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Manhattan Diary by Cahir O'Doherty

GOP's 9/11 first responders health bill shame

Posted on Tuesday, December 21, 2010 at 08:19 AM

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Rudy Giuliani is being awfully quiet. He used to claim that he had been to the Ground Zero site "as often, if not more, than most workers. I was there working with them. I was exposed to exactly the same things they were exposed to. So in that sense, I'm one of them."

That means Giuliani knows the risks. So why isn't he speaking out against the Senate GOP's heartless decision to vote against the Health Bill for the 9/11 responders?

Composed of mostly cops and firemen, the majority of those responders presumably GOP's voters themselves, it seems remarkable that they could be called heroes in 2001 and claimant fraudsters in 2010.

Why would Senate Republicans balk at the modest price tag for this bipartisan bill when they thought nothing of approving tax cuts for the nations richest one percent and ballooning the deficit?

Earlier this month Senate Republicans blocked the measure with a filibuster as part of their pledge to halt all legislation until passage of the tax bill. President Obama signed the tax bill last week but the GOP have still not acted.

Why? Is it because the former heroes of 9/11 are now seen as a bunch of latter day money grabbing welfare queens in the eyes of the GOP Senate? Critics say that Republican senators see this bill as an 'entitlement' program. That means it would help the needy. That makes it a socialist handout. They also don't like the zip code, which is no fault of the first responders.

What a shame the Senate GOP have voted to keep tax breaks for themselves while those who ran toward the twin towers when everyone else was running away are forgotten by the party that - just a few years earlier - wrapped itself up in the flag and made commitments that they simply haven't kept.

UPDATE: Yesterday Rudy finally spoke out. “This should not be seen as a Democratic or Republican issue,” Giuliani said on a Fox News affiliate. “It shouldn’t even be seen as a fiscal issue. It’s a matter of morality, of obligation.”

Hear, hear. It's sad to see how wrapped up in politics the GOP are willing to become. It's at the expense of the nation every time.

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seanomelbourne | Jan 02, 2011, 05:26 PM EST

We can look after ourselves Mman. It appears that anyone to the left of Genghis Khan is a communist. The area covered by flood water is larger than Spain and Germany combined as big as Texas.But when you have a strong economy and a Prime Minister at the coalface helping it lift's ones spirit,unlike "do nothing" Bush (remember Katrina)or reading to school kids while Rome burned.Uranium profits are a drop in the bucket compared to our iron ore /gold /silver/copper/mineral sands/aluminum/gas/nickel profits and so on.Not to mention Meat/grain and so the list goes on BTW we have a number of yellow-cake mines not affected by the flood.we have it all, maybe you need a few Aussie labor politicians to show congress how it's done. I do hope the U.S. economy improves in the new year after all, vibrant economies make for vibrant people.

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Monsoonman | Jan 01, 2011, 08:37 PM EST

That's right lad, choice/clash of civilizations between capitalism-freedom and socialism-communism. Communism lost the first round, but the present manchurian candidate wwho sneaked into the whitehouse started up where carter left off, look it up. BTW: Looks like G*d is smiting you for ignoring him, floods of "biblical proportions" I see. Can't even mine uranium to sell for nuclear arms manufacturing, you've lost your main cash cow. What are you going to do? If you can make it to Bluff Knoll, I might be able to rescue you if you can carve out an airstrip. Let me know.

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seanomelbourne | Jan 01, 2011, 08:15 PM EST

What do you mean by a choice of civilizations? sounds like the Third Reich is making a comeback.Jimmy Carter was your president not mine.

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Monsoonman | Jan 01, 2011, 01:21 PM EST

What it comes down to Lad is a choice of civilizations. The proxy wars were a relief valve from all out wars, we just fought fire with fire. We witnessed your do-gooder, jimmy carter, practice his uber left ideologies by weakening America. We are reaping the results of his inactions today. obama has put miracle grow on the situation.

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seanomelbourne | Jan 01, 2011, 02:14 AM EST

You are the the one in denial you tacitly support American excesses and their murder squads,North,Gates and other U.S. operatives in Chile,Argentina and so on. Castro supported what are now the governments of Angola and Mozambique.Your the one with the blind spot I castigated both the U.S. and Russia.You are selective in your support of any one who pays homage to the U.S. For e.g. the Shah of Iran and his secret police(SAVAK)trained by the likes of Ollie North That's another story I suppose. So nothing has changed for the Iranian people since the overthrow of Mossedeq(by the CIA) The democratically elected government.They have suffered one oppressor after another for over 50 years.

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Monsoonman | Dec 31, 2010, 07:02 PM EST

Lad, you fail over and over to see your blind spot when you try to defend these brutal dictatorships. I think you try to glamorize them in some way. Usually their biggest export is violent revolution designed to further their cause. Cuba was in africa for crying out loud killing africans. Don't get me started on the terror death and destruction they wreaked in my hemisphere...All of this would have been unnecessary if kennedy hadn't abandoned the freedom fighters at the Bay of pigs, left them like pigs to be slaughtered on the shores of cuba.

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seanomelbourne | Dec 31, 2010, 06:07 PM EST

I never said Cuba was a paradise Mman. I wonder why you fail to answer the criticism of the American supported terrorist dictators (maybe you agree with me). I really did write a fair and balanced piece after all I condemned the Russians as I condemned the U.S.Maybe you should spend time justifying your point of view rather than concocting a story to attack the messenger, accusing me of something I did not write or allude to.Remember I visited Cuba and found it distressing.But who do we blame? the U.S. for denying medicines and infrastructure by there economic stranglehold,The Russians for trading Cuban sugar for arms and some fault must lie with the Cuban government.But at the end of the day the big powers should keep their collective noses out of other peoples business.

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Monsoonman | Dec 31, 2010, 12:35 AM EST

Lad...if castro & his peoples paradise is so wonderful, why have millions of cubans fled the hell hole on anything that floats to reach the shores of the U.S.? Or float to the peoples paradise of chavez's venezuela?...funny about those pesky things known as facts.

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seanomelbourne | Dec 30, 2010, 11:24 PM EST

Always remember when dealing with super powers it's never about democracy or the rights of the people,it's about control. Chavez-drugs,Noriega-drugs.Get your head out of the sand Mman

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seanomelbourne | Dec 30, 2010, 11:20 PM EST

He also nationalized hotels,the Havana Riviera being one of them(Which was owned by that "great" American Myra Lansky). And after the ugly American came the Ugly Russian tourist who's treatment of Cubans was no better.At least Fidel refused to be anyone's acolyte just like Chavez.

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seanomelbourne | Dec 30, 2010, 11:14 PM EST

Maybe I'm not as easily led by the nose as you are with U.S. lies,indeed I've been to Cuba and have seen first hand how the U.S. bully small nations by economic embargo's. I agree Cuba is hardly an ideal society but after the "bay of pigs"they substituted one oppressive regime for another. It's quite ironic Cubans were treated like 2nd class citizens by the U.S.(segregated hotels and beaches)Fidel's 1st crime was to open the beaches to everyone and kick out the mafia and their Cuban acolytes E.G. the mayor of Havana Desi Arnaz's father the acolytes took up residents in Florida.

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Monsoonman | Dec 30, 2010, 08:31 PM EST

I like wikileaks, we just found out that chavez is involved with the cocaine drug trade, he has set up communist guerilla camps on the border with neighboring Colombia to try to destabilize that democrat country, he has strong ties to the iranian regime, he is selling oil to china for 5.00 per barrel and is warping venezuelas constitution to set himself up as dictator for life. If you think he is a good man lad, you should do some self examination. You still haven't told us why you think Fidel Castro is such a fabulous dictator for life? Could it be the nations great gdp? His respect for huuman rights? The vintage cars? Just what is it lad?

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seanomelbourne | Dec 29, 2010, 06:01 PM EST

Mman you condone the overthrow of elected governments and you ask me comment on Chavez who was overthrown (briefly)by am American financed coup.Chavez was elected by a majority in his country. He refused to be a U.S. puppet. We now have a richer S.America because money is reinvested in infrastructure and not into the pockets of petty little American installed dictators or corporations. Power to the people.

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Monsoonman | Dec 28, 2010, 12:40 AM EST

Lad, in your mind is fidel castros Cuba a "liberal country"? Is Venezuela under the dictator hugo chavez a "liberal country". Just want to establish the bar...and yes obama seems intent on bringing America down, the trickle up poverty is working its magic.

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seanomelbourne | Dec 27, 2010, 10:16 PM EST

You usurped the democratically elected governments of some of these countries,who were recognised by the U.N. and in some cases elections were supervised by the U.N.(including American supervisors).Most S.American countries are liberal governments.The U.S. no longer appoints petty criminals as dictators.It's about time you realised your proper place in the scheme of things or the world will just pass you by.

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