REPUBLICANS HIT A NEW LOW

Okay, the DREAM Act shut down I can understand. A lot of Americans are on the fence or torn about immigration, but denying health care to the 911 First Responders? That is a new low. As reported by the Wall Street Journal (http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2010/12/09/911-health-bill-fails-senate-vote/) long-stalled legislation to provide health care for many sick 9/11 Ground Zero workers failed a key test vote in the Senate recently as Republicans remained united in opposition to the measure until after the passage of a massive tax cut package including tax cuts for the wealthiest in the nation. This recent move in Congress underscores a wide moral gap between Republicans in Congress and the hard working mostly blue collar workers who vote and keep them in office.

The 42 Republicans in the Senate stated they would not vote for anything else until that tax package favoring the wealthy passed. This hostage holding is reprehensible not to mention underscores a moral decline in the Republican Party. At least under the Bush Administration they had the decency to mask their true intentions. Now they blatantly advocate against the American people without batting an eye (first with their refusal to extend unemployment benefits, their attempts to repeal the healthcare law and now this business with our 9/11 First Responders). Don’t get me started on our brave wounded war vets. But it doesn’t surprise me. They’ve been brainwashing their Republican constituents for years using popular catch phrases like “promoting family values”, “homeland security”, “Patriots”, and “it’s against the Constitution”, or “it’s unAmerican”) year after year while they themselves care less about such dogma and more about lining their pockets. Don’t get me wrong. Most Americans of every politcal bent, me included, care about our families, security, are patriotic, think the Constitution is great and are proud to be American. But that’s not what I’m speaking of here.

Case in point: The so-called “Obamacare” legislation has been called “socialist” and “against the Constitution” (other catchy phrases promoted by the Repubs) yet the ones who stand to lose the most by the laws repeal are hard working Americans who have no insurance or are in danger of losing their health benefits once they lose their jobs. To the rest of the world, it’s truly a no-brainer yet many Republicans and Tea Party constituents – – ordinary Americans – – have no health insurance themselves or are in danger of losing their benefits once they lose their jobs. So why do so many good people vote against even their own interest when they have the most to lose? Are Americans really that stupid? I hope not.

What I do know is that the entities which stand to gain the most from overturning the health care law are the same entitites who have the most to lose by its implementation: big insurance and healthcare giants like Kaiser Permanente. Why? Because they will be forced to lower their costs to compete in the market once the law goes into effect. We can also be sure the repeal advocates in Congress will be generously rewarded for pushing the law’s demise by these insurance lobbyists. Oh, and the insurance companies backed by the above-mentioned 42 Republicans against extending health care benefits to the 911 First Responders? One and the same…

One thing is for certain: Those big guns in Congress hell bent on overturning the healthcare law will never have to worry about losing their healthcare benefits. EVER. They and their families have full coverage for life. But what about those 9/11 First Responders? What about you?