Stated Reasons

            In a dinosaur move, the 2013 State Legislature failed to approve expansion of Medicaid for Nebraskans.  A dedicated few individuals saw fit to obstruct the consideration of this matter by filibuster.  They were joined by others who chose not to go to bat for Nebraska.  The whole sorry failure will cost us $423 million in 2014, and will go over a billion dollars.   Who cares?  We embarrassed ourselves, but we got a little of it on Obamacare, as the Pleistocene fantasy goes.  Where’s OUR Jan Brewer?

One thing we DON’T need is for our state governing body to ape the behavior of congress.  Our national legislators have been hemorrhaging cool for years now.  One almost expects it to appear in yellow puddles between their shoes.  Meanwhile smiling state simians take up foggy bottom tactics and the mantle of austerity.  But it is a false frugality they foment.  And in any case, it’s political not fiscal in nature, stated reasons notwithstanding.  You see, the Affordable Health Care Act, which is the law of the land (as modified by the conservative Supreme Court) is a close copy of the proven health care program designed yesterday by the very people who so furiously oppose it at taxpayers’ great expense today.

Just like the counterfeit concerns over Bush invasions of privacy, (the ones that disappeared after Bush was gone and the invasions got worse) it’s all about gotcha politics, and it’s taxpayers who pay for the play.  Around here, we think taxpayers have wasted enough welfare on politics.