9/11 responders bill defeated by Senate GOP filibuster

A new low for the GOP.

Senate Democrats failed Thursday to win a procedural vote to open debate on a bill that would provide medical benefits and compensation for emergency workers who were first on the scene of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

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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.

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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.

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New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg reacted to Thursday's result by calling it "a tragic example of partisan politics trumping patriotism."

I had begun to think that the GOP could not surprise me anymore. I stand corrected.

Trillions of dollars is fine for two wars and killing tens of thousands. But a few billion for healthcare for first responders to 9/11 is too much? I thought these fuckers were pro-life.

Do you think they will see any backlash from conservatives, or are they all too brainwashed?

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Permalink Reply by Reggie on December 10, 2010 at 3:56pm

Most sources on economics (not the big wigs) that I have heard from seem to agree that bailouts and stimulus packages were necessary to avoid a deeper slump in the economy. Personally, I have always avoided high finance until recently, viewing it much as I view insurance; a needlessly complicated endeavor designed to confuse and fleece. And, in the case of certain financial products that helped the econimic crash, this was true.