tagged w/ Montana
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This is spooky. The DEA is apparently "investigating" state legislators in Montana who helped write the state's medical marijuana law as being part of a marijuana trafficking "conspiracy."
This is for real. They are going around interrogating medical marijuana providers about what they know about specific legislators.
Like one legislator said, "this is McCarthyism all over again."
Part of the basis for this is a federal judge in Montana recently ruled that federal marijuana laws trump state medical marijuana laws. The once-booming (and granted, the system was being abused) medical marijuana industry in the state is virtually dead.
But now, it sounds like the feds are going after people who wrote the law to begin with.
It almost makes you want to vote for Ron Paul! (Well, not really).
http://missoulian.com/news/local/dea-inquiries-into-state-s-medical-marijuana-industry-include-legislators/article_54b1b528-4a3a-11e1-99bc-001871e3ce6c.htmlThis is spooky. The DEA is apparently "investigating" state legislators in... more
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Los Angeles Times...
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PHOTO: Congress removed wolves in Montana and Idaho from the protection of the Endangered Species Act in April. (Associated Press)
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The new war on wolves
As soon as federal protection ended, the slaughter began.
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By J. William Gibson
December 8, 2011
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Congress removed wolves in Montana and Idaho from the protection of the Endangered Species Act in April. And this fall, the killing began.
As of Wednesday, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game reported that 154 of its estimated 750 wolves had been "harvested" this year. Legal hunting and trapping — with both snares to strangle and leg traps to capture — will continue through the spring. And if hunting fails to reduce the wolf population sufficiently — to less than 150 wolves — the state says it will use airborne shooters to eliminate more.
In Montana, hunters will be allowed to kill up to 220 wolves this season (or about 40% of the state's roughly 550 wolves). To date, hunters have taken only about 100 wolves, prompting the state to extend the hunting season until the end of January. David Allen, president of the powerful Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, has said he thinks hunters can't do the job, and he is urging the state to follow Idaho's lead and "prepare for more aggressive wolf control methods, perhaps as early as summer 2012."
Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead recently concluded an agreement with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to save 100 to 150 wolves in lands near Yellowstone National Park. But in the remaining 80% of the state, wolves can be killed year-round because they are considered vermin. Roughly 60% of Wyoming's 350 wolves will become targeted for elimination.
What is happening to wolves now, and what is planned for them, doesn't really qualify as hunting. It is an outright war.
In the mid-1990s, when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released 66 wolves in Yellowstone and central Idaho, most of the U.S. celebrated. The magnificent wolf, an icon of wilderness that humans had driven to extinction in the United States, would now reoccupy part of its old range. But in the region where the wolves were introduced, the move was much more controversial.
Part of the reason was the increase, particularly in Idaho and Montana, in paramilitary militia advocates, with their masculine ideal of man as warrior who should fight the hated federal government, by armed force if necessary. They were outraged by what they saw as federal interference in the region spurred by environmentalists, and their ideas found a willing reception among ranchers, who view wolves as a threat to their livestock — even though they ranch on federal land — and hunters, who don't want the wolves reducing the big game population.
The factions have reinforced one another, and today a cultural mythology has emerged that demonizes the federal government, the environmental movement and the wolves themselves. Many false claims have been embraced as truth, including that the Fish and Wildlife Service stole $60 million from federal excise taxes on guns and ammunition to pay for bringing wolves back; that the introduced wolves carry horrible tapeworms that can be easily transmitted to dogs, and ultimately to humans; that the Canadian wolves that were brought in are an entirely different species from the gray wolves that once lived in the Rockies, and that these wolves will kill elk, deer, livestock — even humans — for sport.
The false claims may have had particular resonance because they built on a long tradition in Western culture. During the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church ruled that wolves belonged to the devil: Demons could take the shape of wolves, as could witches. Puritans brought similar ideas to America. Cotton Mather called New England before it was settled a "howling wilderness." Asked to investigate Salem's alleged witches, Mather concluded in his book, "On Witchcraft" (1692): "Evening wolves" (werewolves and witches) were but another of the devil's tests as New England passed from "wilderness" to the "promised land."
And that attitude has persisted. Gary Marbut, president of the influential Montana Shooting Sports Assn., wrote in 2003 that "one might reasonably view man's entire development and creation of civilization as a process of fortifying against wolves."
Politicians from both parties in Western states have been eager to help with the fortifications. In Idaho, Republican Rep. Mike Simpson and the state's governor, Butch Otter, made removal of wolves from the Endangered Species Act a political priority. In Montana, Republican Rep. Denny Rehberg has made delisting wolves central to his 2012 Senate campaign against Democratic Sen. Jon Tester. In April, Tester in turn persuaded fellow Democrats in the Senate to approve his inserting a rider in a budget bill that delisted wolves.
In early November, Sen. Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat, made his own political contribution. Thrilled at the testing of a drone aircraft manufactured in Montana, Baucus declared: "Our troops rely on this type of technology every day, and there is an enormous future potential in border security, agriculture and wildlife and predator management." A manufacturer's representative claimed his company's drone "can tell the difference between a wolf and a coyote." Pilotless drone aircraft used by the CIA and the Air Force to target and kill alleged terrorists now appear to be real options to track and kill "enemy" wolves.
How far we have fallen since the mid-1990s, when we celebrated the wolves' reintroduction. During the 2008 presidential election, candidate Barack Obama declared: "Federal policy toward animals should respect the dignity of animals and their rightful place as cohabitants of the environment. We should strive to protect animals and their habitats and prevent animal cruelty, exploitation and neglect."
The president now should make good on that promise.
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J. William Gibson is a sociology professor at Cal State Long Beach and the author of "A Reenchanted World." http://www.jameswilliamgibson.com
.Los Angeles Times...
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PHOTO: Congress removed wolves in Montana and Idaho from... more
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After viewing the documentary GASLAND, I was mortified and ashamed of what our species is capable of. If you think this is a free country... THINK AGAIN! The Bush/Cheney administration did everything in their power to take away as many freedoms as possible so doors could be opened to allow THE CORPORATE "BEING" to have free reign on getting at any type of resource no matter who or what was in the way. I know it's hard to believe that they would go so far as to ruin our planet if only to make another buck. But with every dollar, they get a nickel’s worth of power. The Power to Destroy. If you haven't seen Avatar I recommend you rent it. It is a chilling glimpse into the future of what can happen to Mother Earth when all her natural resources are depleted. Think it a fairytale? (Another... THINK AGAIN!) Watch the trailer Gasland below and The Daily Show featuring the filmmaker of Gasland, Josh Fox. Stay enlightened, information may be the only weapon we have to help save our planet against The Corporate World who will kill every living creature upon it, if they are allowed too.
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UPDATE 2012 - I blogged this page almost 2 years ago, since then we have had Earth tremors and quakes in the Fracking areas that some experts believe are the direct result of Fracking. I know the Republicans want us all to feel that Corporations will do no harm, they care about us and our Earth. To that I say... THE SHIT OF THE BULL! Even in my own hometown there are people who are willing to destroy in order to gain BIG BUCKS for themselves... Go to this link to see how greed is on a steady course of destruction EVERYWHERE. http://www.youtube.com/user/liveoaklandfill
Please watch GASLAND and then watch the propaganda film on HOW WONDERFUL NATURAL GAS IS, brought to you by one of the United Corporations of America.
thinkingblue
PS: 3 Cheers for Montana!!! Montana Supreme Court upholds election spending limits
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-montana-court-20120104,0,5533901.story
Ohio earthquake was not a natural event, expert says
http://news.yahoo.com/ohio-earthquake-not-natural-event-expert-says-002703764.htmlAfter viewing the documentary GASLAND, I was mortified and ashamed of what our species... more
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You know how college guys are.... if you aren't playing football, ya gotta get involved in pre-game festivities Nothing like an invigorating dash, nearly nekkid in this northern state. I think this was followed by the Genatilia Hunt event; otherwise known as "Dude! Where's my d--k"?
#1 MSU Bobcats host the #7 UM Girzzly; Battle for Montana. State law says blizzard/bitter cold required prior to or during game (well, is seems like there is a law to that affect anyway).
It's nasty ass cold here today. Checked my digital display for the outdoor temp when I got up this morning. Hey, 59 degrees! Not too shabby at 7AM here! Then I opened the shades to let some light into the room. Damn, there was a decimal point between that 5 and that 9 =(
Husband is not throwing furniture, so I guess game is going OK for GrizYou know how college guys are.... if you aren't playing football, ya gotta get... more
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"Rep. Dennis Rehberg (R-MT), who’s expected to face Sen. John Tester (D) in the Montana Senate race next year, is worried that some families who receive federally-subsidized lunches may be gaming the system and therefore bilking you out of your hard-earned taxpayer dollars.
It’s about waste, fraud and abuse, he suggests. But Democrats say it’s about something else: A Republican looking to scrimp on a program that benefits the least fortunate of all Americans, poor children, while he fights to protect subsidies for multi-billion dollar oil companies.
Rehberg is fond of looking to the nation’s education subsidies to find extraneous money that can be cut. Back in April, he landed in some hot water after he said that Pell Grants were the same as welfare, a comment he quickly walked back after public outcry back home in Big Sky Country.
But even in the walking back, there was evidence of Rehberg’s concern that taxpayer money earmarked for making it easier for people without a lot of income to get an education is place where cuts need to be made. Pell Grants are “are an attempt to do the right thing,” he said, and “the difficulty is, often times a program is so successful that it grows and grows and grows and grows.
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Brain off in too many directions on this to write all of what I want to say, but I will point out a couple of things right now:
Denny is reading from the script the Koch brothers and RNC handed him without thinking even a little: In Montana, in rural counties that tend to vote for his drunken ass time after time, the majority of kids get subsidized lunch. AND the majority of services in all those small towns rely on various grants which are based, in part, on the percentage of kids in the local schools get subsidized lunch! He doesn't have the brains to tell the script writers that this is NOT a good can of worms to open up in Montana.
As too why the need for Pell grants and other help to people trying to get educations, he complains that the programs keep growing, but never once mentions why that need increases: more Americans are falling into poverty and the middle class wage earners are losing real wages all the damn time! It's the ECONOMY, stupid!
Much as the $$ for his senate campaign here will come in from across the nation, it is still a local race between him and Tester and this issue will bite his ass hard. It will bring in more out of state $$, but some of us are gonna be sure that MONTANA knows what he is attacking.
And, after working to sue firemen for his failed business venture of houses on a high, windy platue under the airport flight path, now he is really going to shake kids down for their lunch money? Seriously? He just let the RNC script writers make him into a literal cartoon of the dim witted school yard bully who is all brawn and no brain, no heart, no soul.
By the way, officials were in town recently telling the county that they had a bunch of senior citizens daring to eat at the subsidized, once a week senior lunch who really don't qualify and/or aren't paying their $10 a month.
The GOP is trying to condition everyone into accepting their demonetization of anyone who gets federal dollars. Well, anyone but huge corporations anyway. Denny is always there, voting to defend federal dollars going to industries which are not floundering."Rep. Dennis Rehberg (R-MT), who’s expected to face Sen. John Tester (D) in... more
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Plenty of people have heard of the recent oil spill on the Yellowstone River in Montana. Few are aware, however, that three weeks ago another leak formed a creek of crude running down to Cut Bank River just miles from Glacier National Park.
Cowardly local papers, perhaps for fear of hurting tourism or stepping in front of juggernaut corporations, have completely ignored reports from environmental officials and concerned citizens. They have often repeated the drilling company’s press releases verbatim.
We were on site and documented it. (Video at bottom)
The corporation’s reports are false. How can 420 gallons of oil travel a mile through a wheat field into a wetland, down a winding ravine and into a river? It was much much larger. We also do not know when it began, but we know it was three weeks ago was when it was first reported.
A break in an oil collection pipeline on the eastern prairie of the Blackfeet Reservation approximately 5 miles from the town of Cutbank has led to a flood of crude that has been flowing approximately one mile over land and into the Cutbank river. Tribal officials received word of the spill on Tuesday, but it remains unclear when, or why, the pipeline — which is managed by FX Drilling — actually began leaking oil.
Tribal officials confirmed that oil was spotted in the river at least two weeks ago by a kayaker who reported to 911 that he was paddling through oil. According to a preliminary investigation by the Blackfoot Environmental Department, FX Drilling attempted to fix the pipeline after the 911 call, but left the break unmended for over a week, claiming they were unable to access the site. Also, according to the investigation, FX failed to initiate cleanup on the site after fixing the pipeline.
On Wednesday, nearly three weeks after the initial discovery of the spill, absorbent booms were finally placed by Indian Country Environmental Associates (ICEA) on the shore of the Cutbank where the oil merges with the river. ICEA is a company contracted by the tribe to handle cleanup of oil spills on the reservation.
FX Drilling Corporation has claimed that the leak released “two barrels” of oil, or 84 gallons. However, officials with the Blackfeet Environmental Department have estimated the spill to be “several thousand gallons.” The volume of oil observed at the site was large enough to seep through a wheat field and down a coulee for approximately one mile where it entered the Cutbank River. It is the second significant release of oil into Montana rivers during the last month.
More at the link.Plenty of people have heard of the recent oil spill on the Yellowstone River in... more
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An Exxon Mobil pipeline that ruptured, leaking oil into Yellowstone River, may have sometimes carried a heavier and more toxic form of crude than initially thought, federal regulators said on Thursday.
The U.S. Transportation Department's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration spokeswoman Patricia Klinger said her office had learned that the pipeline may have been used to carry heavier crude.
"I just found out that apparently, and the regional folks just found out, there is an interconnect on the pipeline that possibly does carry some oil out of Canada," she said in response to a question about tar sands crude in the pipeline.
That a pipeline thought to transport only "sweet," low sulfur crude could have carried so-called tar sands crude from Canada raised concerns by health and environmental officials, even as Exxon officials said the heavier oil was not flowing through the Silvertip pipeline when it broke on July 1.
"The actual crude in the line at the point of the incident was a blend of crudes from Wyoming," Exxon spokesman George Pietrogallo told Reuters in an email on Thursday.
Exxon was responding to a question about whether tar sands crude had ever flowed in the pipeline. Almost all the oil produced in Canada's Alberta fields is from tar sands.
The chemistry of tar sands oil, derived from tar sands or bitumen and sweet crude is significantly different, said Ronald Kendall, head of the environmental toxicology department at Texas Tech University.
"Tar sands oil is in itself heavier oil and it contains more compounds that are toxic and may contain heavy metals like lead," Kendall said.
In a July 6 email to Reuters, Exxon spokesman Kevin Allexon said the crude carried by the pipeline "does not originate from Alberta" but from fields on the Montana-Wyoming border. On Thursday, Exxon revised that.
"The pipeline carries a variety of different production fields in the U.S. and Canada," Pietrogallo said in the email.
'HELL NO'
Tar sands crude may cause more wear and tear on pipes because of its chemical makeup, including corrosive and abrasive agents, said Tom Finch, the pipeline administration's technical services director for the western regional office.
Federal inspectors were trying to determine if transport of tar sands crude could have triggered internal corrosion that may have played a role in the rupture, he said.
Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer faulted Exxon for failing to tell the state exactly what kinds of crude ran in the pipeline or spell out what hazardous chemicals were in the mix now contaminating riverside properties.
"Since they dumped that oil into the river that the state owns and manages, since they have spread oil in a film across 150 separate properties, since the film is over fishing access sites and state parks, we thought it would be appropriate to know what it is," Schweitzer said.
Richard Opper, head of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, said he was surprised to learn the pipeline buried in the streambed of the Yellowstone may sometimes have moved tar sands crude from Canada.
"If the question is, did we know it was carrying tar sands oil? Hell, no," he said in an interview on Thursday. "If companies are changing the kinds of materials in pipelines to mixes that make them more likely they will leak or rupture, that raises huge concerns."
Exxon has apologized for the spill, which it estimates at 42,000 gallons, and pledged to restore a river prized for its near pristine waters, scenic beauty and abundance of wildlife.
EPA officials are analyzing the chemical fingerprint of the oil which, depending on its source, could contain anything from benzene, a known carcinogen, to hexane, a toxin that can damage the human nervous system.
More at the linkAn Exxon Mobil pipeline that ruptured, leaking oil into Yellowstone River, may have... more
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Actually the "crude offense" belongs to the Big Oil Bullies and their minions of spineless suck-ups. This pipeline could be coming soon through your state too. You may begin to see the full page propaganda ads in your local newspaper. Stop the madness!Actually the "crude offense" belongs to the Big Oil Bullies and their... more
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BILLINGS, Mont (Reuters) – Federal regulators said on Sunday they want Exxon Mobil to retool its preliminary plan to clean up oil spilled into the Yellowstone River in Montana from a ruptured pipe at the start of July.BILLINGS, Mont (Reuters) – Federal regulators said on Sunday they want Exxon... more
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Montana's free range, don't take crap from political status quo guv, Brian Schweitzer is on his last year as governor. Sadly, Mainstream Max has 4 years to go on his senate term. But we might be looking at a real DEM for that seat next time around.
Brian is really one of the good guys who knows ideology will not feed the family, yet he stands up pretty tall against legislative loons. He stood up to D.C. regarding our National Guard resources being squandered in the war for profit in Iraq and got our state guard's helicopters back here where we need them to help during bad fire seasons. He vetoed a boatload of bad legislation sent to his desk by RW courting legislative idiots. And he does everything with style that resonates beyond the halls of power and privilege.
When he ran for the US Senate years ago, the feds got all over his ass for taking tour busses full of senior citizens across the border to buy their meds in Canada for much less than they could in the US. He is that kinda guy; if the policy is insane, go around it even if your end run only serves to point out the insanity.
He is a soils scientist by training, and spend several years in Arabia, showing how to make parts of that vast desert produce something besides oil. He has no love of the family Saud. He wants the US to become energy independent. Sure, he will push for new uses for Montana coal, as an interim bridge to wean America off imported fuels as we apply some REAL resources to R&D all manner of alternate energy sources. He has been a big advocate for wind and Montana has seen wind turbines pop up and become more widely appreciated.
This guy gave workshops to other DEMS, if they just paid attention and got some spine, by his methods and courage
And he has a really cool dog, Jag, who goes with the guv as much as he can.Montana's free range, don't take crap from political status quo guv, Brian... more
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Just look at this EXXON flunky saying, we understand... we understand.... we understand. Excuse me, but you don't understand anything but $$$$$$$$$$. Once again a major spill and the one in charge KNOWS NOTHING. Doesn't know how it happened, how far it has gone, what it has done, what people are being exposed to. Cover up and backtracking. That's all we get from these amoral bastards.
And personally, I don't give a damn how many people they say they have on this now putting diapers down...STOP POLLUTING OUR WATERWAYS!Just look at this EXXON flunky saying, we understand... we understand.... we... more
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A pipeline operated by Exxon Mobil Corp leaked as many as 1,000 barrels of crude oil into the Yellowstone River in Montana and has been shut down, the company said.A pipeline operated by Exxon Mobil Corp leaked as many as 1,000 barrels of crude oil... more
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July 2, 2011
Ruptured Pipeline Spills Oil Into Yellowstone River
By ANAHAD O’CONNOR
An ExxonMobil pipeline running under the Yellowstone River in south central Montana ruptured late Friday, spilling crude oil into the river and forcing evacuations.
The pipeline burst about 10 miles west of Billings, coating parts of the Yellowstone River that run past Laurel — a town of about 6,500 people downstream from the rupture — with shiny patches of oil. Precisely how much oil leaked into the river was still unclear. But throughout the day Saturday, cleanup crews in Laurel worked to lessen the impact of the spill, laying down absorbent sheets along the banks of the river to mop up some of the escaped oil, and measuring fumes to determine the health threat.
Fearing a possible explosion, officials in Laurel evacuated about 140 people on Saturday just after midnight, then allowed them to return at 4 a.m. after tests showed fumes from the leaked oil had dissipated, The Associated Press reported. While the cause of the rupture was not immediately known, Brent Peters, the fire chief for Laurel, told The A.P. that it may have been caused by high waters eroding parts of the river bed and exposing the pipeline to debris.
The pipeline is 12 inches wide and runs from Silver Tip, Mont., to Billings, an area with three refineries, ExxonMobil said. All three were shut down after the spill. ExxonMobil said it had summoned its North American Regional Response Team to help clean up the spill, and a fire spokesman in Laurel said more than 100 people, including officials with the Environmental Protection Agency, were expected to arrive at the scene by Sunday morning.
In a statement, the company said it “deeply regrets this release and is working hard with local emergency authorities to mitigate the impacts of this release on the surrounding communities and to the environment.”
“The pipeline has been shut down and the segment where the release occurred has been isolated,” the statement added. “All appropriate state and federal authorities have been alerted.”
The rupture occurred sometime around 11:30 p.m. Friday. Duane Winslow, a disaster and emergency services coordinator for Yellowstone County, told a local television station, KTVQ, that all oil companies with pipelines near the river were told to immediately shut them down, and that the damaged pipe was off within half an hour. He said drinking water in the surrounding area was being monitored and so far was determined safe. Officials in Billings initially shut down water intake but later reopened it, KTVQ reported.
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PHOTO:
Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette, via Associated Press
Oil swirled in a flooded gravel pit in Lockwood, Mont. after an ExxonMobil pipeline ruptured.
.July 2, 2011
Ruptured Pipeline Spills Oil Into Yellowstone River
By ANAHAD... more
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MTCIA Still Working for Clarity Following Ruling
On July 1, 2011, by Kate Cholewa ....
Urgent Update: Get your patients to fill out the form to make you a provider NOW.
Need help understanding process to switch patients from you as “caregiver” to “provider”? MTCIA member Bob Cypers is willing to help: 406- 459-3104
Judge Reynolds’ ruling was a partial victory. The new law slated to go into effect yesterday would have essentially ended access to medical marijuana in Montana. Access has been preserved. However, given that it was a partial injunction, many provisions are still going into effect. For a comparison of what the law would have done without the injunction compared to the situation with the injunction, go here.
In terms of functionality, the biggest issue is that caregivers were eliminated as of midnight. Yes, growers can still have medical marijuana businesses, but they must be registered as “providers” as per the requirements of the new law. So, according to the letter of the law, if you had 15 patients yesterday as a caregiver, you would be operating against the law if you were serving them today. You must undergo the paperwork to become a provider. The patients must name you as such.
This, of course, temporarily breaks down the entire system. Yet, it was clearly the judge’s intention to allow commercial activity.
The judge’s ruling came out at the end of business hours yesterday. Little could be done last night to seek clarifications. No guarantees, but the MTCIA and their attorneys are working to see what might be done about this transition.
And don’t forget, the new law can still be stopped in its entirety through the referendum process.
.If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!MTCIA Still Working for Clarity Following Ruling
On July 1, 2011, by Kate Cholewa... more
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We wait for Judge Reynolds’ ruling on the new medical marijuana law passed by the legislature that destroys access to cannabis in Montana. The new law’s effective date is midnight tonight, June 30. The ruling will determine whether an injunction will be granted and the law be kept from going into effect until the courts can examine the constitutionality of the new law more thoroughly.
So, what’s it going to be? Hacked up gardens, hidden mothers, and shock? Some mix of enjoined provisions and permitted provisions that will need to be sorted out in short order so to be compliant by midnight? Or, will it be a full injunction and celebration tempered by calculation – what to do next? Will an injunction mean federal guns, Montana’s constitution be damned?
The petition language for the referendum to stop the new law and place it on the 2012 ballot was approved on Tuesday. The next step is training for signature gatherers. The petition should be on the streets probably within a week. At the national level, petitions have been circulating this week directed at U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Holder has said the Obama administration will be clarifying federal policy on states with medical marijuana laws. The petitions encourage policy that has the feds back off and leave states to sort out this issue without their guns and the confusion they cause when they arrest citizens obeying their state laws.
The wager is that Holder’s announcement will come late Friday afternoon. Late Friday afternoon is when the White House makes announcements that they don’t want to get a lot of play during the news cycle. But whether that means good news or bad news for states with medical cannabis laws, don’t know.
But Montana has their own state announcement they’re awaiting.
It was no surprise to see indictments come down this week from the March raids, timed to the judge’s deliberations, just as the raids were timed to occur simultaneously with a vote in Senate Judiciary to table medical marijuana repeal. The efforts of the feds to pressure decision-making by our legislature and judiciary is off-the-charts shocking. They don’t even feel the need to be subtle. They are the source of the fear, scandal, and violence when it comes to medical marijuana in this state, not Montanans, whether one thinks all of them should have a card or not.
But we’ll get our ruling today.
What if the worst possibility came to pass (I don’t think it will) and the judge allowed the new law to go into effect?
What it would mean is a rough couple months, panicked patients, and a lot of people getting real quiet or out of town,
that is,
until we collect the signatures, put a stop to the law, and stare down the ignorant once more.
(see previous post, Access, June 28, 2011)We wait for Judge Reynolds’ ruling on the new medical marijuana law passed by... more
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Montana electric customers were blacked out until workers removed a fawn's carcass from the power lines. Make sure the kids are wearing eagle-repellent jackets!Montana electric customers were blacked out until workers removed a fawn's... more
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Montana to lop 2% off payments to assisted living homes, hospitals, everybody but doctors, who care for Medicaid patients. Payment rates to go back to 2009 levels, despite fact that costs for providing care have gone up. This, as part of the budget passed by the GOP dominated state legislature and signed by DEM Governor Schweitzer.
If the Department of Public Health and Human Services adopts the new rules, it means a $13 million drop for each of the next 2 years for all providers but physicians. Payments, frozen at 2010 levels will be rolled back to 2009 levels.
Public hearings on the new rules will be held Wednesday. Rules, if adopted are scheduled to go into effect Aug 1.
http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/article_f37fe5af-ed8f-5e75-8ce7-921e45eff189.html
State law requires that those needing institutionalized care be tended in the least restrictive environment possible. For many rural communities, that means small facilities or group homes which rely on Medicaid to stay afloat. With the lower rate of reimbursement, many residents will have to be moved to larger institutions, often hours away from where patients' families reside, or back into family homes, where details for daily care will have to be assumed by private citizens directly.
Waiting to hear the howls from family members who may end up taking care of granny and any developmentally disabled kin when assisted living facilities are forced to close their doors to people who rely on Medicaid to pay for care they need. Some will have to hire help or quit outside jobs to care for people who will be moved out of the 100 smaller care facilities, scattered around the fourth largest state, that have relied on Medicaid to help offset costs and have been steadily losing ground to rising costs.
How many of those family members turned full-time-care-givers will connect the dots and realize that low taxes for the top and specialized loopholes to keep them from even paying the low rates are creating an ever increasing burden on 90% of the population?Montana to lop 2% off payments to assisted living homes, hospitals, everybody but... more
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As Captain Joint I have run across some very strange and sad stories in the Drug War. This one caught my eye. A two year old child alive because Medical Marijuana helped him combat brain cancer. Just one more story about a medical wonder surpressed by our foolish federal government.
Fight the Federal Lie!
submitted by Captain JointAs Captain Joint I have run across some very strange and sad stories in the Drug War.... more
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