Coonsey’s World

GOP Stripped Flu Pandemic Preparedness

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.

While I understand where my fellow Democrats and Independents are going with this bit of news, I think they are being unfair attacking Senator Collins on this.

Without Senator Collins we wouldn’t have had any stimulus bill passed, let alone money for the flu pandemic.  We should be thanking her instead of criticizing her.

If the flu pandemic gets worse I’m sure Congress and the President will come up with emergency funds for the States that need it.

If anybody is to blame for the lack of a safety net for America, it is the Republican Party for not sitting down and agreeing with the stimulus bill and funding for both the volcano eruptions and now the flu crisis in the first place.

If we survive this whole economic, energy, education, two wars, volcano eruptions and now a flu pandemic mess, President Barack Obama and his administration along with the Democratic Party should all be commended.