NEW LOW FOR BACKROOM DEALS?

Is it possible that the health care votes of two congressmen in California could be bought with the promise to turn the water back on for farmers in their state?

This story began in December of 2008, when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service became responsible for imposing water restrictions on farmers in the San Joaquin valley in California. The reason? To prevent harm to an endangered 2" fish known as the Delta Smelt.

Via the Wall Street Journal from September 9th, 2009:

The result has already been devastating for the state's farm economy. In the inland areas affected by the court-ordered water restrictions, the jobless rate has hit 14.3%, with some farming towns like Mendota seeing unemployment numbers near 40%. Statewide, the rate reached 11.6% in July, higher than it has been in 30 years. In August, 50 mayors from the San Joaquin Valley signed a letter asking President Obama to observe the impact of the draconian water rules firsthand.

The article also cites Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's attempt to get Obama to label the region a federal disaster area to no avail. Senator Dianne Feinstein didn't or was unable to get the Department of the Interior to turn the water back on either.

I found this excerpt from the Journal particularly disturbing. I fail to see it as anything other than soft genocide.

...the livelihoods of tens of thousands of humans are also at stake. If the Obama Administration wants to help, it can take up Governor Schwarzenegger's request that it revisit the two biological opinions that are hanging farmers and farm workers out to dry.

Ok, now let's bring this up to present day. Believe it or not, there is actually speculation - no doubt fueled by the high number of bribes for health care votes - via an article from Investor Business Daily:

The water spigots are back on, at least temporarily, in California's Central Valley. Turned off to protect a tiny fish, they happen to be in the districts of two congressmen "undecided" on health care reform.

One could chalk it up to good fortune or just good constituent service. But in the middle of a contentious health care debate marked by Cornhusker Kickbacks and Louisiana Purchases, we may be forgiven if we find an announcement by the Department of the Interior regarding California's water supply a tad too coincidental.

That would be the same Department of Interior that Schwarzenegger wouldn't approach and Feinstein promised to? Now we learn that the Dept. of the Interior has decided to move up such an announcement from March 22nd to March 16th, the week of the contentious health care vote? Why? The claim is that it was due to the "urging" of politicians, two of whom are House Democrats that have been listed as "undecided" on the health care vote. The other includes Feinstein, who has allegedly been pushing for this. The timing is very curious.

According to the Interior announcement, "Typically (the Bureau of) Reclamation would release the March allocation update around March 22nd, but moved up the announcement at the urging of Senators (Diane) Feinstein and (Barbara) Boxer, and Congressmen (Jim) Costa and (Dennis) Cardoza."

Blue Dog Democrats Costa, who represents California's 20th Congressional District (Fresno), and Cardoza, who represents the 18th (Stockton to Modesto), are both listed as "undecided" in the upcoming vote on health care reform, whether it be on the Senate bill itself or the "deem and pass" resolution known as the Slaughter rule, after Rules Committee Chairman Louise Slaughter.

Both Costa and Cardoza were "undecided" this past December as well:

To get them out of the "undecided" column in last December's House vote, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic leadership promised $500 million for a new University of California-Merced Medical School. Costa and Cardoza then voted "aye."

If this is what it appears it could be, the Obama administration has had the power or influence necessary to turn the water back on all along but didn't. It would also mean the Obama administration has been holding the threat of soft genocide over the heads of Americans.

Read it all.