Health Care Reform Passes House; Mass. to Get $2.5 Billion

When we turned on our computer yesterday and saw chat statuses like "filling out my death panel job application," we knew that the House of Representatives had passed President Barack Obama's health care reform, and there was nothing that Massachusetts's furious array of white dudes could do to stop it. Not even Tim Cahill!

Senator Happy Trail wasn't silent—did you expect him to be?—and he was very, very disappointed in the president:

Instead of listening to these concerns and starting over on health care reform using a bipartisan approach, the president and others have forced through, with an arrogance of power, a health care bill complete with sweetheart deals that our nation doesn't want, and can't afford.

Wait a second! One of those "sweetheart deals" was for us, the people of Massachusetts, who live in a state that's completely falling apart! In fact, the health care bill has $2.5 billion and counting to offer the Bay State, a reward for all of the money we've spent insuring poor people so that Medicaid didn't have to. This is the sort of thing that our senator opposes?!? We know that they don't teach much politics in law school, but surely Scott Brown took a civics class at some point, right? Bringing home billions of dollars is what your senator is supposed to do.

Local bloggers on the left are predictably euphoric, and those on the right predictably grousy. Pick your poison and get back to us.

Local politicians voting for the bill included Michael Capuano, who had been anything but a sure bet. Southie representative Stephen Lynch voted against the bill, despite the wishes of his organized labor base, which has resulted in a lot of Facebook animosity.

At the end of the day yesterday, the United States joined Massachusetts in a commitment to insure everyone, well, almost everyone, who lives within its borders, whether rich or poor, employed or unemployed. Welcome to the First World, America.