Another Member of Congress Sells Vote

What did Senator Ben Nelson (D-Neb) get for agreeing to support Reid's health care plan? Several hundred millions of dollars in taxpayer funds will go to the state of Nebraska. To paraphrase the punch line of the old joke, we have already established what you are we are just negotiating the price. The Democrats have referred to this arm twisting as "favors". I guess it's not a bribe if you're paying with someone else's money. There's also that nagging little story reported by Matt Lewis and Michael Goldfarb about the White House threatening to put Nebraska's military base on the list of bases to be closed. So Nelson got both the carrot and the stick. A bill put before congress should pass or fail based upon it's own merits. Not based upon how much taxpayer funded pork is coming to any specific district. Perhaps if term limits were put into place there would be better balance toward doing what's right for the entire country, rather then pork spending and political "I.O.U."s that may help someone re-elected. Little doubt that the new stimulus package the Democrats are preparing is full of similar "favors" going out to those who are supporting the Obama/Pelosi agenda.

‘‘(3) Notwithstanding subsection (b) and paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection, the Federal medical assistance percentage otherwise determined under subsection (b) with respect to all or any portion of a fiscal year that begins on or after January 1, 2017, for the State of Nebraska, with respect to amounts expended for newly eligible individuals described in subclause (VIII) of section 1902(a)(10)(A)(i), shall be determined as provided for under subsection (y)(1) (A) (notwithstanding the period provided for in such paragraph)