Truly Tragic

I would like to personally wish a Merry Christmas to all Gallatin Valley residents. I now have a better understanding of what military spouses go through when their loved ones are called up to go somewhere other than home to serve their country.

How very sad.  A letter to the Chronicle begins with the profession of deep tragedy that befalls loved ones left behind in time of war.  My heart strings are just ever so very plucked!  And what service calls this poor woman's husband that she feels such loss?  Is he a fire-fighter?  A police officer?  A minister torn from his family's comfort to aid the needy?   Uh, no.  He's John Sinrud, who undertook the arduous task of spending 2 days in Helena to review funding for our Montana school system.  Yep, that's some fierce ass service, she tells ya'.  You remember Kim Sinrud, I'm sure.  She's the one who was angry that the Democrats spent less of your money instead of supporting her husband's plan to spend more of your money for some kind of socialist statement.

Last week our governor called a special session ... 11 days before Christmas. I understand the need for a special session, but why call it 11 days before Christmas? I know why ... the governor doesn't have to be in Helena during the special session, he can be home with his family preparing for their Christmas celebrations.

Uhhm, Kim?  Brian Schweitzer was in Helena the last two days.  He kinda lives there now.  He's the governor.  You know that,  right?  (I think Kim might be off her meds a little.  Perhaps I should walk softly around here ... not.)

My husband, Rep. John Sinrud of HD 67, won't be home to help us prepare for Christmas, attending end-of-the-season basketball games and Christmas programs ... he will be in Helena, listening and voting.

Two days.  2.  A deuce of Diem.  Very much like our soldiers in Iraq, wouldn't you agree?  I shouldn't poke fun.  It's possible that every bit of Christmas preparation in the Sinrud household is deeply held as traditionally being done on the 14th, 15th and 16th of December.  If its not done then, the tradition is destroyed!    I really shouldn't poke fun, if that's the case.  Boy isn't my face red.

Yes, my husband chose to run for representative and was blessed to win, just as our brave men and women choose to serve our country in the military, so I can't complain too much. And after all, he will be drawing a salary of $76 a day while he is in Helena, which if he is lucky enough to just put in eight hours a day makes it $9.50 an hour.

Underpayed!  Our legislators need more money!  Their children are starving!

Uhhm, Kim, your husband chose this, as you admit.  Unlike soldiers, he isn't risking his life for low pay; he's sitting, listening and bloviating in the capital building.  His only dread service is having a vote that he has shown consistently will be phoned in on party lines.  That isn't worth $9 an hour, and you want me to give a shit that he's underpayed?  Why are we supposed to care about what he gets payed for doing what he chose to fricking do?

I know the governor called the special session just before Christmas so the legislators wouldn't draw it out and stay longer than necessary. But goodness sakes, when my husband can leave his successful family business and make $9.50 (or less) an hour just before Christmas, why shouldn't he drag it out!!! Don't you see how ridiculous that thought is?

Now that makes no sense at all.  The Governor called the session when he did such that lawmakers would be dis-inclined to drag out inappropriate or personal agendas for their own purposes.  But Kim seems to argue that this is wrong because when the Governor does this, they have reason to lose money and be underpayed just ... why again?  That paragraph is ridiculous because it makes no sense whatsoever!

Let's see if I can help Kim out here.  What she wanted to argue was that the low pay (lack of higher pay) makes legislators dis-inclined to drag out any session, so it would have been just as good to hold this special session sometime other than around Christmas.  All well and good, as arguments go; but it's not supported by fact in the least.  Several Republicant lawmakers attempted to extend this session, inconvenient as it was, just to promote thier own agenda items which had nothing to do with school funding.  Schweitzer did well by offering as many disincentives to extend the session as possible.  Kim would be better off railing at Joe Balyeat then at his Honor Brian.  She won't do this, of course, because she's an idiot who thinks of herself first, and the party second, and her husband third, regardless of the facts at hand.

Kim, your husband agreed to do a job.  He did the job.  I suggest you quit disrespecting him by alluding to the idea that you know who else controls his choices.  Here's the thing, I doubt it's you, honey, and it ain't Brian Schweitzer, and it ain't Joe Balyeat.  I think your husband does.  Give him some credit, would you?

So Merry Christmas to you, Governor ... no don't bother to send our family your best wishes for this holiday season, you already have done enough to make my holidays bright.

Kim Sinrud

That's right, dear heart.   The governance of Montana is all about you.  Thanks for clearing that up for us.

Comments

[Justin]

Excellent, I say, Excellent. I should run for the legislature, I'd get a raise! Just kidding, but I'm not all that concerned with "holiday preperations", unless those preparations contain large quantities of liquor. I'd drag that sucker out 'till spring if I could get the open container law and the smoking ban repealed. Don't you just love people that get a job, but then don't want to do it. I applaud the governor's plan, it wasn't original, but it was still a good idea.

[Craig]

Quoth Walt Kelly: "We have met the enemy and (s)he is us."

[Patia]

Ugh. You definitely got this in the right category: Deeply Stupid.

Where are the precious Sinruds from? I don't know HD 67.

[Randy]

Thinking of the people I work with everyday and the troubles they have I'm having a real hard time even giving a crap about the horrible holiday season the Sinrud's will have because the Gov. took two days away from such self-absorbed fools.

There are people who have nothing to give their children and nowhere warm to sleep this holiday season and I'm supposed to feel sorry for her?

I want to tell her to kiss my a$$ but I won't because I know how you are about swearing on your blog. ;-)

Happy Chrismahanukwanzakah my friend!

[Pokey]

I'm sickened. She has a better understand of military spouses now? Because for those whole two days she lived with the anxiety of wondering if the next knock on the door would present an Army officer doing the worst duty in the Army? She spent those two days dreading to answer the phone, in case it was a call that would tell her that her husband had lost his life to those nasty, tree-hugging, pacifist, gun-hating liberals on the floor of the MT Congress in war torn Helena?

I tell you that analogy dishonors every single person that has ever served and their families.

As far as being low paid. Let's look at the numbers: A PFC (E-3) maxes out at $1641.00 a month. Add in hazard pay of $225 and it is $1866. Now let's assume 30 days in a month. At the current operational tempo, our troops currenly get about 1 day in 7 off and are on the go from 16-20 hours per day (my father, brother, and various friends just got back from Iraq in the last couple of months). So being generous they'll work 26 days a month at 16 hour/day. That's 416 hours worked a month. $1866/416 = $4.48/hour in a dangerous job. Of course, they get $250,000 when they die, and free health insurance, which makes it all worth it.

One the downside, all those serving in Iraq won't be home for the 24rd or 25th of December, much less the vital 14th, 15th, and 16th of December!

[Ed Kemmick]

I'm ashamed at you, picking on half-wits.

[Ryan G]

I'm ashamed at you, picking on half-wits.
Posted by: Ed Kemmick

They're just such easy targets...