9/11 First Responders Bill

A Special Report On The Battle Over The Zadroga Bill

Update! Neutered First Responders Bill Approved
A Slap In The Face: Gutless, Spineless Senate Cuts Settlement For 9/11 Rescuers
NewsFocus, by Tim Watts - 122210


This has got to be one of the largest national embarrassments for any civilized society. Just pathetic.

After much Republican heel dragging, the Zadroga Bill for 9/11 first responders has finally passed. People can rejoice if they want, but when you cut the bill by 1/3rd, how does that accomplish all that the legislation was originally intended for? This Senate vote is shameful, particularly because of a Republican-led effort to block the bill, holding it hostage as a political pawn for increased tax cuts for the super-wealthy, and then for reneging on their promise once they got their tax cuts for the ultra-rich. Apparently the only way Republican Senators would vote for the bill is if they cut it nearly in half!  Instead of the $7.4-billion that was approved by the House in the original bill, the final payout will now be only $4.3-billion, a difference of $3.1-billion that Republican Senators felt the sick and dying 9/11 first responders just didn't need. This despite the fact that our own government said the air was perfectly fit to breathe immediately after 9/11. (EPA head Christie Todd Whitman stated the air was fit to breathe, when in fact it was the equivalent of micro-fine Draino.)

So what was wrong with giving these sick and dying American heroes the extra three billion? The rich will easily make at least 100-times that amount off the tax cuts that Republicans shamelessly bartered the bill with. It seems that some humane priorities are wildly out of whack for the GOP. And this is the self-proclaimed party of Christian fundamentalists, always talking family values. I guess they must be talking about the family values of just the super-rich.

Republicans have once again thumbed their noses at America's heroes, by giving them less than what was needed, even though Democrats had already given in to the GOP extortion demands of tax breaks for the ultra-rich. The Democrats grudgingly allowed the extra money for the super-wealthy, but then, to return the favor, the Senate Republicans instead saw fit to cut nearly half the money out from the first responders bill!

Unbelievable. You just can't make up anything as morally despicable.

I think the consensus would agree... that's called backstabbing in most places.

This just proves once again who the Republicans stand for. They would much rather give more money to the extravagantly wealthy, people who truly don't even need it, rather than doing the morally correct thing by helping real American heroes who desperately need the money to fight for their life. It also proves how spineless the Democratic party is for not standing up to this blatantly criminal political extortion.

What is becoming glaringly apparent to many, including untold moderate conservatives, the new far right Republican party and their self-professed belief in Christianity and core family values, is extremely warped. They truly don't care about helping people, unless of course they're rich people. That appears to be pretty well established and proven now with their less than humanitarian position of helping Americans in need, like the Katrina victims, or this 9/11 emergency first responders bill. But they immediately jumped to bail out the ultra-wealthy, with many from banking, Wall Street and the corporate rich all getting tens of billions each!

For those not keeping score at home, there lies the real GOP value system. Even in times of extreme national duress and crisis, they have historically proven over and over again where their real "Christian family values" truly are, with big money.

Absolutely sickening. I certainly hope that 2012 voters will remember this.

Senate Passes Revised 9/11 Health Benefits Bill
CNN International - Ted Barrett, Dana Bash - ‎122210
In the years since 9/11, respiratory and mental health issues have been a concern for firefighters and other first responders. Sen. Tom Coburn says the agreement produced a better bill Washington (CNN) -- The Senate on Wednesday passed a compromise ...

Oklahoma Senator Allows Vote After Bill To Care For Responders Is Cut...
ABC News - Jonathan Karl, Matthew Jaffe - ‎122210‎
Senators on both side of the aisle came together to unanimously pass a bill to give continuing health benefits and compensation to first responders who got sick after the 9/11 terror attacks. ...

Senate Passes Scaled-Down 9/11 Health Care Bill
NY1 - 122210‎
The United States Senate this afternoon has passed a bill that will provide millions to those who became ill from working and living near the World Trade Center site after the September 11th terrorist attacks. Following a last-minute deal brokered by ...

Coburn wins: Less Generous 9/11 First Responders Bill...
Salon - Alex Pareene - ‎122210
Intransigent "deficit hawk" Tom Coburn is finally dropping his threat to single-handedly obstruct the 9/11 first responders healthcare bill in the Senate. He's dropping his threat because he won: The bill, which already went from $7.4 ...


Michele Bachmann Calls 9-11 Responders Bill a New Entitlement Program
Minnesota's biggest embarrassment is Bachman. (At least we have Al Franken.)


And just when you thought things couldn't get more deceitful over this bill:

Fox & Friends Appalled That Daily Show Gets 9/11 Responders Credit
CrooksandLiars, by David Neiwert - 122210

 

Absolutely un-freaking believable! Do they not even watch their own channel? It took them no less than three separate broadcasts before FOX finally told its conservative viewers that it was the Republicans who were guilty of holding up the bill. The videos farther below (and the story link) show the undeniable cold hard truth, that folks from FOX will absolutely say anything, even when it is indisputably not the truth


Senate Republicans Turn Backs On 9/11 First Responders
Let's Make Sure The Rich Get Tax Breaks, But @#%! The Dying 9/11 Rescuers
NewsFocus, by Tim Watts - 121410


That anyone can turn their back on those who volunteered to save other's lives on 9/11 is unconscionable.

Update! Jon Stewart Uses Last Show of 2010 For 9/11 First Responders
(See details and video below this story.)

Just when you thought politics couldn't get more partisan or any uglier, the US Senate, led by the Republican party, voted against the 9/11 First Responders Bill, the Zadroga 9/11 First Responders Act, legislation that would provide those heroic first responders with desperately needed medical benefits and services. Too many are sick and dying, and now they need our help America. In case you don't understand the immoral cruelty being played out on Capitol Hill, let me sum it up for you.

This is about political blackmail, not to mention an extreme moral perversity. You see, the Republicans refuse to vote "yes" on the bill until the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans are extended. How's that for political bargaining? You deny impoverished, sick and dying 9/11 heroes medical help, just so the filthy rich can get a tax break and make more money. And this is the party that willfully and shamelessly echoes 9/11, any chance it can get, for their own political gain, all the while they claim to be a fundamentalist "Christian-based" party, chock full of "family values."

Wow.

If you're a Republican, you very well should feel shame and embarrassment over this. What should be clear to all Americans, is that one political party is willing to hold the bill hostage, blackmailing Congress, in order to get a rich payout for the wealthiest Americans, who need no help whatsoever. Their lives are already great!

To barter someone's health for another person's wealth is about as low as it goes, but that does not seem to bother the moral conscience of the GOP because apparently they haven't any to begin with.

Why is it the "party of no" always turns its back on "we the people" whenever it comes down to the interests of the filthy rich and big money?

Hopefully by now, most Americans are starting to see just who the Republican party actually serves, big money! Call your Congressional representatives and let them know what an outrage this is for a purported civilized society. The GOP is willing to forsake   compassion and human moral decency, in return for more money for people that are already comfortably well off, if not obscenely wealthy.

Some people have no shame. Soulless might be a better descriptor.

Jon Stewart Blasts Republicans As 9/11 'Non-Responders'

A Lame As F@#k Congress
Comedy Central - The Daily Show With Jon Stewart - Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Jon Stewart Makes A Stand For 9/11 First Responders
Daily Show Dedicates Last Program of 2010 To Skewer GOP Over Health Bill
NewsFocus, by Tim Watts - 121610

One thing on almost every politicians personal to-do list, "Do not incur the wrath of Jon Stewart." If you do, it will get ugly faster than you can say, "Please pull my 'Depends' underpants down and spank my fat conservative ass hard on national TV to thoroughly discredit and embarrass me in front of my political constituents and the entire world."

Consider it done.

Republicans do indeed know better, yet somehow the entire party had a group brain freeze when it came to the 9/11 health bill.

It's like the old Foghorn Leghorn cartoon, "If I dood it, I get a whippin'..."

Well, let's just say that moment came for the entire Republican party on Thursday night during the season's final episode for 2010. Stewart once again railed against the GOP "policy of no," excoriating and completely eviscerating the entire party for their heartless stance over the Zadroga Bill. Republican Senators had initially refused to vote for the bill, until they got the Bush tax cuts extended for the ultra-rich, but now that they have their money, they've suddenly lost any possible moral spine they had left, by continuing to stall on the bill.

Unsurprisingly typical for Republicans. Rush must be pissing his pants with glee.

After the program's first segment national admonishment / butt whooping, Stewart then continued into a second segment of the show, by bringing out some of New York's 9/11 first responders to discuss the Republican filibuster of the bill.

If you're a lover of the "Grand Old Party," let's just say that, as predicted above, it got ugly real fast for long snouted pachyderms.

Watch the show segments from "Worst Responders" in their entirety below.

Jon Stewart "Keeps It Real" With GOP Over Zadroga Bill
Stewart Lashes Out At GOP - Pt 1 9/11 First Responders React - Pt 2

Comedy Central - The Daily Show / Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

 

And yet FOX News cannot see fit to admit who it was that voted against the bill. Peter Johnson reported first, and then it was Sheppard Smith reporting later. They tried to feign disgust, but did nothing to point out who was actually responsible for holding up this desperately needed bill.

Absolutely deceitful for an "alleged" news organization, but this only proves that FOX is nothing more than a propaganda and disinformation machine for the conservative far right and Rupert Murdoch. A real news organization would give us the truth.

FOX Just Won't Admit That Republicans Are Stalling The Bill
Peter Johnson Jr "Reporting" Shepherd Smith "Reporting"

At Long Last: Fox host calls out GOP for blocking 9/11 health bill
(But what took so long? This is the 3rd broadcast before finally admitting the truth.)

The fact that this kind of "reporting" goes on at FOX News ought to tell Americans everything they need to know about the network's intentions and the FOX agenda.


More On The 9/11 First Responders Health Bill...

Republican Senator Calls Cops on 9-11 Responders
NY Daily News, BY Michael Mcauliff - 121610

WASHINGTON - Insult turned to hope and flattery Thursday for a group of 9/11 responders who came to the Senate to push for passage of the 9/11 health bill.

It began on a rocky note, when Maine Republican Susan Collins called Capitol Police to keep them away from her office. ...

Democrats Blast Senate GOP For 9/11 Bill Vote
CBS New York
 - ‎Dec 10, 2010‎
The day after a bill that would have provided over $7 billion in compensation to 9/11 rescue workers failed to pass in the ...

Republicans to 9/11 Responders: Drop Dead
Huffington Post (blog) - ‎Dec 10, 2010‎
In July Republicans tried to block House passage of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010. They voted the bill down-with 155 of 159 ...

9/11 Health Bill Shot Down In Senate
Senate Fails To Move On 9/11 Legislation
9/11 Heroes Aren't Worth It, Say Republicans
Senate Republicans Filibuster 9/11 Health Bill
Advocates Criticize Senate Vote On 9/11 Health Care
Giuliani Makes Hypocritical Stand Against 9/11 Health Vote
Why I'm Against the Zadroga 9/11 Health Bill: Sen. Mike Enzi
GOP Blocks 9/11 First Responders Bill; ABC, CBS, And NBC Ignore The Story

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