Quote Originally Posted by Psychoblues View Post
These people have feelings and lives as Americans. What is wrong with American recognition of them?


BY BILL EGBERT
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Monday, January 28th 2008, 4:00 AM

When President Bush delivers his final State of the Union speech Monday night, in the gallery of the House chamber will be Ground Zero workers who have been ill since just a few months after his first.

"This will be my third State of the Union in a row I've gone to," said Queens paramedic Marvin Bethea, who will attend as a guest of the New York City congressional delegation.

"I'm fed up with how we're treated," said Bethea, saying he now takes 12 medications daily and still has trouble getting adequate health care. "They went from calling us heroes to treating us like zeros."

Ground Zero volunteer John Feal was even more blunt in skewering the White House.

"You got $3 billion a month to kill people," Feal said. "You got $3 billion a year for health care."

On the eve of Bush's speech, 9/11 responders, union leaders and elected officials gathered at Ground Zero Sunday to blast the White House for recently yanking a contract for ailing 9/11-responder care.

"They just don't want to spend the money," said Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-Manhattan), whose district includes Ground Zero. "They'd rather see these people die."

The contract would have expanded the spending caps for the six local clinics treating and tracking ill first responders, as well as establish an office to handle Ground Zero claims from across the country, using $108 million already appropriated by Congress.

More: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008...ident_bus.html

Like many of our military Veterans, we tend to forget or discount them. How about Americans taking care of Americans?
The fact that we do not take adequate care of our veterans is a travesty, no doubt. It is up to us as citizens to keep the stew on the fire and maintain people's awareness.

911 responders chose a profession that would possibly place them in harms way. Having dome so they should realize that it would be possible that if injured they may not be made completely "whole" again. It is true that some are not properly cared for and that is a shame but still, they chose the profession. As did soldiers in volunteer times. As for Vietnam vets, it is pitiful the way our country treated them. Not just our inadequate VA system but our people. We should forever be ashamed of the way we treated our Vietnam Vets and never let ourselves forget it.

I probably overdue it when I get started on this subject but I think it to be nothing than an absolute insult to the American fighting soldier to disrespect the service of just one. You might as well walk up and take a piss on the unknown soldier's grave.

The issue shouldn't really be about money. We have plenty of resources to tend to their needs and we know it. We could also blame doctors, frivolous law suits and many other culprits as a reason why there is not enough money to go around. We could blame welfare theives, tax cheats and others.

My solution would be to stop being the world's police officer and by virtue of this alone you would begin to kill off the problem of too many soldiers in need of care that was not adequately provided.

I can't say I would know what to do about the First Responders. They are going to be in harms way. They know that when they start.

Good article, good thread. I must spread some rep around before I can rep it.