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Whatever happened to integrity?
It seems a number of senators have prostituted themselves for the money the president promised them for their "yea" votes for his health care fiasco. Ben Nelson of Nebraska was one who said he could not vote for a bill that allowed federal money for abortion. But after a White House invitation to speak with the president, all of a sudden federal money for abortion didn’t sound so bad after all.
When the dust had settled and the smoke had cleared, it was revealed that his integrity was sold for $100 million in Medicaid money for his state. This either followed or preceded Mary Landrieu’s deal that she boasted netted her $300 million, according to published reports.
There is also Chris Dodd, whose deal netted him $100 million in federal pork. It is reported that senators from Vermont, Massachusetts, Montana, Iowa, Michigan and Florida also cut deals in exchange for their "yea" votes.
This reminds me of a story I heard about a man who stopped a woman on the sidewalk and asked her if she would commit adultery for a million dollars. She thought for a minute, then answered in the affirmative.
He took a $20 bill from his pocket and said, "How about this 20?"
"What do you think I am?" she replied indignantly. The man answered, "What you are is already established. We are talking about price."
I think this applies to all those senators who sold their vote for pork in their states.
Bethel Midgett
Gainesville