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Jon Stewart chokes up, gives angry speech to Congress


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10 minutes ago, sblfilms said:

I’m just confused by this because in 2015 congress extended the first responders bill coverage to 2090.

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Back in 2010, 157 Republicans, including Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan and now Vice President Mike Pence, voted against the Zadroga Act, which aimed to provide health care and compensation to the first responders of the 9/11 terror attacks. Nonetheless, the bill overcame Republican opposition and was passed in December 2010 and subsequently renewed in 2015, as well as extended coverage until 2090.

But now, just four years later, the funding is running out.

Jon Stewart, former host of “The Daily Show,” has stepped up in support of the first responders’ health care, just as he did in 2010 and again in 2015. In a press conference last week, Stewart said it was “beyond [his] comprehension” why first responders are having to fight for their health care to be funded for the third time.

It should be beyond everyone’s comprehension. It is senseless. This behavior from our so-called leaders in the nation’s capital is embarrassing, callous and sub-human.

As the richest country in the world, this should not be that complicated. Take care of those who risked their lives on one of the most important days in American history. This is a no-brainer.

It is absolutely mind-numbing that Congress has not figured out how to do this yet. They can figure out how to jam a wildly unpopular tax cut for the wealthy down our throats. But when it comes to funding health care for our ailing heroes, they just cannot figure it out. The political savvy somehow eludes them. It is pathetic and it is a disgrace.

https://centralrecorder.org/62945/opinion/give-9-11-first-responders-the-care-they-deserve/

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I did some further reading, and it’s not the healthcare portion of the Zadroga act that is at issue, it is the victims compensation fund that was given an additional five years of funding that is already close to empty.

 

If you want to read a sad book, read What is Life Worth by Kenneth Feinberg. He’s the guy who was given the task of administering the original VCF.

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9 minutes ago, SilentWorld said:

What’s the significance of the picture?

Four guys came on to petition for help in getting healthcare coverage from the government, only one came back a few years later because the other three died of various health issues.

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https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/house-judiciary-committee-moves-911-compensation-bill-house/story?id=63658076

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The bipartisan proposal is H.R. 1327, the “Never Forget the Heroes: Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act."

The bill, if passed into law, would extended funding for the Victim Compensation Fund until 2090, in order to, according to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Nadler, “give all those affected by the 9/11 attacks the health care they need for as long as they need it”, and will reverse any cuts to funding that have already been made.

After what chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y. recalled as “difficult and often heartbreaking testimony” from the witnesses, the bill was moved to the House with no opposition.

 

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I believe from reading the book that the VCF only applies to those who were killed in the attack, and later moved including this one were about expanding the scope of “killed in the attack” to include deaths related to illnesses caused by exposure to toxic dust clouds, as well as including healthcare and other monetary losses for people who did not die but were affected by injuries suffered as a result of the attack.

 

This was the right decision. 9/11 was an attack on America and we should collectively shoulder the burden of caring for those who were directly affected by it. The cynical “it’s a New York issue” takes are beyond the pale.

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4 hours ago, sblfilms said:

I believe from reading the book that the VCF only applies to those who were killed in the attack, and later moved including this one were about expanding the scope of “killed in the attack” to include deaths related to illnesses caused by exposure to toxic dust clouds, as well as including healthcare and other monetary losses for people who did not die but were affected by injuries suffered as a result of the attack.

 

This was the right decision. 9/11 was an attack on America and we should collectively shoulder the burden of caring for those who were directly affected by it. The cynical “it’s a New York issue” takes are beyond the pale.

 

The compensation fund I get the need for, but the fact that a healthcare fund is needed is crazy and says a lot of about our screwed up healthcare system. 

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One of the people who advocated with Jon for 9/11 first responders bills died in 2017. Stewart gave his eulogy.

 

The late man's firefighter jacket was put up for auction, and someone outbid three others to buy it so it could be given to Jon Stewart.

 

 

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Asking Jon Stewart to target you because you're a major personal impediment to getting 9/11 first responders vital care is basically asking for something bad to happen. Few people are as articulate, knowledgeable, passionate, and downright angry about a problem that would resonate across any partisan divide. 

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40 minutes ago, sexy_shapiro said:

 

Remember when Donald Trump announced his candidacy and Jon Stewart celebrated it on his show? That sure aged well.

 

I don't really begrudge him that. At the time, just about everyone thought he was a joke.

 

If you want to rag on a late night host about Trump, I really enjoy Colbert, but he should be ashamed of that interview he did with Trump in the Fall of '15.

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6 minutes ago, Chairslinger said:

 

I don't really begrudge him that. At the time, just about everyone thought he was a joke.

 

If you want to rag on a late night host about Trump, I really enjoy Colbert, but he should be ashamed of that interview he did with Trump in the Fall of '15.

 

Fallon deserves worse for that "petting Trump on the head to see if the hair is real" shit he did.

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8 minutes ago, MarSolo said:

 

Fallon deserves worse for that "petting Trump on the head to see if the hair is real" shit he did.

 

 

To be disappointed in Fallon, I would have to give literally the barest shred of a damn that he exists. So that isn't happening.

 

I blame Colbert because he should have known better.

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3 hours ago, sexy_shapiro said:

 

Remember when Donald Trump announced his candidacy and Jon Stewart celebrated it on his show? That sure aged well.

 

I don’t recall him saying much about it other than something like “tempt me all you want, but I’m still leaving in a month”. Jon Oliver is the one that certainly celebrated it, though. He even brought it up recently and somewhat apologized.

 

All the late night hosts and pundits did it, though (laughed at Trump)

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