As the month of December has shown, the GOP is fully cappable of acting the role of political lambs, led to the slaughter through obvious ploys like those of Harry Reid and Barry O.
The so-called First Responder Bill was a case in point.
The GOP was either too stupid or too cowardly to see how they were getting hosed. So they screwed us again, and the left again comes out of this looking like heroes when they should be locked up for theft.
Professor Jacobsen schools us again at Le*gal In*sur*rec*tion
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Tom Coburn Was Right
Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) was right to insist on greater financial accountability and fraud prevention in the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act (history of text changes here).
The Zadroga Act had all the hallmarks of the type of government spending which, without vigilance, gave rise to massive fraud in Hurricane Katrina relief. Take a worthy cause and pick a number out of a hat, and what you get is a rip-off of the taxpayers, which is what happened on a huge scale in the aftermath of Katrina.
Taking care of 9/11 responders who actually became ill from dust inhaled during or in the aftermath of 9/11 certainly is a worthy cause, but the numbers thrown about by
Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand appeared to be picked out of a hat. Coburn was right to ask why "X billion dollars" and not "Y billion dollars."
In fact, more than $2 billion was shaved off the price tag by the time the bill was passed, without any obvious harm to the purpose of the bill.
Republicans were bullied into writing a blank check for Katrina relief by legitimately sad stories. Even The NY Times called Katrina relief fraud "breathtaking."
.
Collectively, the GOP in the Senate is like the Keystone Cops of politics. Even when the GOP had control, they were played like a fiddle, in ways a beginning Poli Sci 101 student could see in a heartbeat.
.
Like lemmings jumping off a cliff for a little swim, the Senate GOP plods along, doing whatever they're manipulated into doing: lying to us about not passing legislation until a budget bill was passed; adding tens of billions to the deficit, getting rid of DADT instead of getting rid of the divisive influence of homosexuals in the military altogether, passing the idiotic START treaty... making Obama out to be the greatest politician of the last century, helping him to resurrect a political career deader then the proverbial bus load of illegal aliens at a John Birch Society Convention.
.
The GOP allowed all these things.
.
And while I despise democrat policies, I have to admire their political ability while simultaneously bemoaning the GOP's lack of it.
.
For me, there were some questions as to why there had to be a bill passed to begin with. I would be one of the first ones to stand up in favor of helping these guys and their families, they deserve a lot for what they did. However....
ReplyDeleteWe are talking New York...New York Firemen and New York Police. These two organizations have some of the most well organized unions, with hefty benefits, that we can imagine. Aren't the medical benefits and life insurance benefits that these individuals have taking care of their health issues? It's just a question. I would think that these guys have excellent, primo insurance benefits so why would they need additional help from the federal government? This is all on the job injury stuff.
If anyone knows the answer I'd sincerely appreciate knowing.