I have to always ask myself why we look to our first responders to protect us and give us a sense of safety, especially during hard times. On 9/11, we looked to the first responders of New York, Pennsylvania, and those of Virginia to take care of the wounded and to save those who were trapped in the burning wreckage of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
They were a beacon of the exceptional spirit of America, a beacon that we all come together in hard times.
They were a beacon of safety, as they were the people who saved countless lives and prevented the death toll from surpassing 3,000.
Finally, and probably most strikingly, they were a beacon of hope, a beacon that no matter what happens, America will remain resilient because of the bravery of our men and women in uniforms of all kinds.
However, whenever there's a budget problem, they're the first people we choose to trample. I'll give you an example in the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. Our first responders on 9/11 incurred several health conditions with regards to the dust inhaled, especially at Ground Zero. In late 2010, during the lame duck session of Congress, this bill was left hanging for passage to provide health care and compensation to those first responders.
The republicans in Congress held up this bill, as well as other bills, for the sake of preserving tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans.
They held this bill hostage, and called the tax increase that paid for it fundamentally flawed. Right, because closing tax loopholes to pay for a bill is wrong. We should have taken a page from the Bush administration and not funded our obligations, right? However, President Obama acceded and extended the Bush tax cuts to allow this bill to pass, along with the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".
Of course, even now, for the sake of preserving tax breaks for the richest Americans, we are throwing more of our debt burden onto the backs of necessary government services that we take for granted. Examples include firefighters, teachers and those in the FBI. Things like air traffic control, essential services that we need, are getting a 9 percent across-the-board cut.
Why?
Because this cut was considered so tragic that it would force Congress to come to a compromise. But now they're okay with coming to these cuts?
Austerity will not help our economic recovery. It will screw us.
There is a need to be smart about spending cuts, entitlement reforms and removal of targeted tax loopholes for oil companies, corporate jets, summer homes, etc.
This balanced approach proposed by President Obama would reduce the deficit by the same amount without the catastrophic economic crash that would come from cutting government spending so indiscriminately.
Why am I sure that this is wrong?
Because after the huge fight about the Zadroga bill, after the republicans finally agreed to a lower amount of money to fund these programs for the heroes of 9/11 (programs that don't even fund cancer, might I add).
The sequester slashes $200 million from these funds.
Every member of our government should be ashamed of this calamity that they perpetrated on us.
I know I am.
Vijay Reddy is an Alumnus from Emory University from Fayetteville, Ga.
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