The 911 First Responders Bill - A slam-dunk morphs into a nail-biter:
Well, The "911 first responders bill" finally passed the Senate. It was by no means a sure thing. How a slam-dunk piece of legislation whose purpose was to provide long term medical care for those who willingly lay their lives on the line could wind up being the nail biter of the millennium will be a topic for historians to chew on for generations.
Senator Jon Kyl feels Christmas should be respected....
One explanation for leaving the "911 first responders bill" unresolved until the new year offered by Senator Jon Kyl was asking the Senate to work over the Christmas holiday season is disrespectful to religious Christians. ( Apparently Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is a heathen) This caused the topic to morph from the merely bizarre to the surreal. Such rank stupidity would have been funny if it weren't such a tragic indictment of our dysfunctional government. After a gaffe like that - what more can be said - except that this whole mess has put a spotlight on the total contempt with which some members of the Senate hold the general public. Apparently, if we can't line their pockets with millions of dollars we don't matter and don't count. In other words, 99% of us are irrelevant to the process of government.
If we don't take care of our own can our finest and bravest continue to take care of us?
Even though the bill passed, the singular inability to pass the 911 first responders act for month after month will send a chill through the rank and file of rescue workers across the country. The message is clear - America's bravest and finest may have to think twice about heeding the call to duty.
Because they will then have the added burden of asking "what will my call to duty do to my family should I become ill or injured." Leaving them with Sophie's choice where answering the call to duty will force them to lay the financial welfare of their families on the line. After all, medical care for exposure to carcinogens and neurotoxins is no bargain and getting our marvelous for-profit medical system to cover the essentials is about reliable as shooting craps.
Christmas is a holiday - not an excuse. Many people work on Christmas...
But seriously - let's name a few professions where working on Christmas is a way of life - just as a reminder to the Republicans in the Senate that they are not alone.
The Clergy
Anyone involved in a church service or mass (organists/choral directors etc)
Doctors and nurses
Medical staff in general
Police and Fire
Paramedics/EMT's
Service industry employees such as waiters/waitresses
Caterers
Gasoline station attendants
Tow truck Drivers
And much, much more….
Meanwhile - Steven Colbert reminded everyone about the sacred nature of the week between Christmas and New Years on the Colbert Report - lest we forget our spiritual side…
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Christmas Holy Week | ||||
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