This is a “poor Debby” letter. Sen. Debby Barrett, R-Dillon, is crying foul because 11 of her Republican flock have refused to pledge allegiance to the Koch brothers. It appears that these “wayward” Republicans have strayed from the party edict and are supporting HB 405, the Medicaid expansion bill. The senator, one of the original “take-it-or-leave-it” Republicans has done everything she can to nullify any part of The Affordable Care Act for the past six years, telling Montanans that they don’t want Medicaid expansion. Obviously, she is too busy reading the mandates from Koch brothers to pay attention to what the citizens of Montana actually want.
If Barrett is so concerned about the fiscal strength of the state and use of taxpayer dollars, I would respectfully request that she refund the more than $9,000 of taxpayer dollars each year that she receives to pay for her own insurance, and to show her fiscal restraint by refusing future compensation. She has been in the Legislature for eight terms, so her refund should amount to more than $144,000. This is hypocrisy at its finest.
Wes Higgins
Kalispell