Posted: October 6, 2011 at 6:32 am

The Montana GOP Hypocrite of the Week Award Goes to…

Congressman Denny Rehberg…Dennis Rehberg, who claims to be worried about the deficit, but is actually determined to remove essential cost savings measures and reinstate money-wasting boondoggles.

In his budget bill, Congressman Rehberg eagerly attacks important sources of savings, starting with disease and cancer prevention.  Montana public health experts write in the Missoulian this week that:

Prevention costs less than trying to cure people who are already sick. According to the Trust for America’s health, every $1 spent on prevention services saves $5.60. Every $1 spent on childhood vaccines saves $16.50.

One would think that the power to curb disease while cutting costs would appeal to any thinking individual.  However, that’s not what we’re dealing with here.   And unless Rehberg has received an honorary doctorate from some backwater, unaccredited Bible college, I don’t think we can call him a “doctor.”

Another big cost saver Rehberg wants to take out is family planning. Every dollar spent on family planning saves four dollars of taxpayer funds. That’s because cost of covering a Medicaid-funded birth, is $13,000, according to a May 2010 Guttmacher Institute study. That’s way more than it costs to providing birth control to low-income women in need, which averages only $250 bucks per client per year.

The government spends about $300 million a year on the Title X program, but in 2008 alone, it saved the country $3.4 billion dollars in return.

But Rehberg doesn’t stop with killing cost savers.  He’s reinstating proven money wasters like “abstinence only” until marriage education programs. (Never mind that the average age of marriage is 29.)   The federal government’s own studies have proven that abstinence only until marriage programs don’t work. Yet this stuff is still pushed by Congressional chastity champs like Rep. Dennis Rehberg and of course Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), a longtime patron of prostitutes.

Rehberg’s entire campaign is designed to convince you that he really, really cares about saving money.  But his own proposals don’t do that, as others have pointed out.  They’re just the same old Republican ploys to force their religious fundamentalism on you–cost savings be damned.

19 comments

  1. Paul S.

    Bullock leads in fundraising! (Sorry for the off topic)

    http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_be882d05-53fd-5df6-9077-a660f47c3557.html

    “Bullock raised more than $157,000 for the quarter to bring his campaign’s total receipts to nearly $388,000. He has spent about $58,000 so far, to leave cash balance of nearly $328,000 as of Sept. 30.
    His lone Democratic opponent, state Sen. Larry Jent of Bozeman, raised about $30,000 for the quarter to bring his total to about $32,250. Jent has spent nearly $11,000 to leave slightly more than $21,000 in the bank.
    On the GOP side, Hill raised about $95,000 for the quarter to bring his total contributions for the campaign to nearly $381,000 to top the field.
    His campaign has spent $122,000 so far, leaving him with nearly $259,000 in the bank on Sept. 30.”

  2. Jennifer Davies

    Understatement of the year. “unless Rehberg has received an honorary doctorate from some backwater, unaccredited Bible college, I don’t think we can call him a “doctor.””

  3. Bob

    Rehberg couldn’t get an MD if Hamberger University was handing them out. The man is a straight moron. More importantly, he is a complete fraud. Fiscal conservative my Aunt Sallie.

    • Larry Kralj, Environmental Rangers

      WHAT AN A**HOLE DOPEY REEBURP IS! Jeebus, Dopey, when even the corporate freakin’ Blgs. GAZOO calls you out, you know you’re toast! DAMN that was a fine editorial too, worthy of the old days of Gary Svee (before the Gazoo fired him for writing good editorials).

      Just WHO is Dopey trying to impress with his rightwing, Teatard, Aynus Rantian crappola? Are there REALLY that many inbreds in Montana now besides Dopey?

      Widdle Dopey seems to be of the opinion that no matter HOW many times you take a dump on the people of Montana, they’ll still vote for you! Well, I’ve got news for Dopey. No matter HOW much money your Big Kockh benefactors have, they STILL can’t buy a slimeball like YOU an election in Montana. You best be sendin’ out resumes, boy. Maybe you can get on at Taser with Judy Mars!!! Ya never know!

      • Rob Kailey

        Not disagreeing, but, for the record the Billing’s Gazette is a Lee Enterprises newspaper, just like most large market rags in Montana. The only one who isn’t is the Bozeman Comical.

      • Larry Kralj, Environmental Rangers

        Workin’ at the GF Spitoon is like an old west saloon where you had to check your guns at the door, ‘cept at the Spitoon you must check your NUTS at the door. They don’t cotton to no violence on the premises NOR no commie independent thoughts. All views must strictly be vetted and conform to corporate propaganda, and the, filtered through the corporate sphincter! Hence, that’s why all the paper ever prints is crap! The Spitoon could NEVER muster even enough courage to print something like the above. It would never fit through the corporate sphincter.

        Today, we were treated to yet ANOTHER guest editorial proclaiming the virtures of the gubmint subsidized Kockh project, the keystone pipeline. Thank GOD it’s cold here today and that thing went immediately into the wood stove along with some kindling, and I never made it past the headline!

  5. Amorette

    If them poor people would just stop having sex, all the rich folks could relax. If only we could go back to slavery where the master controlled the breeding of the workforce.

  6. ILIKEWOODS

    This DRUNKEN WANKER had the nerve to send me a letter this last week, talking about how much he cares for Veterans. Lying sack of shit! We all know the republicans have done everything in their power to cripple the Veterans Administration, him most of all!

    • ILIKEWOODS

      Sorry for the cussing gang! I had to call him as I see him and he is the biggest pile of dog dodo ever to wear a cowboy hat

  8. hblackar

    Rehberg is so full of it. He doesn’t give a crap about actual savings. As long as he can pretend that’s enough for him. He’s just skated by in the past so he never had to mind when called on it. What a complete phoney.

    • Chris

      So thankful that Governor Schweitzer was able to get the amendatory veto to reverse most of the cuts mentioned here. Great photos. The unions and others did some tremendous organizing around this. GO LABOR!