The Selfishness of Republican Polticis Apparently Knowns No Bounds

The Republicans are trying to block a senate version of a house bill that would give compensation to rescue workers who suffer long-term health effects from their work on 9/11. This should come as no surprise, for the Republican party has shown, since Obama's election, that its primary concern is not with the wellfare of the United States, but with preventing the president and the Democrats from succeeding with anything on their agenda, lest they actually have tangible achievments to show the American public come election day.

Exhibit A: Preventing the extension of unemployment benefits and comprehensive economic stimulus, despite overwhelming evidence from economists of all stripes that unemployment benefits are among the most stimulative ways to spend government money, and that stimulus is needed
Exhibit B: Republicans who used to support certain policies pre-Obama, started opposing those very policies the minute they came on the Obama agenda
Exhibit C: Trying to un-do regulations passed in response to the economic crisis, meant to prevent abuses by Wall Street, and to protect home-owners
Exhibit D: Insisting on tax-cuts for the wealthy, despite the huge budget deficit and the fact that tax-cuts are ranked as one of the least stimulative way for a government to spend money (or, as the case may be, prevent itself from earning income - for more information, see the various writings of Joseph Stiglitz)

This move by the Republicans however, may be the most disgusting of all. It speaks of an absence of common human decency or any type of Patriotism - this from a party that accuses Obama of not being a real American (whether literally or metaphorically) and presents itself as the patriotic savior of America, magically able to solve all security and military problems, while scouring off the scourge of "illegal aliens" and "un-American" values - apparently, objecting to gay marriage is more American than caring about the lives of American policemen and firemen, and providing them with medical services.

But the blame can not be placed solely on the Republicans' shoulders; The Democrats too, have failed. First of all, Carolyn Maloney was right when she said that the Democrats should have insisted that provisions for 9/11 first responders be included in the tax-cut bill, since the Republicans would not dare oppose tax-cuts, especially when supporting tax-cuts is such a big part of their platform and a major way of attracting voters.

But second of all, the Democrats might propose sensible policies, but they have proved ineffective at playing the game of politics in order to get those policies passed. Voters have every right to be disappointed with the Democrats' ineffectiveness, and unless the Democrats learn how to be more skilled at political manuevering, they are in for an unpleasant wakeup call come 2010. Hopefully, the results of the most recent election will shock them to their senses - yet, so far, if the results of their attempts to pass the 9/11 workmen's health bill is any measure, this hope is ill-placed.