Fifty-five million dollars is a lot to the average person but not much at all when we are talking about helping the brave men and women that worked on the pile after September 11th. The Senate voted to add that sum to the $50 million already appropriated. Sure, its great to have any money at all, but is that the way we should treat our heroes?
From The Daily News:
The measure encourages the development of long-term solutions to screen and treat everyone affected by the post-9/11 risks.
Health problems suffered by the thousands who were affected range from asthma to posttraumatic stress.
"The message of this vote is clear," said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). "America is here for you in your time of need."
That message sounds very un-clear to me. When we are talking about settling lawsuits in the billion dollar range, $55 or $105 million just isn't that much. That billion dollar lawsuit wouldn't even cover all the costs that these heroes-turned-victims endure on a monthly basis. With a war that will cost at least $2.4 TRILLION dollars, why can we not spare the one or two billion that these people need to get by?
And another thing, will George Bush even sign that bill for $55 million?
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