I think it's clear that Republicans love New York. After 9/11, they purchased those t-shirts that say, "I heart New York." If that's not enough evidence for you, Toby Keith wrote a song about the Statue of Liberty (located in New York), who shook her fist at terr'rists and put a boot in their ass and God knows what else. Republicans stopped calling us "latte-sipping, Prius-driving, tax-and-spending, God-hating, homosexual New York City liberals" and started calling us "latte-sipping, Prius-driving, tax-and-spending, God-hating, homosexual Massachussetts liberals" instead. Bush has been bringing up New York City (or at least, what happened to it on 9/11) every other sentence for the past four years. And hell, the Republicans even had their National Convention in the city that they love.
(more on the flip)
But while Republicans love New York in general, they love the 9/11 heroes specifically. The police officers, firefighters, paramedics, nurses, doctors, search-and-rescue personnel, etc. The ones who rushed to Ground Zero to help their fellow Americans in a crisis. But Republicans have a strange way of showing their love.
Lawmakers say New York to lose 9/11 aid for sick workers
WASHINGTON - Congressional budget negotiators have decided to take back $125 million in Sept. 11 aid from New York, which had fought to keep the money to treat sick and injured ground zero workers, lawmakers said Tuesday.
New York's elected officials had sought for months to hold onto the funding, originally aimed to pay for workers compensation costs stemming from the 2001 terrorist attacks.
Basically, it's like this: Terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in New York. Heroic men and women put their lives on the line and rushed to the scene to rescue people while Bush was in a Florida classroom pissing himself. While these heroes are rescuing people, they are breathing toxic debris, dust, and smoke in the air. They are also witnessing horrors that most people will never have to face in their entire lives. A few days later, Bush climbs on top of the massive gravesite, says a few platitudes into a megaphone, and is adored for it. While he flies back to Washington, construction workers, contractors, and other laborers continue working in the smoldering debris.
Now, many are experiencing respiratory and mental health problems, among other concerns, and many more probably will as the years march on. The response from Bush and the House Republicans? Go Fuck Yourselves, New York Heroes.
The tug-of-war over the $125 million began earlier this year when the White House proposed taking the money back because it had yet to be spent by the state.
New York protested vehemently, saying the money was part of a crucial pledge of $20 billion made by President Bush to help rebuild after the Sept. 11 attacks. Health advocates said the money is needed to treat current and future illnesses among ground zero workers.
It's difficult for Republicans to understand the concept of not spending every last dime this second. The Republicans are many things ("motherfuckers" springs to mind), but "farsighted" isn't one of them. So the idea that New York would actually hold on to some of that money for a while to use on "future illnesses among ground zero workers" is just beyond the pale.
Gee, the next thing you know, the Republicans will be cutting funding to police and fire departments, slashing interagency communications initiatives that would have saved lives on 9/11, or sending soldiers to war without the appropriate body armor.