Tag Archives: Jon Stewart

Why don't we have any faith in congress? This is a perfect example of why we don't trust our elected officials, why there is no one else to turn to, and why our job demands everything from us without knowing if we or our families will be taken care of.

This latest news segment is about how legislators have imposed a caveat to 9/11 first responders who want to make health care claims via the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. These individuals will have to be cross-referenced on the terrorist watch list. Stewart makes some interesting comparisons to others who do not have to be cross-referenced on this list!

So many firefighters have been fighting for collective bargaining for years...and now that fight has swayed to keep collective bargaining for the ones who already have it. Now our pensions are under attack. Our pensions, and our salaries are being scapegoated as the reason for budget deficits. We are the problem according to some.

Obama signed the bill during his Hawaiian vacation, with no signing ceremony held. In a statement issued later, the president said he was "honored" to sign the bill, which pays for health care for responders believed to have been sickened by pollution at the ruins of the World Trade Center in New York.

IAFF General President Harold Shaitberger weighs in on the Holidays, the passage of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, and the Recent LODD's in Chicago.

There is speculation on why it passed through the Senate after having been shot down just days ago. Some people think it might have something to do with The Daily Show's Jon Stewart's hilarious political jabs at the Republicans who filibustered the bill. It really makes you wonder what the catalyst was. After all, the bill was rewritten removing over $2 billion in cost. Republicans have caught a bad rap on the whole deal...maybe they realized how damaging the bad press could get. Then again, maybe the nay sayers just did the right thing...we may never know.

The other day, I posted Jon Stewart's Lame as F@#k Congress. The feature on the Daily Show was an eye opener for many and focused on the Republicans who killed the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. The show below shows four 9/11 First Responders giving their thoughts on the Filibuster by Republicans.

Who better to explain what happened and expose the GOP leaders who continue to utilize 9/11 to seem compassionate all the while not giving a damn about the first responders who worked at Ground Zero than Jon Stewart on the Daily Show. Even if this is Political humor, the humor is typically not to far from the truth. The House bill passed at 268 to 160 (17 Republicans voting for the bill and 157 against). Only 3 Democrats voted against the House Bill. The Senate bill failed. The vote was 57-42, short of the 60 votes in favor needed to proceed under Senate rules.