Thursday, December 9, 2010

Republicans block health aid for 9/11 workers

Republican senators blocked Democratic legislation on Thursday that sought to provide medical care to rescue workers and residents of New York City who became ill as a result of breathing in toxic fumes, dust and smoke from ground zero.

Republicans have been raising concerns about how to pay for the $7.4 billion measure, while Democrats, led by Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand of New York, have argued that the nation had a moral obligation to assist those who put their lives at risk during rescue operations at ground zero.

As Jonathan Chait pointed out at his blog, the Republicans just pressed very hard -- and successfully! -- for a tax cut for the rich that expands the deficit massively. It's clear that if 9/11 workers didn't want to get sick, they should've been rich and unpatriotic enough not to have worked at Ground Zero.

No comments: