I have a feeling we won’t be reading any tweets or seeing any clumsy YouTube videos about Representative Rehberg’s latest embarrassing vote—a vote to protect the interests of foreign companies at the expense of first responders from 9/11:
The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2009, sponsored by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), would provide medical monitoring to those exposed to toxins at ground zero, bolster treatment at specialized centers for those afflicted by toxins on Sept. 11 and reopen a compensation fund to provide for the economic loss of victims.
And it’s all paid for by closing a tax loophole on foreign companies with U.S. subsidiaries, Democrats said.
What did the bill do? Just provide health care expenses for those who were exposed to toxic materials after 9/11:
The bill would have provided $3.2 billion over 10 years for health care costs for those who became sick after being exposed to toxic materials at the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It also would have provided an additional $4.2 billion in compensation for victims during the same period.
This is who Representative Rehberg is, someone who cares more about the interests of foreign multinationals than American working men and women who risked (and lost) their lives helping their neighbors in a crisis.
If he were capable of it, he’d be ashamed. If we vote him back into office, we should be.
How might Representative Rehberg’s decision to suddenly embrace litigation when it gives him the chance to sue and city and its firefighters impact you? Oh, just decreased safety and increased taxes because of insurance costs, says East Helena Fire Chief Bill Wegner:
Wegner added that if the Billings loses the case it would be an eye-opener for local departments. He says it is already tough to get people to step into the role of incident commander and with added pressure of litigation it could be even more difficult.
Drake commented "It’s demoralizing and it just takes a tremendous amount of time, people are afraid of the unknown of going in in front of attorneys and judges and juries and all that stuff. And it is not something that they are used to doing. so there is a burden on the volunteers yet again."
I’m still reeling from Senator Tester’s decision to work on balancing the budget on the backs of the unemployed, and now today, I learn that he supports the right of states to impose racial profiling schemes, the Flathead Beacon reports.
At a federal court hearing today, ACLU lawyer Omar Jadwat described the law:
"We are asking the court to block SB 1070 right now because if this discriminatory law went into effect for even one day, it would be one day too many. Any law that requires law enforcement to ask people they stop and suspect of being undocumented for their ‘papers’ violates the U.S. Constitution and the American values of fairness and equality. This law is a clear invitation for racial profiling, and we’re confident that the court will understand the importance of preventing it from ever taking effect."
The candidate I remember taking such a strong stand against the invasive Patriot Act would not only not be voting for this law; he would be denouncing it. I can’t understand how Senator Tester can justify his position on this vote, which is incredibly disappointing.
Something to keep in mind, Senator Tester. If they only other Democrats voting for something include Nelson, Baucus, and Lincoln, it’s probably a bad vote.
