Today's GOP: Greedy Old Pricks

You all know my boy Bill Frist, right? He's the ultra-religious Senate Majority Leader so devout in his beliefs that he felt compelled to prevent a comatose woman's husband from disconnecting her from the apparati that were keeping her alive several states over. You know, the intensely spiritual man who may or may not have used inside information to make money on the stock market, by selling shares in the vast family fortune passed on to him by his parents. Shares he denied knowing about, even though he did, in fact, know about them.

So, anyway, this man, for whom Jesus Christ Almighty is a beacon, leader, father and inspiration, was about to leave the Senate to celebrate the most sacred Christian holiday of the year - Christmas. He was desperately trying to get through some budget cuts before the holiday, to show Americans that his party, the GOP, understands America's fiscal crisis and is working toward a more secure economic future.

But Bill was, regrettably, one vote short. Even with the Vice President serving as the tie-breaker in the Senate, Bill needed one more GOP senator to support his budget cuts. There were two possibilities:

Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota, who would sign the bill only if Frist eliminated a section that would cut $30 million in sugar beet subsidies. See, a lot of sugar beet farmers live in Minnesota, and they really feel the government should keep paying them the same exhorbitant amount to not grow sugar beets. Which is, you know, reasonable...

OR

Senator Gordon Smith of Oregon, who would sign the bill only if budget cuts to Medicaid programs - providing health care to the poorest citizens in his home state - were taken away from drug companies and health care providers, rather than Medicaid recipients.

So Frist could choose either to continue giving away free money to beet farmers, or to help the least fortunate Americans obtain access to basic health services. A few days before Christmas. Is it any surprise there are some excited beet farmers with a few extra packages under the tree this year?

There were 568,000 Medicaid recipients in Minnesota last year, and 40,000 people whose livelihood depended on sugar beets. But...you know...I'm sure it was a fair trade-off. I mean, so what if little Timmy needs an antibiotic to take care of that wet, hacking cough? Will somebody please think of the Beet Growers of America for once?

(Thanks to the American Prospect for the link...)