Posted on 12/17/2010 6:28:04 PM PST by rabscuttle385
Tempers flared on the Senate floor Friday after Arizona Sen. John McCain said Democrats were wasting time “fooling around” with bills like one that would provide health care to ailing Ground Zero workers.
McCain’s comments sparked an immediate and angry response from New York Sen. Charles Schumer, who said the legislation is deadly serious to the workers who have died or fallen ill to cancer or other diseases from exposure to toxic debris.
McCain complained that Democratic leaders needlessly stalled a vote on a missile treaty with Russia “after all of the fooling around we’ve been doing” by holding losing votes on immigration and the Ground Zero health-care legislation.
New Jersey Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg also took McCain to task, calling his comments “shocking.” He noted that first responders came from across the country to work at the World Trade Center site, including about 100 people from McCain’s home state of Arizona.
Within minutes of McCain’s comment, Schumer had hurried to the floor to hit back.
“To call helping (first responders) fooling around is saddening and frustrating,” Schumer said. “We are not fooling around. We are fulfilling our duty as patriotic Americans.”
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.wsj.com ...
Fail.
Yeah, $7.4 billion dollars to a bunch of scumbag NY lawyers. And ten years from now, another $7.4 billion. Some people will never stop milking that cow.
Gimme a break. I’m in Philly and I think some of the ash blew down here (cough cough, I think I’m sick), gimme a few million, okay?
So far ‘only’ 58,000 people have demanded free health care and a cash settlement for working at Ground Zero.
When you see pictures of workers you look closely and see breathing devices hanging down. They claimed they were uncomfortable so they didn’t wear the protective masks.
Rudy tried to rotate the crews for their safety and a huge brawl ensued. They wanted the overtime and refused to be on any rotation.
This is a scam since the folks already have a huge settlement from funds donated years ago.
Am sick and tired of Peter King milking this issue day in and day out. And that goes for schmuckie shumer too.
Last I checked, the hijackers were all from Saudi Arabia. If 19 Americans went to Saudi Arabia, hijacked camels and slammed them into Mecca, wouldn’t the Saudis expect the U.S. to compensate the victims of the flying camel debris for damages? So, why are we having the taxpayers pay for this considering in wasn’t us who committed this atrocity? I have eternal respect for those who responded to the 9/11 attacks and pray for them everyday, but why are we NOT having the Saudis pay for this? They are, after all, one of the richest nations in the world and it was their citizens who are responsible. Welcome to bizzaro world.
What he said. Get the dough from the Saudis
I don’t like the issue either and I’m not for Peter King milking it, but don’t you for one second try and tell me that those guys did that because ‘they wanted the overtime’.
I know some of those guys and I knew guys who died in the towers on 9/11. The rescue workers did what they did out of a sense of duty, not for overtime. People don’t volunteer to sift through human remains of people they likely knew and cared about just for a paycheck.
You don’t need to impugn the motives of good people to make a point against politicians milking an issue you disagree with.
Well said.
Maybe next time barry is bowing before the saudi king he can slap a bill in his hand for a few billion.
Puhlease.....
56,000 First Responders who sifted through debris? You must be including all the Lawyers who jumped in with claims, too.....
And the RATS have dusted off the same crap year after year for the past four. Schumer (from NY, BTW) should be ashamed of himself for not getting this passed YEARS ago. He's just about worthless.
They kicked out real quick any non union trades/workers.
When you see pictures of workers you look closely and see breathing devices hanging down. They claimed they were uncomfortable so they didn’t wear the protective masks.
Rudy tried to rotate the crews for their safety and a huge brawl ensued. They wanted the overtime and refused to be on any rotation.
Because the politicians are running some kind of game with 56,000 people doesn't mean that people who did that work need to be impugned. You should know better.
I don’t understand either. Between workman’s comp and government workers great healthcare benefits, why is all this necessary?
LAWYERS.
Sounds a bit like pot calling kettle black, trying to claim to know everyone’s motives.
If I remember right, at the time there were some news reports about this “overtime” thing and the “Local” acting as usual. As far as these people not wearing filtration masks, having worked many OSHA and MSHA jobs, you refuse to wear dust mask your in trouble. Don’t think they absorbed the dust and pollutants through the skin, refusing common sense breathing protection is a whole lot like someone smoking Camels for years expecting us to pick up their med tab.
That’s the law in the fascist police state that we refer to as New York. Let’s change that before we go pointing fingers at good people.
I’ve worked union construction jobs. They’re disgusting from a taxpayer point of view. Triple cost, twice as long, with half the quality.
Really? How so. Please explain.
I don’t disagree with you on that.
Those directly involved have been compensated to the tune of Billions in the past. More money now is piling on.
I lost both people who were in the towers and a relative who was a retired firefighter who just happened to be there that morning. He died when tower 2 collapsed.
I am well aware of these political boondoggles and I haven’t said anything in favor of this one. I don’t like the lawyers (or politicians) who use this tragedy to their advantage either.
All I said was that you shouldn’t impugn people who sifted through rubble and human remains. Don’t make it out like they were there to just get a chunk of change. That’s insulting and it’s complete bullcrap.
I’ve backed up what I said with the original quote. I’ve been very clear on what I’m saying. Any more BS on this and you’ll be acting like one of the PDS crowd that neither one of us care for.
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