AH! REPUBLICANS! GOT to love the douchery that dominates their acting!

BTW...where are the BILLIONS OF DOLLARS lost in Iraq by the Bush people?!

Hypocrites!

People, stop playing the victims. Both parties are just playing games, that's what politics it's all about.

Republicans won't vote for anything until the tax cuts for the rich pass - they made a public pledge for crying out loud! Meanwhile, Democrats wanted to put Republicans on the record, even though they knew they wouldn't vote for it.

Between the two of them, GOP is way worse because they are bent on not doing anything that could possibly be any good for this country while Obama is in office. They couldn't care less about working together. They make their demands and as soon as the Democrats concede something, they change their mind and don't vote for it anyway. Take Don't Ask Don't Tell and the Russia Arms Treaty as a prime example.

I'm sick and tired of this. It's ok to have different views, but not to deadlock and preach "compromise" when all it means is "you compromise, while I stand ground on this thing that's clearly not what the country needs right now".

What does me taking a government class have anything to do with what is right?

These people risked their lives and now their health is in serious danger. Fact is that people are STILL dying from this horrible event and it shouldnt be happening.

Jon Stewart, the dumbest comic faking the news.

this statement proves you are really, really humorless and a little slow in the head. Or, YOU A RETARD JERK! if that helps you understand better.

As much as I enjoyed Jon Stewart's rant, its not comedy.

Why is anyone assuming any federal money for first responders will be administered in any way by NY State or local government?
This bill is NOT sending a big check to Albany to do whatever they want and anyone who says so is lying.

Your workplace is easily enough discerned from your commentary.

Keep pumping that not-for-profit for that taxpayer cash, baby.

I'm cool with the fact that you are a conservative or Republican or whatever. Many of my friends are, and almost everybody leans right on some issues and left on others.

But seriously, the fact that you get so worked up here and rant away on your keyboard truly indicates that you are a retard.

Oh, it is time to play "look at certain elements of the Gothamist commentors waving their hands around & saying LOOK OVER THERE!"

The Republicans openly vote against 9-11 first responders & their core just bends over backwards putting their heads further in the sand, coming up with the lamest excuses for it.

which would have given $7.4 billion to Ground Zero first responders and their survivors.

The Democrats are simply playing politics with the GOP to make them out to be the racist, insensitive bad guys again. Jon Stewart has fallen into their trap. He used to be better at recognizing political games like this.

Democrats playing politics with ailing 9/11 responders
"In spite of fierce public opposition, the Democrats’ sizable House majority secured passage of President Barack Obama’s controversial overhaul of the nation’s health care system. But this same majority failed Friday in its efforts to create a popular multi-billion dollar health care fund for emergency responders affected by toxic dust and debris in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack."

Didn't Obama just fleece the American taxpayers again by promising a couple billion dollars to black farmers via the Pigford settlement?

No.
The settlement is like any other class action settlement, in which its cheaper to offer the group an amount, than go to court for decades for every individual lawsuit and still end up paying a fortune to a lucky few.
There was no question about this situation as sworn testimony to Congress did clearly show long-term and large-scale discrimination. You may not like it , but the evidence was bomb-proof.

You can claim that "Democrats" are playing politics, but Republicans are the ones who are claiming they won't vote for anything because they want the tax cut extensions issued first.

That kind of sounds much more like playing politics, "my way or nothing".

Either way, I haven't heard another good reason why Republicans voted this down, and politicians should be held responsible for their votes.

Wow! thousands of black farmers are put out of business, denied aid, or given higher interest loans for 70 years and 60 years after filing claims are finally being compensated. Hundreds of first responders are sickened and the Bush Administration denies they are sick. Now they are dying, but all you can do is play the blame game. So, so sad.

Do you actually read any of the news, commentaries and opinions about the Pigford settlement and now this 9/11 Compensation Act, or are you just another typical lazy American who reads headlines designed to pander to your immature, emotional side but you don't actually read the story or do any further research to try to understand what's going on and how the government is spending your tax money and ultimately fleecing the American public?

Here's one piece to start with-

"Why Anderson Cooper Botched the Billion Dollar Pigford Story."

I actually read and don't get my news from Pravda (I mean fox). There is an inclination to manufacture outrage and you buy right into it. You come across as very angry.

If people really think that ANYONE "didn't want to support sickened 9/11 first responders,” they are either showing their political ignorance, or bias.

So, where's the republican bill to do it "the right way"?

The GOP is trying to camouflage the fact that 9/11 happened under a Republican administration and a Republican President. It was a lapse in security under the Republicans that allowed 9/11 to happen. The GOP makes a lot of noise to keep people from remembering this.

I agree that the GOP doesn't want people to remember that this happened under a Republican president.

I also agree that Bush was warned, but I'm sure he gets hundreds of such reports a day, and it is nearly impossible to discern which piece of intel to act on. Let alone, then there's the question on whether or not it's up to Bush to respond. I mean, I would imagine if they had something to directly act on, it would be up to the FBI to take action on their own intel. The president isn't directing the FBI's every move.