I find it interesting these days to watch the way the US Congress moves as it heads to the final weeks before the so called mid term elections. Many pundits claim the Democrats will win back the House and Senate or at least one, but it changes so often, one wonders a little about not just the American Voter but the pundits too. I suppose they also have their agenda, which is to sell advertising on the news organizations. Be nice if for a change the media simply reported the News instead of attempting to play politics themselves.
So up here we have $10 million being spent on public hearings on health care and down in the USA the Congress is attempting to spread the money more evenly among states for AIDS care. In fact the so called Ryan White amendment will include those with HIV and not just those with full blown AIDS, but the kicker is that it is about giving more to states like Alabama than say New York State. Hence it is being stalled.
The Ryan White amendments, the first since 2000, make a number of changes aiming to spread money more equally around the country.
While current law only counts patients with full-blown AIDS, the revision also would count patients with the HIV virus who have not developed AIDS. That change would favor parts of the country where the disease is a newer phenomenon, which tend to be Southern and rural areas.
As a result, New York state stands to lose $100 million over the five years of the bill. New Jersey would lose $70 million.
Alabama, by contrast, would get an increase from $11 million a year to about $18 million a year. ( full story )
I suppose what I find hard to swallow is the priorities of the Congress. Just this week they approved a bill giving the Military every nickle it requested for its war on Terror in Iraq. Billions of dollars actually, and it isn’t even the final dollar amount yet either as the war drags on. Yet for something that will save lives, or at least prolong it, they are stalling the bill’s passage because some state representatives are losing out for their state.
Talked about mixed up priorities!
Seems to me that if this bill allows for more money for states that have been short changed already and address those shortfalls, that it should sail on through. Odd too that adding more money to the bill would solve everyone’s problem and yet they can’t do that. They can add Billions for Iraq but not for their own citizens.
Does that make sense to anyone?
Sure I know you are in a War, and yes you need to keep those troops supplied, but frankly if you couldn’t afford the war, you shouldn’t have gone in, in the first place. Yeah I know too late for hindsight, and yet as things get more difficult in Iraq, what else will suffer back in the States? AID for Katrina victims still is languishing and I won’t even mention the hundreds of millions FEMA spent on trailers that it is STILL NOT USING, or that they are willing to spend billions for AMNESTY for ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS but won’t add a few palty dollars to help those wtih AIDS and HIV.
But then it shouldn’t surprise me, after all AIDS and HIV is GOD’s revenge on us gay sinners, or so BUsh and his supporters claim.
Somehow it just seems that the priorities are backwards. Money spending needs to be done without politics. Those larger states who stand to lose, are willing to deny aid to those other states because in this election year, its one pork barrel they can’t lay claim to. Absolutely unreal.
I always thought a Politicians obligation was to the people, not to special interests or grand standing.
