Compromising with crazy is never one's first choice, but if it means that we will be moving our country forward then I guess my question would be, "why not?" Many people are outraged about President Obama's compromise with the Republicans, especially the Democrats in the House who say that they will do everything they can to block it. My advice to these House Democrats would be that they need to be careful. The Republicans are the obstructionists, but if they stand in the way of a deal that would prevent a tax hike, extend unemployment benefits, aid college students etc. they may become viewed as those who are obstructing the path. Once this measure is passed, the Republicans claim that they will no longer stand in the way of important issues.
So, what kind of important issues am I talking about? Just days ago the Senate voted on a bill that would provide money for medical aid to those who risked their lives attempting to rescue people from the World Trade Center on 9/11. Many of these rescue workers still face health problems because of the environment to which they were subjected. Personally, I believe anyone who risked their life and sacrificed their health in an attempt to save others on that terrible day in history should be taken care of by our government. The men and women who suffered should not have to worry about medical expenses, their service and sacrifice for our country should be sufficient payment. Moving on, the bill did not pass. I suppose one's initial question is "how could a bill such as this not pass? Who would not vote for it?" Not surprisingly, it was blocked by the Republicans in the Senate. The measure failed with a 57-42 vote, 41 Republicans voted against the bill. The 42nd "no" vote came from Senate Harry Reid, who changed his vote to "no" at the last minute which allows him to bring the measure up again for another vote. I'll say it again in case you missed it; the Senate Republicans unanimously voted against this bill. How could anyone be this cold and heartless? I guess it's easy to forget about others when you're rich and your healthcare has been subsidized by the government.
Why did the Republicans vote against helping those who risked their lives? That question is easy to answer. The Republicans signed a letter saying that they wouldn't support any legislation until the tax issue resolved. Wow...this all comes down to tax cuts for the millionaires and billionaires. The lives of real American heroes are less important than the bank accounts of the rich. Of course, the Republicans tried to play this off by suggesting that they didn't know how we could pay for this. Well, I have a suggestion. How about we allow the tax cuts for the rich to expire and take the billions we would save and use that to pay for these 9/11 workers health care. Honestly, I cannot fathom how anyone can look at those who suffered on that day and say "you're less important to me than the wealthy" or "I know you're sick, but suck it up, it was your American duty and we're not going to spend any money to help you." This is a sad and disgusting situation that shows exactly what the Republican are and who they care about.
This is just one example of why President Obama is willing to compromise. Negotiating with idiots isn't ideal, nor is giving ineffective wasteful tax cuts for the wealthy, but if it means that it will move the Republicans out of the way so that we can begin to move our country forward and help our citizens, then I'm all for it.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40595276/ns/politics-capitol_hill/
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