By their words shall ye know them

by: Montana Cowgirl

Thu Feb 18, 2010 at 12:04:07 PM MST

In a recent email missive about her efforts, Annie Bukacek assumes the black helicopters are already circling when she writes this accusation about Montana's county elections officials:

It is a near-certainty there will be fraud in some of the county elections departments. 

Bukacek certainly knows something about fraud: she's under investigation for being a perpetrator of it.

In the same rambling email, Bukacek also mentions her efforts to recruit tea-baggers to her cause. I can see why Bukacek's minions are drawn to tea-baggers.  They seem to share a penchant for boldly displaying their cognitive limitations.  I'm not saying that's all bad--it makes it easier for the rest of us to avoid hiring them.

The fact is, Bukacek's prototypical supporter seems to be "that one guy" who, if he continues along his current trajectory, will likely spend a considerable portion of his 30s as that one local nutter in every Denny's who spends his time filling notebooks with manifestos.

Not the tea-baggers.  

This small, whiney minority of the population that is virtually impotent and have no impact on policy is the wrong target for Bukacek. Heck, they aren't even trying to have a part in any movement FOR anything - they are the "new anarchists".  They aren't the types who are going get behind a movement and volunteer.  Nor do they seem like the types that want the government to have more say in private medical decisions.  

Nevada's Proposed Abortion Ban Initiative Tossed, Proposal is Comparable to Montana's

by: Montana Cowgirl

Sat Jan 09, 2010 at 09:44:42 AM MST

Montana faces a similar ballot initiative (backed by a "doctor" accused of fraud). Montana also has a similar one subject law.

Like in Montana, the Nevada ballot initiative petition does not specifically mention abortion, but is a back door attempt to totally ban abortion in the state.

Carson City District Court Judge James Russell said the measure was too broad and general in nature to be put before voters in November.

"The issue to me is, are we adequately informing voters on what they're voting on," Russell said in a ruling from the bench after listening to about two hours of arguments.

Besides being vague, Russell said, the initiative violates a law limiting referendum questions to a single subject.

"There's no way for the voter to understand the effects of the initiative," he said.

Crackdown on Montana's Con Artists Could Save Taxpayers Millions

by: Montana Cowgirl

Mon Dec 07, 2009 at 00:24:13 AM MST

That's one reason why what Annie Bukacek is doing is so, so wrong. Bukacek is an uber-right, would-be abortion banner who is giving other Kalispell crazies a run for their money after criminal investigators rolled in to investigate her for Medicaid fraud. Bukacek not only harmed the patients she is alleged to have scammed--she's ripped-off every single one of us who have ever paid taxes in this state. Medicaid fraud puts an extra hurt on Montana taxpayers because unlike Medicare, the federally funded health care benefit program for seniors, Medicaid is a joint state-federal funded program for low-income people.

Nationwide, fraud perpetuated against both public (Medicaid) and private health plans costs between $72 and $220 billion annually.

Fun fact: that sum is enough to pay for one third of U.S. defense spending for fiscal year 2010.  It could cover the entire defense spending this year for Iraq and Afghanistan combined--and leave the U.S. with $100 million dollars to spare.

This year, New York state doubled their Medicaid fraud crackdown efforts and recovered an additional $114 million.  I wonder how much money Montana could recover if all the Bukaceks out there were stopped.

If the rash of absurd self-fellating letters to the editor and blog comments pretending that this is about praying with patients means anything, Bukacek and her minions just don't get it.  Here's an idea Bukacek: instead of rabble-rousing, how about reading the Bible now and again. There's this part about not stealing...

Right-wing group claims to represent "sunshine," just don't shine the light on them

by: Montana Cowgirl

Thu Nov 19, 2009 at 20:47:40 PM MST

Enter in 2009 the Montana Policy Institute: a group that keeps its backer veiled in secrecy.  Organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the group is a thinly regulated entity that can engage in limited amounts of public organizing, but cannot advocate for or against candidates and is supposed to remain non-partisan.

It guards its secrecy as closely as possible and the group refuses to identify any of its donors or its out-of-state bankroller.  The group refuses to say, in fact, much about itself at all. Its website says it is a

"free market think tank focused on Montana issues and Montana solutions"

"make state and local government more transparent."

As long as you don't try to shine a light on their own financial backers: the group flatly refuses to disclose them. There's something highly suspect about a group that refuses to hold themselves to the very standards of openness, sunshine, and transparency they claim to champion.