U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Stillwater sat down recently with a reporter from the biggest daily paper in her district, the St. Cloud Times, and answered questions about entitlements, health insurance, her accomplishment so far in Congress. The transcript of the full interview is here and there is a link to the audio if you want to listen for yourself.

One the recent hot topic of what Bachmann meant by "weaning off" people from Medicare and Social Security, or whether she endorses Rep. Paul Ryan's plan to turn Medicare into a voucher program, nothing new here. She says something must be done before the big entitlement programs go broke, but doesn't endorse any proposal. She cites the Ryan plan as one she has "looked at," but doesn't commit to it, nor anything else.

On health care, Bachmann endorses the concept of allowing any American to buy health insurance across state lines (in the current system, Minnesotans can buy only from companies that have met state regulatory requirements. This buy-across-state-lines idea has been one of the main Republican proposals of late, and I've been wondering whether there would be any regulation or any minimum requirements. As Bachmann describes it:

"Any American can buy any health care policy from anyone they want in any amount they want in any state they want. I would do away with the barrier that prohibits people from buying insurance policies in other states. That is true choice, that is true competition."

it sounds like the answer is no, no regulation, no minimum requirements. But maybe she has more in mind.

On a topic I wrote about the other day -- whether Republicans would vote for something like the Dem health care bills if it had some of the pet Republican proposals -- St. Cloud Times reporter Dave Aeikens pressed her on that. The answer appears to be no. The Dems should just pass the Republican ideas. But Bachmann says she is very interested in working with Dems on bipartisan ideas.

Aeikens asked her to cite her legislative accomplishments. Strangely, although she is completing her second term this year, she described herself as a freshman:

"Q: Name three bills or amendments that you have gotten passed that are the most beneficial to the people of the 6th Congressional District.

Bachmann: I was involved in a foster care amendment to support and encourage people in foster care. It is a very important issue. Sen Mary Landrieu and I are working on the Haiti situation. We are trying to put together initiatives so that children can actually go into homes and not stay in institutions their whole life. I was able to pass this resolution honoring people in foster care. I am in the deep minority in Congress and a fairly new freshman, so I don’t have substantive bills that I have passed. I would love to. The very first bill I introduced was the Health Care Freedom of Choice Act."