Thursday, April 3, 2008

Rep. Issa on Another 9/11 Government Handout

You’ve heard it a thousand times from conservative think tanks and tough no nonsense Republicans, especially during the election season, that government is to big and that Democrats only want to make people dependent on it’s liberal handouts.

I have often thought how cruel, immoral and inhumane it would be if this country were to take Social Security and Medicare away from senior citizens. It’s been a target of conservatives for years, and for years we have become desensitized to the horrific reality of such a draconian move.

Today, we have a new measure of ruthlessness to add to the list. May I introduce to you, San Diego Republican Rep. Darrell Issa who recently suggested the federal government had already done enough to help New York after 9/11 with "a fire" that "simply was an aircraft" hitting the World Trade Center.

The USA Today reported that “during a hearing about legislation to extend victims' benefits, Issa, a Republican, described the attacks on the World Trade Center as ‘a fire that had no dirty bomb in it, it had no chemical munitions in it. It simply was an aircraft, residue of two aircraft and residue of the material used to build this building.’ Issa said that he could not vote for additional compensation money for New York ‘if I can't see why it would be appropriate to do this every single time a similar situation happens which, quite frankly, includes any urban terrorist.."

Yea, we’re always looking for a hand out; something free paid for by those hard working Republicans. It’s crazy to think that a common everyday terrorist attack would bring out the bleeding heart first responders looking for a government handout.

Even fellow extremist Rep. Pete King, was offended. "It showed such a cavalier dismissal of what happened to New York. It's wrong and inexcusable."

Sorry Rep. King, you’re wrong. Its part of a party platform that many of us are finally fed up with.

Issa, who never took back his comments, said in a press release "I continue to support federal assistance for the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. I have to ask ... why the firefighters who went there and everybody in the city of New York needs to come to the federal government for the dollars versus this being primarily a state consideration."

Did you ever get the idea that Issa just doesn’t get it?

President Ronald Reagan is famous for vilifying the government by saying, "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help." Extrapolate that sentiment over many decades and you can see why Rep. Darrell Issa is merely carrying on Reagan’s callus legacy.

The next time a New York firefighter, with his family by his bedside praying he will somehow get better from a lung disease caused by inhaling toxic dust on 9/11, asks for our help paying his bills; mention those “nine most terrifying words.” He’ll get the message.

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