Insurance Mafia Punishes Wayward Congressman

At least they didn’t break his legs. YET.

Rep. Anh Cao (R—Louisiana) was the only Republican in the House to vote for the Democratic health care reform bill. Cao’s district is heavily Democratic; he was William Jefferson’s replacement. His constituents told him to vote Yes on health care reform; Vinnie and Luigi told him to vote No. What to do.

Since his treasonous Yes vote, Cao’s political bribes, er, “campaign contributions,” have dropped by 40 percent. You happy now, Commie? That’ll teach you to snub the HMOsa Nostra. Watch your back.

And just how wealthy is the Insurance Mafia? They’re sooo well-off — one of their “companies” paid more than a million dollars a year to 39 of its highest ranking thugs.

Yes, that would be WellPoint, which owns Anthem Blue Cross. Million-dollar bonuses, mansions, yachts, luxury company “retreats” — What was the secret of their success? All they had to do was drop coverage for tens of thousands of sick people. Ah, the rewards of hard work.

Henry Waxman said: “Corporate executives at WellPoint are thriving, but its policyholders are paying the price.”

If you have a loved one who died from lack of medical care — thank a Republican.

Investigation of Blackwater

A sighting! Erik Prince, religious fanatic, former Navy SEAL and founder of Blackwater USA, has testified before a Congressional Committee. Protecting New Orleans mansion-owners from the riffraff after Hurricane Katrina, shooting at suspicious-looking swarthy people in Iraq — Blackwater has earned a hell of a reputation over the years. And now Congress has finally taken an interest.

Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) said: “Privatizing is working exceptionally well for Blackwater. The question for this hearing is whether outsourcing to Blackwater is a good deal to the American taxpayer, whether it’s a good deal for the military and whether it’s serving our national interest in Iraq.”

Prince responded: “I could break your neck in five places you little twerp I believe we acted appropriately at all times.”

One of the Blackwater incidents being investigated: In December ’06, a drunken Blackwater employee shot an Iraqi guard. The State Department advised Blackwater to offer a payment to the deceased’s survivors, and then quickly hustled the Blackwater guard out of Iraq. Internal e-mails showed State Department employees arguing over how much money to pay the Iraqi family.

Regarding that incident, Waxman said “It’s hard to read these e-mails and not come to the conclusion that the State Department is acting as Blackwater’s enabler.”

Right now there's a bill pending in the House — by David Price (D-NC) — that would make all contractors subject to prosecution in American courts. Right, that'll happen.