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| Teamsters removing debris from Ground Zero. |
This is why people hate Washington. Mark Kirk, a Republican congressman from Illinois, ran this year for U.S. Senator. He promised -- got that? PROMISED -- he would vote for the James Zadroga Act, which pays to treat workers (including Teamsters) injured by the toxic dust at Ground Zero.
You know what happens next. Kirk didn't vote for the bill. Steve Benen at Political Animal writes,
Apparently, the problem wasn't with the legislation itself, but rather, with Kirk's priorities -- he helped block the 9/11 health bill because he's blocking everything until Republicans secure the tax cuts they want for the wealthy. Just so we're clear here, Mark Kirk promised to support legislation to provide health care to 9/11 rescue workers, and then went back on his word, and wouldn't even give the bill an up-or-down vote, because he thinks tax breaks for millionaires are more important.New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg sounded disgusted. He said in a statement
The attacks of 9/11 were attacks on America, and we have a collective responsibility to care for the heroes, from all 50 states, who answered the call of duty, saved lives and helped our nation recover.
