August 10, 2008

Good evening,

And I hope each and every one of you has enjoyed the weekend's activities.

Politically speaking, time grows short for candidates in the various Primary races. One week from Tuesday, you the Voter, will make the decision to ensure my political future and allow me to continue to represent you.If you, the reader, have any inkling of lending a hand or a voice, now would be the time to do so!

A newspaper reporter from Cheyenne called this past week and wanted a comment on a legislative proposal by one of the current incumbents concerning proper medical care for veterans at the V.A in Cheyenne. While the concept sounded good, it brought to mind a common slippery political technique that all of us need to be on the lookout for and against.

It's the kind of a deal where an elected official who is not really 'green' at all will sponsor one positive bill related to the environment, and use that as an example of their commitment to the environment. While in reality, their real political agenda is to promote irresponsible development of the natural resources.

So it may be that John Barrasso's bill concerning medical care for vets is a good thing. The real question is what about his record on the issue since his appointment?

I know that he voted against limiting the length of the tour of duty that our active military serves in Iraq. Some time back, the military lengthened the tours of Army soldiers from 12 months to 15 months. There was an amendment to once again make a 12 month tour the standard. Considering that our troops rotate through Iraq on a frequent basis, some have been there 3 or 4 or 5 times, it seemed to me a shorter tour would be better. When soldiers are living under constant battle conditions for extended periods, in addition to leaving children, wives and families behind, it is a tremendous strain that further impacts soldier’s physical, emotional and mental health.

Another related issue that has dropped from view is that of medical care at the various medical facilities such as Walter Reed Hospital. You may recall there was a big dustup a couple of years ago about substandard care, but now we don't hear a thing. Is it possible that all is well on that front? Possible perhaps, but I do not believe that reform really occurs in cases such as these without sustained pressure from elected officials. If our appointed incumbent was really and truly concerned about the plight of soldiers in the military health care system, he would be all over that on a constant basis.

That is it for tonight…

One more Underdog Update before the big day!

Keith