Just to really top it off, Senate Republicans blocked a bill to provide health care for 9/11 first responders. We can't afford it, they said.
Republicans complained that the $7.4 billion price tag was too high, while Democrats said the government had an obligation to help the first responders to the deadliest terrorism attack in U.S. history.
The James Zadroga 9/11 Health Bill -- named after a deceased New York Police Department detective who had worked in the toxic plume at ground zero -- seeks to provide free medical coverage for responders and survivors who were exposed to toxins after the attacks.
Nope. Screw these 9/11 first responders who headed into the toxic cloud to save lives. Republicans are going to let them die, because it's a waste of money to help them.
Republicans are too busy demanding we cut the estate tax instead. What's it going to take, folks?
What's it going to take before we tell these bigoted, hateful, smarmy, assholes to go to hell?
FTA:
ReplyDeleteRepublicans complained that the $7.4 billion price tag was too high...
Zandar:
Republicans are going to let them die, because it's a waste of money to help them.
I see that CNN has taken up the old Democratic Party line from when the House brought this bill up for a vote. I've looked at about 20 other news sites, ones that don't link to CNN, that don't say this is the case at all, that the Republicans blocked it to force debate on tax rates, which, suffice it to say, affects every single American taxpayer. The truth is that after Democrats finally get it through their heads to vote on tax rates, there are enough Senate Republicans to vote for this, which you don't mention since all you want to do is bash Republicans and spew an old Democratic Party talking point.
Something neither CNN or you mention is that Reid voted against cloture as well. Not because he also thinks this is a waste of money, but because he, as Senate Majority Leader, could bring this up later as is by voting the way he did. This is what Bill Frist would do when he was Senate Majority Leader and Democrats blocked bills (yes, they did do that).
I understand Reid did this in order to bring up the vote later.
ReplyDeleteBut this should have been a no brainer. We owe these men and women.
Republicans however are using them as hostages.
I understand Reid did this in order to bring up the vote later.
ReplyDeleteSo why didn't you bring it up? It's very relevant.
Republicans however are using them as hostages.
Spare me. Obama and Congressional Democrats in 2008 campaigned on maintaining the income tax rates in place for those of us whose families make less than $250,000. Democrats, who control both Houses, and even had a supermajority in the Senate for a time, have had two years to do this and didn't do a damn thing. Who has been holding whom hostage?