When Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., cast her vote last week in favor of opening debate in the Senate on the Health Care bill, conservatives dubbed it the “Louisiana Purchase.” Pundits such as Glenn Beck have happily described her vote in terms of her willingness to provide sexual favors for a fee. Naturally, such rhetoric should lead to an article criticizing how such offensive comments would never have been uttered had she been a male. But because most would agree the analogy would not be relevant nor tolerated for a male, I am much more interested in discussing how the saga illustrates the deterioration of our great political system.This is hardly the first time a politician has sold her vote to gain the funding for which her state is in desperate need. But we need to look closely at what our political system has become.It is a disgrace that, to receive the $100 million funding that our state requires to fill the gap in the Medicaid system, Sen. Landrieu felt compelled to vote for a bill for which she harbored serious reservations.The shortfall in the Louisiana Medicaid results from a scheduled decrease in “the federal contribution to Louisiana’s Medicaid program … from 72 percent to 64 percent next year” according to The Advocate. Per-capita income, which has been inflated because of recovery efforts following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, are largely to blame for this decrease, which would increase the tax burden of Louisiana’s working population.The $100 million — or $300 million, as Senator Landrieu claims it will truly be worth — has apparently persuaded her to overlook the public option for government healthcare coverage included in the bill. Critics such as Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., and Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., oppose this option, because of concerns about government control of the industry and the harm it would cause to private insurance companies.”Such a deal shouldn’t be a surprise. Like it or not, it’s routine practice on Capitol Hill to trade your vote for something that helps your state. That’s just the cost of doing business in D.C.” writes Katie Connolly, political correspondent for Newsweek.But just because something is commonly accepted doesn’t make it right.Our political system has become a marketplace, where votes are commodities to be traded and on which options can be purchased. These options reserve the right to call in or reserve these votes at a future date.That politicians need to use their votes as bargaining chips to secure the funding necessary for critical state programs is truly sad. We know this is occurring, but no one cares enough to stand up and point to the corruption so prevalent in national politics — an indication of the disease of apathy which has infected the population.You may think that it is a disgrace that politicians no longer stand up for what they believe in, but the true blame does not lie with the politicians. The true blame lies with you and me.We continue to vote for and tolerate the system which we have created. We now have a true free-market political system.While big business buys the politicians — and they are certainly bought — the politicians buy each other’s support by wheeling and dealing in whatever position of power they possess  or are granted by their corporate masters.It is time to reform legislation. It is time to hold politicians accountable for their choices and their votes.I am thankful that Sen. Landrieu’s vote will benefit the state of Louisiana if the health care bill is passed in the Senate, but I find it a public tragedy that we accept and allow business in our nation’s capitol to be conducted in this manner.Nathan Shull is a 35-year-old finance junior from Seattle. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_nshullContact Nathan Shull at [email protected]