Koch brothers’ agent Michael Lamoureux of Russellville, the young state senator who tragically is likely to become president pro tem of the Senate when Arkansas flies over the cliff tomorrow night, arrogantly tells this newspaper this morning that he and the other wholly owned Koch subsidiaries — Republican legislators, that is — will be calling the shots, thank you, very much, on who if anyone gets any help from federal expansion of Medicaid to 133 percent of the federal poverty level.
He says, you know, we might let a few more people get health care, but not any 250,000, and we’re going to drug-test ‘em and root out those frauds out there loaded up on crystal meth and purposely staying poor so they can get some government help if they fake a stroke or something.
There are poor people out there just lined up at the hospital door waiting for a free bed and a gourmet meal if we’ll expand Medicaid. Don’t you know?
The Beebe administration is saying, OK, fine, whatever. Being governor of “Oklabama,” working out of the state Capitol formerly known as Little Rock but now as “Kochville,” means taking what you can get from the controlling out-of-state semi-anarchists.
Finally, constitutional reform comes to Arkansas: We soon will replace the 1874 Constitution with “Atlas Shrugged.”
Interesting. Did one of the wheels fly off of your chair? You gotta watch for those things on the day after but not the day before. The world will go right along on Wednesday, the next Wednesday and the next.
Glenn Buercklin, Sr.
5 Nov 12 at 12:11 pm
Your columns are juvenile. Can you become more serious and perhaps, address serious issues in a serious manner? What is the internal rate of return for Arkansas pension funds — and how unrealistic is that compared to the rate on the 10 yr Treasury?
What, the public funds are now in the hole for 13,060 for each family in Arkansas………but you want even more Democrat taxes and spending?
How about one simple reform. Allow competitive bidding for all teaching and administrative positions at all public educational facilities? It would save MILLIONS for your whinning pooh folk on Medicaid. But, No, you can’t discuss that. Must be a Koch idea.
Maybe they will buy the Democrat and send you to Hawaii via Grumman canoe. Gud luk.
Nestor Makhno
5 Nov 12 at 12:24 pm
If the election doesn’t go your way are you going to leave your Sorosville neighborhood?
AlleyOops75
5 Nov 12 at 12:45 pm
I’d say the Koch subsidiaries better enjoy it while they can. Lots of the good ol’boys Mama’s, Daddies, Brothers, Sisters, and their children are on some type of government assistance. So come on in and play hardball with that group. You won’t win another election, and will be lucky to escape over the state line without having a new outfit of tar and feathers, after being lucky to escape with your life. Then you’ll actually understand what it will mean to have been “USED”. The Koch boys don’t give a damn what happens to you. You are only important to them while you are able to do their bidding. Thereafter you are “NOTHING”.
timber topper
5 Nov 12 at 12:49 pm
We had selfishly hoped our Sen Teague ( D) would get to serve as Pro Tem,
After all these years dominated by Democrats, the Repubs are going to have their day after all.
In southest Ar we predict Romney and Cotton
Nationally Obama wins electoral college
mike graves
5 Nov 12 at 12:55 pm
If Obama and the Dems loose in Arkansas ,perhaps Brummett will leave Arkansas and take the Arkansas Times crew with him!
baggerdude
5 Nov 12 at 1:01 pm
i’m staying in arkansas, bagger, for many reasons, one of which is to help you learn how to spell.
jbrummett
5 Nov 12 at 2:01 pm
RE: drug testing, so it’s wrong to hold people on welfare accountable for personal behavior? I’d take businessmen running things than egg-heads ANY DAY. What would happen if you graded the govt. the same way United Way is graded in their ability to take in and distribute funds to help the poor on an A-F scale? Yet your gonna give them more money? It’s a known fact that as taxes go up, donations to charities go down, and I take non-profit distribution of goods and services to the poor over govt. run boondoggles any day to avoid the compassion of the IRS, FEMA, SS Admin, VA, USPS, HUD, BIA, etc.
Brandon E.
5 Nov 12 at 3:24 pm
I think I get jbrummett’s point that a republican legislature will underfund important government functions like health care for the poor and education. Howevere, I suspose its just my own ignorance, but I didn’t realize OKlahoma was such a bad place.
tfish
5 Nov 12 at 8:50 pm