Concessions amount to crimes against U.S.

As a sitting U.S. senator, Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada is probably immune from federal prosecution. However, current polling indicates that Nevada citizens may remove him from office following the November 2010 elections. After which, I would urge federal prosecutors indict him for bribery; conspiracy to commit bribery of federal officials, waste, fraud and abuse of federal funds; and subornation of the Constitution (treason.)

Sen. Reid has bribed and conspired to bribe Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana for their votes on health care reform. In exchange, Sen. Reid has given Louisiana $100 million in federal money for its state Medicare program and Nebraska more than $100 million in federal funding for that state's Medicaid expansion under the Senate's so-called "reform" legislation.

There is no reasonable basis under the Commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution that would legally justify these expenditures.

In essence, a senator from Nevada, who has no constitutional authority to do so, has conspired to shift federal tax dollars from taxpayers in Illinois and 47 other states to Nebraska and Louisiana so that those citizens do not have to pay for their own state responsibilities under the Senate's bill. This is not only unconstitutional and a form of bribery, but also a violation of regulations concerning waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government.

Reid's actions also suborn the Constitution. If this stands, what is to stop a senator from demanding in another bill that the federal government compensate the residents of that senator's state with federal money for their payment of each dollar of state income taxes in return for his vote on that bill?

Greg Guckenberger

Batavia