While it is common knowledge that votes were sold in the attempt to get President Obama’s Socialist health care legislation passed, what isn’t known is that Bart Stupak – the lawmaker who caved in – could have had his vote sold for some “political favors.”

According to NRCC.org:

Obama Administration Awarded Hundreds of Thousands in Airport Grants to Stupak’s District Two Days Before Vote

Was this Yet Another Backroom Deal to Force Obama’s Bill Down the American People’s Throats?

Three airports in the district of infamous fence-sitting and ultimately kowtowing Democrat Bart Stupak were awarded $726,409 in grants by the Obama Administration just two days before a vote on Obama and Pelosi’s government takeover of healthcare.

Did Stupak compromise his supposed principled stand against taxpayer funding of abortion in exchange for taxpayer dollars for pet projects?

Alpena County Regional Airport received a $85,500 grant, but had only 7,519 passenger boardings in 2008 (the most recent year for which there is information) according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data. Alpena County Regional Airport serves fewer passengers than even the late Rep. John Murtha’s famous “Airport for Nobody.”

Delta County Airport has even less customers than that, but still received a $179,209 grant.

Chippewa County International Airport received a $461,700 grant,  but had only 13,733  passenger boardings in 2008.

Will Stupak come clean about this apparent backroom deal for his vote?

Call Stupak’s district office at (989) 356-0690 and ask.

If this is the case, Stupak has basically signed his political death warrant.

The Pennsylvania voter base is not stupid, yet you wouldn’t know that what Stupak allegdly did. Stupak’s, I believe, is up for re-election this November. If the above is indeed true, you can expect Stupak to be replaced.

Overreaching. A hallmark of the Obama Administration, they perhaps out did themselves as Tuesday is the first day that tanning salons will charge a 10 percent tax – that’s right, a tax! – for the privilege of tanning indoors.

Basically, get raked over the coals, for the better choice of terms, for the opportunity to use a sun lamp at a salon and other venues that offer tanning services.

And there’s more.

By September of this year, insurers will be required to begin providing health coverage to kids with pre-existing conditions and allow parents to keep children younger than 26 on their health plans.

Also, Medicare recipients will receive a one-time $250 rebate for prescription drugs when they reach a coverage gap called the donut hole if the Senate passes and Obama signs the companion legislation approved March 21 by the House.

And just as importantly, the government mandates that most people have health coverage and employers to offer their employes coverage. Governmental overreach, wouldn’t you say? Not only an overreach, but also violates the U.S. Constitution.

The cost for all of this? Oh, around $940 billion over 10 years – give or take a billion.

I’m looking at this as a temporary thing here, only because this piece of crap, also known as legislation, is in the beginning stages of being repealed.

Certainly you’ve heard the analogy, “You have to learn to crawl before you walk, walk before you run” – I think you get the gist there. Anyways, repealing this recently-signed health care bill will take some time.

Firstly, the November 2010 mid-term elections will have to take place, and massive turnover – especially from the Democratic wing – will have to take place. Once that has been accomplished, that’s when the repeal process begins in earnest.

And quite honestly, I like the GOP’s chances of reclaiming a majority in the House and Senate; but to be fair here, I do expect some Republicans to lose some seats, as well.

Seems rather obvious when I say that all of you will need to have the patience of Job in terms of this health care law being repealed. But the thing to remember is: go to your local voting locale and vote. And by all means. vote with your mind, heart and conscience. Your vote in November 2010 not only dictates who will hold office for the next 4 or six years (depending on which offices have seats up for grabs), but will also affect your health care, both in the short- and long-term future.

In the meantime, 8 months separates the present with possibly our country’s future. If you remember anything, remember this: health care constitutes about one-sixth of the U.S. economy. The bill signed by Obama will alter that and make things decidedly worse.

So when you vote in November, keep in mind your candidate’s voting record on health care, as well as other issues important to you. Do your homework on the candidates; an educated voter is the best kind to have.

Seems to me – and the vast majority of US citizens – that jobs and the economy should be a higher priority than the health care legislation that President Obama and Congress wants to cram down our throats. Scott Brown seems to agree.

It looks like the Democrats are going ahead with taking the health care bill to a reconciliation vote. They claimed on Thursday that they couldn’t strike a compromise on rules in terms of abortion (read: the government will pay for abortions) and gambling that they can secure the votes necessary to turn this legislation into law, with the vote taking place presumably some time next week.

Of course, the decidedly left-leaning Democraps (typo intentional) are targeting the centrists (Blue Dog Democrats and moderate Republicans), with the preferred method of convincing being the twisting of arms and rumored offering of jobs and aid to the states of the undecided representatives.

Regardless of the methods, there is a lot at stake here.

Firstly, the president’s call to expand health care to about 30 million uninsured Americans and to prohibit insurance company practices such as denying coverage to individuals who have pre-existing conditions.

And without a doubt, the vast majority of us would be affected by the current piece of legislation, which would change the way we receive and pay for health care, from the most basic checkup to the most expensive, lifesaving medical treatment. And what is probably the most disturbing part of this piece of crap? Americans, should this be signed into law, would be required by law to purchase health coverage.

And that, folks, is in my humble opinion unconstitutional. A power grab by the federal government, namely the Obama administration.

Oh, by the way, there will be taxes that will be hiked in order to finance this scheme. One that is beng proposed is a new excise tax, beginning in 2018, which would levy a tax on employer-provided health care plans worth more than $10,200 for individuals and $27,500 for families.

When the voting day comes around, you can almost rest assured that the Republicans will use every legal tactic available to them to delay the passage of the Democratic package, even if they cannot successfully kill it.

What is certain is this. There are Democrats who are sittin on their hands making this decision as they realize that their political careers ride on the vote that they cast on this health care legislation. How they vote will speak volumes into their character of the representatives who vote as much as it says about Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, co-ringmasters of the health care agenda.

Is government-ran health care around the corner? If you want this legislation to die a certain death both in the House and Senate, do yourself a favor – contact the representatives who represent your district and voice your displeasure.

If you choose not to, they will intrepret that as indifference (hell, the Democrats are doing that already) and voter accordingly.

Senator Jim DeMint says that Democrats are in more of an allegiance with President Obama than they are with their own constituents which explains their hurry to pass a government takeover of health care.

Former Democratic leader Howard Dean dealt a blow to Senate Democrats today when Greg Sargent at The Plum Line reported that Mr. Dean called for the Senate health care bill to be killed. The interview was conducted on Vermont Public Radio with host Bob Kinzel.

According to Dean:

“This is essentially the collapse of health care reform in the United States Senate. And, honestly, the best thing to do right now is kill the Senate bill and go back to the House and start the reconciliation process, where you only need 51 votes and it would be a much simpler bill.”

Dean defended using this alternative budget approach for a policy bill. He argues it’s been used more than 20 times by recent presidents. Added Dean:

“The American people don’t care how we get this, as long as we get a decent process. The Republicans in the Senate will moan and groan, but they’re out of touch with where America really is. You have the vast majority of Americans want the choices, they want real choices. They don’t have them in this bill. This is not health care reform and it’s not close to health care reform.”

“There are some good things in this bill, but they’re small, and let’s have a small bill for this $32 billion. Doesn’t sound like a small amount, but compared to a trillion dollars – 27 percent of which is going to go to the insurance companies’ pockets, it’s a small price to pay to help community health care centers and prevention and wellness programs.”

In recent months, Dean has emerged as a leading liberal advocate for health care reform and his comments to kill the current bill could encourage some progressive members of the Senate to rethink their support for the legislation.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, D – Calif., was taken aback by Mr. Dean’s comments and responded to the idea of killing the health care bill this evening to the Washington Times:

“Well I think that would be a tragedy. This is our one chance, and if we miss it, it’s gone and you can always do technical corrections and additions later, but there is so much in this bill that is good for people. To ignore the opportunity to pass it, to me, is just catastrophic. It won’t come up again for a long time.”

Senator James Inhofe, R – OK, noted that the former Vermont governor’s idea for reconciliation would be a real problem for Democrats.

By using the process of reconciliation, Democrats can break a GOP filibuster by passing a bill with just 51 votes. Using this process, there could be enough Democrats who support a public option. However, reconciliation can only be used for bills dealing with budgetary issues, so other reforms and regulations would have to pass as well.

In the meantime, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D – NV,  has yet to reach a sixty vote threshold for support on the health care bill to break a filibuster on the Senate floor.

In California, like in a lot of places across the U.S., young adults are the most likely to be uninsured.

Over 30 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 34 in the Golden State have no health insurance coverage, according to the New America Foundation.

The healthcare bill recently passed by the House has a big surprise for younger folks who may want to avoid the expense of costly health coverage: Buy the Democratic version of insurance or go to jail for five years.

A letter from the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) obtained by the office of Republican House member Dave Camp confirmed that the failure to comply with the individual mandate to buy health insurance contained in the Pelosi healthcare bill (H.R. 3962, as amended) could land you behind bars.

The letter says that citizens who don’t have “acceptable health insurance coverage” and who choose not to pay the individual mandate tax (generally 2.5 percent of income) can be slapped with civil and criminal penalties, including criminal fines of up to $250,000 and five years in jail.

I will say this again, for the sake of being repetitive: contact your local Congressman/woman and Senator and inform them that you do not approve of Pelosi’s health care bill. If you don’t, trust me – the U.S. Senate will ensure that you get stuck with taxpayer-financed universal health coverage. Another instance of the federal government in a power grab.