GOP Stripped Flu Pandemic Preparedness From Stimulus

[BonnieJW]

Well, as it turns out, volcano monitoring wasn't the only worthwhile public safety program that was deemed extravagant in the stimulus package, funding for pandemic preparation was axed as well. And playing a critical role was Susan Collins -- for whom the necessity of obtaining her vote is in inverse proportion to the intelligence she shows in policy making:

Famously, Maine Senator Collins, the supposedly moderate Republican who demanded cuts in health care spending in exchange for her support of a watered-down version of the stimulus, fumed about the pandemic funding: "Does it belong in this bill? Should we have $870 million in this bill No, we should not."

Even now, Collins continues to use her official website to highlight the fact that she led the fight to strip the pandemic preparedness money out of the Senate's version of the stimulus measure.


Naturally, it's tough to keep an economy stimulated if productivity gets diminished by a pandemic. And, hey, it turns out that the lack of a stable and well-funded public health infrastructure may not be so good for economic recovery as a whole:

On Monday, the question began to be answered, as Associated Press reported -- under the headline: "World Markets Struck By Swine Flu Fears" -- that: "World stock markets fell Monday as investors worried that a deadly outbreak of swine flu in Mexico could go global and derail any global economic recovery."

Before U.S. markets opened, the Wall Street Journal reported: "U.S. stock futures fell sharply Monday as the outbreak of deadly swine flu stoked fears that a possible recovery in the global economy could be derailed."


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/27/gop-stripped-flu-pandemic_n_191732.html

[Warpy]

1. That's the GOP

Heads firmly up asses, waddling around and bumping into things, smashing them all.

Since they voted against it, they shouldn't have had any input, at all.

It's high time for our party to learn they need to be shoved aside until they pull their heads out and grow up a little.

[DebbieCDC]

2. How's that vote working out for ya now Susan?

"moderate" pukes are even worse than the rabid ones IMHO

[Egalitariat]

3. How much better prepared would we be today for the Swine Flu had it stayed in there?

nm

[NewJeffCT]

4. First they mock Volcano monitoring, and a volcano erupts days later - then,

they attack the Dems for spending on flu preparation,and get funding for flu prep stripped from the stimulus package. Weeks later, a possible flu epidemic breaks out.

If I was not an atheist, I might think it a message from God.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. and god saith, republicans are stupid

and do not genuflect to me, but to mamom?

:evilgrin:

[thereismore]

5. God hates republicans. First Jindal's volcanos, now this. nt

[NewJeffCT]

6. great minds think alike

see my post above...:P

[thereismore]

11. Yes! nt

[valerief]

7. "Swine flu? I don't got no swine flu. That's like taxes, for the little people."

Morons.

[frebrd]

8. This needs to be shouted from the rooftops! Now!

They're just incredibly disgusting!

[kestrel91316]

10. The GOP isn't in charge of the Senate. I refuse to give Dems, and particularly

Harry Reid, a pass on this. They CAVED to Republican pressure when they should have used their frickin' SPINES.