Muscatine

The most intriguing mystery of the Senate's health bill was on page 328 of the final package of amendments assembled by Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., under a subject heading innocuously titled "infrastructure to expand access to care."

It is a provision that grants $100 million to a single unnamed "health care facility," located in an unidentified state. The only clues to the beneficiary: The facility must be affiliated with an academic health center that houses the only public dental and medical school in the state.

Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn., requested the provision, hoping that the University of Connecticut would win the money, a spokesman confirmed. But at least 11 other institutions nationwide seem to fit the criteria and could also apply for the grant.

Whichever institution wins will be one of the lucky beneficiaries of the horse-trading Reid was forced to conduct in order to secure 60 votes for the $871 billion bill. In his 383-page manager's amendment are scores of provisions that benefit only a handful of states, or in some cases a single state, or in the case of the hospital provision, a single institution.

The result is a bill that does not treat all areas of the country equally, something that Republicans loudly denounced -- though they legislated in similar ways when they controlled Congress earlier this decade.

"The taxpayers of Kentucky are not excited, not at all excited, about having to underwrite the special deals that were apparently made for Nebraska, Vermont, and, we now learn, maybe Massachusetts," Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said at a news conference Sunday. He referred specifically to provisions of the bill that would provide extra federal Medicaid payments totaling $1.2 billion over the next decade to those three states.

Reid and his aides have been relatively open about the deals he struck with individual Democrats.

"You will find a number of states are treated differently than other states," Reid said Dec. 19. "That's what legislation is all about. It's compromise."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/cq/20091221/pl_cq_politics/politics3271696

The people of Nebraska must be either ecstatic over their good fortune or irate, like the rest of the country,  at the sleaziest wheeling and dealing the congress has seen in decades.  Must make one proud to be a Democrat. 

Here'e hoping voters have long memories this time. 

Is all this sleazy wheeling-dealing with special favors to special states even allowed under the constitution? Or are the dems choosing to ignore the constitution AGAIN? All in the name of passing a bill!

Of all the people i know....i only know of 3 people who want this insurance...haysus, mallory, and a friend of mine....and my friend being a total liberal...isnt even happy with it...2 weeks ago i was out at the emergency room, picking up paperwork for my wife....and while i was waiting for the doctor to get free 2 other couples and myself were discussing the healthcare overhaul.......while i didnt ask thier political affiliation...i got the feeling that the one couple were conservatives....mostly cuz they didnt have anything good to say about dems in general...the other couple never let on one way or another......but we were all in agreement that this was a bad deal for americans.....but the one couple brought up an interesting fact ...is that if it passes without any republican support and it backfires the way the american people believe it will........its gonna hurt democrats for years to come.....people will remember what they perpetrated on us....

i read the other day that dems want it shoved through right now, so its not hanging over thier heads for the elections......but i think they will finally figure out what americans want in the elections..........