurance."

"I'll tell the senator you said that," Zimmerman says at intervals.

"I'm concerned about freedom for my grandchildren," Nolan Hughes said. "Congress is terrorizing us. Do I have to read 2,000 pages to go to the doctor? If we put 34 million more people in the system, there are not enough doctors."

Other topics are brought up: sneaking unrelated amendments into a bill that aren't even discussed, closed door politics, Obama's trip to China to "bow and scrape to those people we're in debt to," legislation to have more products made in America, using Montana coal, subsidizing transportation out here where the distances are great. Someone says the stimulus money hasn't created jobs. Farrell said we need to get rid of programs when their use is gone, citing the continued tobacco subsidies.

Joe Yeoman said, "The forests are dying of pine beetle. Why can't we cut the wood?"

This was a chance for Zimmerman to champion her boss.

"We are," she returned promptly. "Tester's forest bill is new this fall. We need to put these loggers back to work. We need to work together."

Having the floor, she segues into another environmental issue.

"Grazing on the CMR - that's a huge concern. Ranchers are being encouraged not to be there. There is scientific proof that cattle grazing is good for the grass. If you put buffalo there, it's not going to happen."

"We should stop getting so party-politic oriented," a woman said. "Let's get back to the Constitution and conservative values. Everybody needs to listen to the people, not the lobbyists."