GOP Stripped Flu Pandemic Preparedness From Stimulus

GOP Stripped Flu Pandemic Preparedness From Stimulus

www.huffingtonpost.com

Remember way back in the day, President Obama delivered his Not Really The State Of The Union address, and the GOP trotted out Future Of The Republican Party Supra-Genius Bobbly Jindal to provide a rebuttal? Well, we all had some laughs, didn't we? Mainly because Jindal was all: "They want to spend stimulus money on volcano monitoring? Why everyone knows that the Hill Witch keeps tabs on our volcanoes by floating chicken bones in her own intestinal ichor!" And then Alaska's Mount Redoubt erupted, suggesting there might be something to this "let's monitor volcanoes with government-funded science" idea.

Well, as it turns out, volcano monitoring wasn't the only worthwhile public safety program that was deemed extravagant in the stimulus package, funding for pandemic preparation was axed as well. And playing a critical role was Susan Collins -- for whom the necessity of obtaining her vote is in inverse proportion to the intelligence she shows in policy making:

Famously, Maine Senator Collins, the supposedly moderate Republican who demanded cuts in health care spending in exchange for her support of a watered-down version of the stimulus, fumed about the pandemic funding: "Does it belong in this bill? Should we have $870 million in this bill No, we should not."

(visit the link for the full news article)



[edit on 27-4-2009 by grover]

SIGH!!!

Now first off I personally think that everybody is overreacting to this flu out break... with 103 deaths out of 1600 reported is not a global disaster... especially when all the cases reported outside of Mexico are milder.

Still there are certain things like earthquake and volcano and/or tusmami monitoring... and pandemic preparedness that shouldn't even open to discussion...

I mean come on people... this is absurd.

www.huffingtonpost.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Hey, not all viruses are equal

Apparently, GOP leaders are all for prevention of spreading viruses far more dangerous, like:

JWNAG (Jesus was not a God, A.K.A. Islam)

TING (there is no God A.K.A. Atheism)

FHC (Free Health Care A.K.A. "socialism").

Allowing things to reach critical mass is the very reason they lost the elections.

I wonder when "country first" party will finally become worthy of that phrase and look beyond their own interests ?

Of course these Senators could care less about pandemic preparedness, they know full well they and their families will be cared for and taken to a safe place in the event of some disastrous event. So now the money spent on this is going to come from already overtaxed budgets.

Ah, leadership, what a great thing in the Good old, US of A.

Its just one more example of extreme shortsightedness on their part.

Are there things in the stimulus package that could have been cut instead?

Of course there were but repeatedly I have seen the GOP object over the years to common sense things like public health or educational concerns that I simply have to shake my head in wonderment.

reply to post by grover



Yea I hate it when politicians do that.

This is as bad as the Democratic majority Congress voting a spending bill so that the troops can get the equipment they needed.

Makes you want to shake your head in shame doesn't it?

I am truly not surprised. Everytime politicians axe something that's of great use, it always comes back to bite them in the *snip*.

Good job Government, now what are we gonna do?

~Keeper

I thought stimulus was to provide jobs to the private sector on an immediate basis. We have a CDC to prepare for such things as a pandemic, already staffed, sitting on the sidelines waiting for the opportunity, if not creating the opportunity, to make themselves useful.
The foul peanut products were not that long ago, and many more people were sickened in a shorter time, than this "outbreak". How long did the CDC monitor the situation before issuing a statement? How many people became ill, including the children?
And let's not even get into the recalls for hamburger, lettuce, spinach, strawberries...

No, this money did not belong in a "stimulus" bill, but this outvreak was generated to show that it should be... I call BULLFECES!