By Robert A. Vella
The blatant political malevolence and corruption detailed in this story is almost too difficult to comprehend. Republicans are so obsessed with blocking Governor Terry McAuliffe’s effort to expand Medicaid in Virginia, under the Affordable Care Act (i.e. Obamacare), that they are willing to use any dirty trick in the book including bribery.
RICHMOND — Republicans appear to have outmaneuvered Gov. Terry McAuliffe in a state budget standoff by persuading a Democratic senator to resign his seat, at least temporarily giving the GOP control of the chamber and possibly dooming the governor’s push to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
Sen. Phillip P. Puckett (D-Russell) will announce his resignation Monday, effective immediately, paving the way to appoint his daughter to a judgeship and Puckett to the job of deputy director of the state tobacco commission, three people familiar with the plan said Sunday. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
Further reading and related stories: Southern Discomfort: GOP Clashes in Southern States
The Secular Jurist 
This would be a fairly brazen story of political corruption, if it just ended with the Democratic state Senator being bought off. What puts this in the realm of the surreal is that he is abandoning poor sick people of his state, in order to enrich himself by taking a job at a commission regulating the profit-making in the trade of a product that kills people. I’m thinking that this guy is not at all bothered by compromising the life and health of his fellow citizens. This modern day Marie Antoine when confronted with citizens who can’t afford health care, says “Let them smoke butts!”
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Well said. Compromising the health of 400,000 people in exchange for getting a couple of jobs for he and his daughter is indeed shockingly callous and self-serving. Mr. Puckett lacks the ethical and moral character to serve in public office. The sheer malice displayed by the Virginia Republican Party in their cynical efforts to keep those poor people from getting health care is even more disturbing, in my opinion.
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Society should be judged by how it treats its most vulnerable. Sad post.
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It certainly should be.
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