Below is my letter-to-the-editor published in the Billings Gazette, today, September 17, 2018. I wrote the letter before the final figures were in for Trump's police protection in Billings. On Saturday, the Billings Gazette reported that the total cost for Trump's visit to Billings was $59,000.

"President Trump's Billings Visit Cost Taxpayers $59K in Law Enforcement Overtime" by Mike Ferguson, Billings Gazette, September 14, 2018

https://billingsgazette.c...d9507.html

Here's my letter:

"So, let me get this straight.

Sen. Jon Tester does his job and doesn’t approve of Trump’s nomination of Dr. Ronnie Jackson, as secretary of Veterans Affairs, because Dr. Jackson had no experience as an administrator of a big federal agency, and there were credible allegations of misconduct by Dr. Jackson including: drunkenness on duty, inappropriate practices of prescription medicine and creating a hostile work environment.

After Jackson withdrew his nomination, Trump says: "I think Jon Tester has to have a big price to pay in Montana."

Then Trump and his surrogates (Pence and Trump Jr.) decide to take revenge on Sen. Tester for doing his job by making several trips to Montana campaigning for Sen. Tester’s opponent in the upcoming Montana Senate race.

And, all this Trumptonian revenge against Sen. Tester has been at taxpayer expense. The police protection and increased security has been estimated in Billings at $20,000 last week, $35,000 for Pence’s July visit and $80,000 for Trump’s Great Falls campaign trip in July. And, so far as reported in this newspaper, there has been no reimbursement from the White House for all the expenses incurred by these Montana communities. And, that doesn’t include the jet fuel and staff for Air Force One.

So, who is really paying the “big price” in Montana for Sen. Tester doing his job and protecting veterans from Trump’s incompetent VA secretary nominee? I’m thinking the people in Billings and Great Falls must be thinking this is a pretty expensive way for Trump to get revenge on Sen. Tester — all at their expense."

Mary Catherine Dunphy
Miles City

Jackson is a Rear Admiral. Most General Officers have a great deal of experience running large departments. He was more than qualified to run the VA.

Absolutely no one went on record with their accusations against Admiral Jackson. The claim that he was drunk and wrecked a White House vehicle was debunked by the Secret Service. The people who know everything that goes on on the White House grounds.

Jon Tester did a hatchet job anonymous party character assassination of the lowest kind on Admiral Jackson. Something I never would have expected from somebody who calls themselves a "Montanan". It was absolutely something expected from someone who calls themselves a Democrat.

In the same vein, what exactly has Jon Tester done for Veterans? I see his political campaign bulls**t because I'm on his mailing list, but what has he done on the ground that has actually benefited Vets?

You tell me. Don't just post a link to his propaganda.

Jon Tester is going away in November and he won't be missed.

I guess Pence did a hatchet job on the Rear Admiral also.

Hey Oddy! Why isn't the Rear Admiral still at his previous job?

Speaking of a "hatchet job", implying Senator Tester has done nothing for veterans or that he doesn't have the support of veterans would surely qualify as one.

Meanwhile Baltimore Matt, who is confused about the U.S. Constitution, is trying to use fear to get people to vote for him.

KULR TV: Campaign ad criticized for incorrect Constitution reference

I wonder why Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson did not defend himself against these credible allegations? Instead Jackson chose to resign. Perhaps because he didn't want all the gory details to come out in sworn testimony. I understand there is an ongoing investigation of Rear Admiral Jackson by the Inspector General at the Pentagon. So, stay tuned!

"The Lengthy List of Allegations Against Ronny Jackson, Annotated" by Aaron Blake Washington Post, April 25, 2018

https://www.washingtonpos...bef0f49605

Is there a hill you WON'T demand to die on oddy?

Maryland Matt is as stupid and uneducated as Trump. Neither one of them understands the difference between the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Citizenship class must have been sub-par at their private schools.

Tester will get his grade on Nov 6th.

I don't see any names here of people who went on the record supporting Testers allegations. A CNN allegation of four anonymous "confirmations" is still a rumor. The Secret Service denies it ever happened. And if memory serves, when nominated, Jackson was still operating in an official capacity as an Obama appointee. How does somebody actually get their hands on a President without being vetted?

Everywhere I see that Tester is an "advocate" for this and an "advocate" for that. So he signs on to a few appropriations bills. Big deal. So do lots of other water-carriers. I can sit in my office and "advocate" all day long, but it doesn't get s**t done. Tester and the political Vet groups beat their chests regularly on their "accomplishments" while the last of the Agent Orange Vets silently die off from lack of treatment and the homeless and PTSD vets contemplate eating a gun for their next meal.

Hanson. You're a Vet. Give me one goddamn accomplishment that Tester has done on the ground for Vets in Montana other than go to a few parades. Maybe open a cemetery or two that somebody else built.

Gee, MCD. I don't know why Jackson chose to decline the appointment. Maybe he just didn't feel like getting the "Kavanaugh treatment" from the most disgraceful pack of human flotsam the World has ever seen.

What self-respecting person would ever be that crazy?

Give me one goddamn accomplishment that Tester has done on the ground for Vets in Montana other than go to a few parades. Maybe open a cemetery or two that somebody else built.

https://medium.com/@s...289c16912b

Tester did the right thing forcing Jackson out of the nomination. He did what was best for veterans and the VA.

Oddy, so angry, so wrong.

Oddjob wrote above: "Give me one goddamn accomplishment that Tester has done on the ground for Vets in Montana other than go to a few parades. Maybe open a cemetery or two that somebody else built."

Okay, Oddjob, here's one, as well as other things:

"TESTER PASSES BILL TO INVEST IN RURAL MEDICINE, LOWER HEALTH CARE COSTS
Senator Scored Big Wins for Montana in Annual Health & Human Services Appropriations Bill

(U.S. Senate) - U.S. Senator Jon Tester secured big investments in rural health care and addiction treatment today with the passage of the bipartisan 2019 Health and Human Services Appropriations Bill.

"If we want Montana to thrive we have to keep Montanans healthy," Tester said. "This legislation will help expand access to health care in rural areas and lower costs, while also combatting drug abuse and addiction."

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Tester secured critical investments for Montana in today's legislation-one of the 12 major bills that fund the federal government each year. The investments Tester secured include:

$1.625 billion for Community Health Centers
$1.5 billion for State Targeted Response to the Opioid Crisis (STR) Grants
- Including a $50 million set-aside for tribal organizations
$249.47 million for Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs
$24.5 million for rural telehealth initiatives
$286.48 million for Title X Family Planning
$722.6 million for Mental Health Block Grants
$1.858 billion for Substance Abuse Block Grants

In addition to these major investments, Tester also secured two provisions to lower prescription drugs costs and bring more medical professionals to rural America.

Current regulations prohibit Medicare from funding resident training rotations at Critical Access Hospitals. This has significantly limited recruitment and training efforts in rural states like Montana, which is home to over 40 Critical Access Hospitals. That's why Tester secured a provision in today's legislation that urges Medicare to reconsider these regulations and support residency programs in rural hospitals. Tester has also introduced the Restoring Rural Residencies Act, which would override these regulations and encourage more medical professionals to practice in rural communities.

Tester also secured a provision that would lower prescription drug costs by reining in pharmaceutical middlemen. Under the current system, pharmacists that serve Medicare Part D patients work with a Pharmacy Benefits Manager (PBM) to collect payment from the patient's insurance company. The PBM can then charge these pharmacies fees weeks or months after the sale, artificially inflating patients' out-of-pocket costs. That's why Jon secured a provision in today's legislation that urges Medicare to limit PBMs' ability to retroactively charge pharmacies for their services-similar to his bipartisan Improving Transparency and Accuracy in Medicare Part D Drug Spending Act."



Go to this website to see: Tester's enacted legislation; bills sponsored; recent bills; and voting record.

https://www.govtrack.us/c...ter/412244

Also, Tester's Senate website is a good source of information about what he has accomplished as a U.S. Senator since he was elected in 2006.

https://www.tester.senate.gov/?p=issues

google "Veterans Choice Program Inprovement act"....a bill sponsered by Tester and three GOPers including McCain....
google "Veterans treatment Court Act Montana"

Even if you do think Tester didn't do anything or enough for veterans,at least he didn't throw one under the bus like our current POTUS did.I'm talking about when Trump said of John McCain "I don't like people who were captured"

Here it is.

S. 544 - A bill to amend the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to modify the termination date for the Veterans Choice Program, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT)
Introduced: 03/07/2017
115th Congress (2017-2018)
Became Public Law No. 115-26 on 04/19/2017

The expanded summary of the Senate passed version is repeated here.)

(Sec. 1) This bill amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to eliminate the August 7, 2017, sunset date for the Veterans Choice Program, thus allowing the program to operate until all of the money in the Veterans Choice Fund is expended.

(Sec. 2) The bill makes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) the primary payer (currently the VA is the secondary payer) for medical care relating to non-service connected disabilities and recovery of costs from third parties for certain care under the program.

(Sec. 3) The VA may share medical information with a non-VA entity (including private entities and other federal agencies) that provides veterans with authorized hospital care or medical services. Such entity may not redisclose or use such information for a purpose other than that for which the disclosure was made.

https://www.congress.gov/...e-bill/544

Tester also helped secure funding to build the Southwest Montana Veterans Home in Butte. But, yeah, he hasn't done a damn thing for Montana's veterans.

https://truthabouttester.com/?utm_source=adwords&gclid=CjwKCAjwio3dBRAqEiwAHWsNVd6pXRofCxp-31mflsvbqYtlmRKhPD8q6iuNPXRpynpuND8tlSqNNBoCxFcQAvD_BwE


Tester, the biggest IDIOT in the Senate. The great advocate for Veterans, yet he wiggled out of the draft. Tester is a bum.

I don't know any service that would take a man with just two fingers on his left hand. Check your facts first snowy.

https://testersgonewashington.com/thank-you.php

Tester the Idiot

Yes, those both seem like an unbiased source of facts.

Personnaly I prefer http://procreatejohntester.ru, but that's just me...

Good Lord Snowy. Are you that much of a trumptard that you believe that crap? It's all taken out of context without his reasons for those votes (gotcha journalism, thanks Sarah). Let's pray for the sake of veterans, the VA and America in general that Montanans see through this BS and vote for a common sense moderate.

Press release propaganda.

Every swamp rat shares in the gross appropriations pork and Chuck Schumer sometimes lets the doomed rats put their name on some of it (S. 544 Tester and 21 others). By the time this filters down to Montana, those ribs will be picked pretty clean.

Southwestern Veterans Home? Lots of names in the credits there as well, including Daines.

Like I said, Tester will get his grade on November 6th.

I have to laugh when I read ANY righty complaining about wriggling out of the draft. I wonder how old Tester is. I'm 61 and by the time I was old enough - the draft was gone.

By the way - draft calls ended on Jan 23, 1973. Tester was born in August of '56.

The dirty bastard wriggled out of the draft by being born too late!