Congressional Short Sightedness Mistakes Swine Flu For Pork.

[Harvey]

Republican Senator, Susan Collins was the primary cause, but she wasn't alone in cutting the funding. Democrats working out the "compromise" caved under the threat of a Republican filibuster. Looks like what they compromised was public safety. From the Christian Science Monitor:

Swine flu as pork: Congress cut flu money from stimulus bill

Obama wanted $850 million for pandemic preparedness. Congress said no.

Washington

The spread of the swine flu is casting new light on a compromise deal to cut $850 million in pandemic preparedness from the Obama administration?s economic recovery package.

In February, when a bipartisan group of Senate negotiators wanted to lop $110 billion off President Obama?s plan, the move generated little controversy: Pandemic preparedness was not seen to be a matter of economic stimulus.

But as cases of swine flu mount in Mexico and the United States, critics ? such as a blogger for The Nation ? are calling the move shortsighted. An outbreak similar to the one that hit the US in 1918 could result in a 1 to 4 percent decline in US gross domestic product, according to a 2006 report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Those involved with proposing the cut have found themselves on the defensive, particularly Sen. Susan Collins (R) of Maine. She negotiated cutting pandemic preparedness funding from the stimulus plan as part of a compromise deal.

But she was hardly alone in singling out pandemic preparedness as unnecessary back in February. Democrats were fighting for every vote they could muster to pass the president?s economic recovery plan. In a bid to rally more GOP votes for the plan, Sen. Charles Schumer (D) of New York reminded reporters before the Feb. 10 vote that that ?all those little porky things that the House put in,? including money for the flu pandemic, were out.

Senator Collins was one of the three Republican swing votes that helped the $779 billion stimulus package narrowly avoid a Senate filibuster.

Senator Collins was one of the three Republican swing votes that helped the $779 billion stimulus package narrowly avoid a Senate filibuster.

Monday, she circulated a Dec. 10, 2008, letter showing she supported a $905 million increase in spending on biological terrorist attacks and pandemic preparedness.

?During negotiations of the economic stimulus package, Senator Collins always maintained that, though very worthwhile, pandemic flu research funding should go through the regular appropriations process since it did not meet the test of stimulus spending,? said spokesman Kevin Kelley in a statement.

On Wednesday, the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on ?Swine Flu: Coordinating the federal response.? The panel is chaired by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I) of Connecticut; Collins is the ranking Republican.

The Omnibus appropriations bill signed into law in March contains $156 million for pandemic influenza research.

Senator Collins' statement on her own Senate website][/l]:

GOP Wields More Influence Over the Stimulus Bill - The Wall Street Journal
Maine Sen. Collins Leads Group of Moderates Seeking to Trim Package to $700 Billion or Less; Obama Calls for Quick Action

February 5, 2009
.
.
After meeting with Mr. Obama, Sen. Collins expressed concern about a number of spending provisions, including $780 million for pandemic-flu preparedness. "I have no doubt that the president is willing to negotiate in good faith, that he wants to have a bipartisan bill," Sen. Collins said.

Add this to the list of short sighted Republican demands. It wasn't that long ago that Republican governor, Bobby Jindal was laughing at funding for monitoring volcanoes... just before the Vulcan deities reminded him of his idiocy when Alaska's Mount Redoubt erupted.

 

[Fear No Evil]

Originally posted by: Harvey
Republican Senator, Susan Collins was the primary cause, but she wasn't alone in cutting the funding. Democrats working out the "compromise" caved under the threat of a Republican filibuster. Looks like what they compromised was public safety. From the Christian Science Monitor:

Swine flu as pork: Congress cut flu money from stimulus bill

Obama wanted $850 million for pandemic preparedness. Congress said no.

Washington

The spread of the swine flu is casting new light on a compromise deal to cut $850 million in pandemic preparedness from the Obama administration?s economic recovery package.

In February, when a bipartisan group of Senate negotiators wanted to lop $110 billion off President Obama?s plan, the move generated little controversy: Pandemic preparedness was not seen to be a matter of economic stimulus.

But as cases of swine flu mount in Mexico and the United States, critics ? such as a blogger for The Nation ? are calling the move shortsighted. An outbreak similar to the one that hit the US in 1918 could result in a 1 to 4 percent decline in US gross domestic product, according to a 2006 report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Those involved with proposing the cut have found themselves on the defensive, particularly Sen. Susan Collins (R) of Maine. She negotiated cutting pandemic preparedness funding from the stimulus plan as part of a compromise deal.

But she was hardly alone in singling out pandemic preparedness as unnecessary back in February. Democrats were fighting for every vote they could muster to pass the president?s economic recovery plan. In a bid to rally more GOP votes for the plan, Sen. Charles Schumer (D) of New York reminded reporters before the Feb. 10 vote that that ?all those little porky things that the House put in,? including money for the flu pandemic, were out.

Senator Collins was one of the three Republican swing votes that helped the $779 billion stimulus package narrowly avoid a Senate filibuster.

Senator Collins was one of the three Republican swing votes that helped the $779 billion stimulus package narrowly avoid a Senate filibuster.

Monday, she circulated a Dec. 10, 2008, letter showing she supported a $905 million increase in spending on biological terrorist attacks and pandemic preparedness.

?During negotiations of the economic stimulus package, Senator Collins always maintained that, though very worthwhile, pandemic flu research funding should go through the regular appropriations process since it did not meet the test of stimulus spending,? said spokesman Kevin Kelley in a statement.

On Wednesday, the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on ?Swine Flu: Coordinating the federal response.? The panel is chaired by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I) of Connecticut; Collins is the ranking Republican.

The Omnibus appropriations bill signed into law in March contains $156 million for pandemic influenza research.

Add this to the list of short sighted Republican demands. It wasn't that long ago that Republican governor, Bobbly Jindal was laughing at funding for monitoring volcanoes... just before the Vulcan deities reminded him of his idiocy when Alaska's Mount Redoubt erupted.

This _IS_ pork.. the 850 million should be put toward something actually useful if we HAVE to spend it.. cancer research, heart disease, etc.. If we spent 100's of millions of dollars on everything that killed people we would be spending 100 trillion a year. Besides, how would spending 156 million in March have prevented this? It wouldn't have..

Try again..

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: Fear No Evil

This _IS_ pork.. the 850 million should be put toward something actually useful if we HAVE to spend it.. cancer research, heart disease, etc.

They didn't reduce funding for it. They cut it. Please tell us what make you an expert on how much could or should have been allocated for a health emergency they ignored that has now actually come to haunt us a couple of months later.

One of your uber heros, Karl Rove had his grubby hands all over this

GOP Know-Nothings Fought Pandemic Preparedness

When House Appropriations Committee chairman David Obey, the Wisconsin Democrat who has long championed investment in pandemic preparation, included roughly $900 million for that purpose in this year's emergency stimulus bill, he was ridiculed by conservative operatives and congressional Republicans.

Obey and other advocates for the spending argued, correctly, that a pandemic hitting in the midst of an economic downturn could turn a recession into something far worse -- with workers ordered to remain in their homes, workplaces shuttered to avoid the spread of disease, transportation systems grinding to a halt and demand for emergency services and public health interventions skyrocketing. Indeed, they suggested, pandemic preparation was essential to any responsible plan for renewing the U.S. economy.

But former White House political czar Karl Rove and key congressional Republicans -- led by Maine Senator Susan Collins -- aggressively attacked the notion that there was a connection between pandemic preparation and economic recovery.

Now, as the World Health Organization says a deadly swine flu outbreak that apparently began in Mexico but has spread to the United States has the potential to develop into a pandemic, Obey's attempt to secure the money seems eerily prescient.
.
.
(continues)

 

[Sacrilege]

Tough Guy Secessionist Rick Parry Asks for Federal Medicine to Combat Swine Flu

Net-tax-money-receiver Texas thought they didn't need anything from federal government

Gov. Rick Perry today in a precautionary measure requested the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide 37,430 courses of antiviral medications from the Strategic National Stockpile to Texas to prevent the spread of swine flu. Currently, three cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Texas.

Guess that civil war didn't last long.... what kind of disease fighting scientific facilities does the nation-state of Texas possess?

 

[CPA]

Seeing as Obama had everything under the sun in his stimulus package it would surprise me more if something like this didn't happen.

 

[ProfJohn]

Nice pun in the subtitle, otherwise ehhh...

$850 million to prepare for something like this seems insanely high.

Maybe if we weren't wasting money on all kinds of other crap we could have kept this funding.

 

[UberNeuman]

Originally posted by: ProfJohn
Nice pun in the subtitle, otherwise ehhh...

$850 million to prepare for something like this seems insanely high.

Maybe if we weren't wasting money on all kinds of other crap we could have kept this funding.

I agree, if we weren't spending money for the Iraq misadventure, we'd be using it for the U.S.

/b-but-but Bush.....
//there I said it, so piss off "rightwingers"

 

[SirStev0]

Originally posted by: Sacrilege
Tough Guy Secessionist Rick Parry Asks for Federal Medicine to Combat Swine Flu

Net-tax-money-receiver Texas thought they didn't need anything from federal government

Gov. Rick Perry today in a precautionary measure requested the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide 37,430 courses of antiviral medications from the Strategic National Stockpile to Texas to prevent the spread of swine flu. Currently, three cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Texas.

Guess that civil war didn't last long.... what kind of disease fighting scientific facilities does the nation-state of Texas possess?

gotta love it.

 

[Hacp]

If we had protected our borders, the flu wouldn't have come in. Illegals probably brought the virus in, screwing the whole country over.

 

[Xellos2099]

Originally posted by: Hacp
If we had protected our borders, the flu wouldn't have come in. Illegals probably brought the virus in, screwing the whole country over.

I agree, people may deny but the truth it the virus has been sighted at Texas, California and New York and they are the illegal Mexican immigrant migration path.

 

[sciwizam]

Originally posted by: Hacp
If we had protected our borders, the flu wouldn't have come in. Illegals probably brought the virus in, screwing the whole country over.

My meter is pinging hard, but I don't know if this is a false positive or not.

 

[mugs]

?During negotiations of the economic stimulus package, Senator Collins always maintained that, though very worthwhile, pandemic flu research funding should go through the regular appropriations process since it did not meet the test of stimulus spending,? said spokesman Kevin Kelley in a statement.

What's the problem with that?

 

[JSt0rm]

Originally posted by: sciwizam

Originally posted by: Hacp
If we had protected our borders, the flu wouldn't have come in. Illegals probably brought the virus in, screwing the whole country over.

My meter is pinging hard, but I don't know if this is a false positive or not.

unfortunately this person is real.

lmao about the texas post lol

 

[jackschmittusa]

Xellos2099

Yeah, and the illegal immigrants swam to Europe too. Probably flapped their arms and flew to Canada as well.

 

[Siddhartha]

Originally posted by: Harvey
Republican Senator, Susan Collins was the primary cause, but she wasn't alone in cutting the funding. Democrats working out the "compromise" caved under the threat of a Republican filibuster. Looks like what they compromised was public safety. From the Christian Science Monitor:

Swine flu as pork: Congress cut flu money from stimulus bill

Obama wanted $850 million for pandemic preparedness. Congress said no.

Washington

The spread of the swine flu is casting new light on a compromise deal to cut $850 million in pandemic preparedness from the Obama administration?s economic recovery package.

In February, when a bipartisan group of Senate negotiators wanted to lop $110 billion off President Obama?s plan, the move generated little controversy: Pandemic preparedness was not seen to be a matter of economic stimulus.

But as cases of swine flu mount in Mexico and the United States, critics ? such as a blogger for The Nation ? are calling the move shortsighted. An outbreak similar to the one that hit the US in 1918 could result in a 1 to 4 percent decline in US gross domestic product, according to a 2006 report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Those involved with proposing the cut have found themselves on the defensive, particularly Sen. Susan Collins (R) of Maine. She negotiated cutting pandemic preparedness funding from the stimulus plan as part of a compromise deal.

But she was hardly alone in singling out pandemic preparedness as unnecessary back in February. Democrats were fighting for every vote they could muster to pass the president?s economic recovery plan. In a bid to rally more GOP votes for the plan, Sen. Charles Schumer (D) of New York reminded reporters before the Feb. 10 vote that that ?all those little porky things that the House put in,? including money for the flu pandemic, were out.

Senator Collins was one of the three Republican swing votes that helped the $779 billion stimulus package narrowly avoid a Senate filibuster.

Senator Collins was one of the three Republican swing votes that helped the $779 billion stimulus package narrowly avoid a Senate filibuster.

Monday, she circulated a Dec. 10, 2008, letter showing she supported a $905 million increase in spending on biological terrorist attacks and pandemic preparedness.

?During negotiations of the economic stimulus package, Senator Collins always maintained that, though very worthwhile, pandemic flu research funding should go through the regular appropriations process since it did not meet the test of stimulus spending,? said spokesman Kevin Kelley in a statement.

On Wednesday, the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on ?Swine Flu: Coordinating the federal response.? The panel is chaired by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I) of Connecticut; Collins is the ranking Republican.

The Omnibus appropriations bill signed into law in March contains $156 million for pandemic influenza research.

Senator Collins' statement on her own Senate website][/l]:

GOP Wields More Influence Over the Stimulus Bill - The Wall Street Journal
Maine Sen. Collins Leads Group of Moderates Seeking to Trim Package to $700 Billion or Less; Obama Calls for Quick Action

February 5, 2009
.
.
After meeting with Mr. Obama, Sen. Collins expressed concern about a number of spending provisions, including $780 million for pandemic-flu preparedness. "I have no doubt that the president is willing to negotiate in good faith, that he wants to have a bipartisan bill," Sen. Collins said.

Add this to the list of short sighted Republican demands. It wasn't that long ago that Republican governor, Bobbly Jindal was laughing at funding for monitoring volcanoes... just before the Vulcan deities reminded him of his idiocy when Alaska's Mount Redoubt erupted.

I hope we do not end up needing the services this spending would have provided. My great grandfather died in the 1918 flu pandemic. World wide 40 to 100 million people, in the US over 500,000, died from that pandemic.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: mugs

?During negotiations of the economic stimulus package, Senator Collins always maintained that, though very worthwhile, pandemic flu research funding should go through the regular appropriations process since it did not meet the test of stimulus spending,? said spokesman Kevin Kelley in a statement.

What's the problem with that?

Calling it Pork is a problem. It seems reasonable as to why the opposition to it in a stimulus package, but "Pork" has the connotation of Wasteful or Unnecessary spending. Seems to me the term "Pork" was bandied about for Political reasons and not because "pork", at least in this case, existed.

 

[heyheybooboo]

Originally posted by: SirStev0

Originally posted by: Sacrilege
Tough Guy Secessionist Rick Parry Asks for Federal Medicine to Combat Swine Flu

Net-tax-money-receiver Texas thought they didn't need anything from federal government

Gov. Rick Perry today in a precautionary measure requested the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide 37,430 courses of antiviral medications from the Strategic National Stockpile to Texas to prevent the spread of swine flu. Currently, three cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Texas.

Guess that civil war didn't last long.... what kind of disease fighting scientific facilities does the nation-state of Texas possess?

gotta love it.

:laugh:

And even a bigger :laugh: at the **illegal Mexican immigrant migration path**

 

[XMan]

I can't believe I'm doing this, but I think it's a pretty fair indictment of how far Harvey has gone off the rails.

From the Daily Kos:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyo...mic-Prevention-Funding

(1) It's a good point to make that Collins somehow thought pandemic preparation money was not an economic issue deserving of inclusion in the stimulus package. But Collins was for the money being included in some other form. Now, I think her reasoning is stupid -- pandemic prevention is part of a recovery plan. But it's not like she was against the very idea of it.

In fact she has voted for a number of bills that included pandemic prevention in the past, including the war funding bill of 2007. This undermines her point about which basket the funding is in, but also proves that she's not against the idea of it.

(2) Relatedly, this money is actually the tail end of money ($7.1 billion worth) that President George W. Bush pushed for in 2005. So this is actually Bush money! To pin all this on the GOP is, thus, a little silly.

(3) To follow up that point: Chuck Schumer (D-NY) seemingly went further than Collins and called the pandemic prevention funding a "little porky thing." Here's the NY Post quote:

[Schumer] said the compromise hammered out between Senate Democrats and moderate Republicans - which has enough support to get it past any threat of a filibuster - was far better than that passed by the House on Jan. 29.

"All those little porky things that the House put in, the money for the [National] Mall or the sexually transmitted diseases or the flu pandemic, they're all out," Schumer said.

But he's a Democrat so, hey, he doesn't get mentioned (or called, or written to, or anything).

(4) Importantly, the vast majority of the pandemic prevention money was passed in March's omnibus bill, which passed the Senate by (uncounted) voice vote.

Statements like "thanks for the swine flu" or "I hope Susan Collins' kids get swine flu" are crazy responses to her opinions and the reality of the current funding situation. Just asinine. Same as actually calling or writing Senator Collins. Why? Why are you doing this? Schumer went so far as to call the pandemic prevention funding a "little porky thing," are you calling him? Are you yelling about him? Additionally, the money has been appropriated, so what's the point?

Be truthful. Be fair. Be as comprehensive as possible.

 

[Genx87]

Originally posted by: mugs

?During negotiations of the economic stimulus package, Senator Collins always maintained that, though very worthwhile, pandemic flu research funding should go through the regular appropriations process since it did not meet the test of stimulus spending,? said spokesman Kevin Kelley in a statement.

What's the problem with that?

Well obviously because now we have 43 cases of swine flu we should have spent 850 million in a "stimulus" bill! If we spent that money we could have have 0 case at a cost of 20 million dollars a case!

Yeah I dont see the problem here unless people are admitting the Stimulus bill was simply not what it claims to be and should have been a catch all for spending?

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: mugs

?During negotiations of the economic stimulus package, Senator Collins always maintained that, though very worthwhile, pandemic flu research funding should go through the regular appropriations process since it did not meet the test of stimulus spending,? said spokesman Kevin Kelley in a statement.

What's the problem with that?

Calling it Pork is a problem. It seems reasonable as to why the opposition to it in a stimulus package, but "Pork" has the connotation of Wasteful or Unnecessary spending. Seems to me the term "Pork" was bandied about for Political reasons and not because "pork", at least in this case, existed.

So you're also upset with Chuck Schumer, who called it "pork" as well, right?

The bottom line here is that there isn't so much as a shred of evidence to suggest that, had this money been in the bill, the situation right now would be any different than it is. All the shouting about the provisions in the "stimulus" bill is nothing more than political grandstanders trying to take advantage of a synthetic "crisis" before enough people realize that there's nothing to be legitimately worried about.

ZV

 

[Thump553]

Originally posted by: Hacp
If we had protected our borders, the flu wouldn't have come in. Illegals probably brought the virus in, screwing the whole country over.

Those NY schoolkids who vacationed in Mexico are illegal immigrants?

 

[nobodyknows]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: mugs

?During negotiations of the economic stimulus package, Senator Collins always maintained that, though very worthwhile, pandemic flu research funding should go through the regular appropriations process since it did not meet the test of stimulus spending,? said spokesman Kevin Kelley in a statement.

What's the problem with that?

Calling it Pork is a problem. It seems reasonable as to why the opposition to it in a stimulus package, but "Pork" has the connotation of Wasteful or Unnecessary spending. Seems to me the term "Pork" was bandied about for Political reasons and not because "pork", at least in this case, existed.

So you're also upset with Chuck Schumer, who called it "pork" as well, right?

The bottom line here is that there isn't so much as a shred of evidence to suggest that, had this money been in the bill, the situation right now would be any different than it is. All the shouting about the provisions in the "stimulus" bill is nothing more than political grandstanders trying to take advantage of a synthetic "crisis" before enough people realize that there's nothing to be legitimately worried about.

ZV

I'd go so far as to say this story has been "pushed" for nothing other then political/finiacial gain. Harvey, being the left leaning liberal he is has bought it, hook, line, and sinker. To me he's coming off no smarter then the righties trying to tie this flu to illegal immigration.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: nobodyknows
no smarter then the righties trying to tie this flu to illegal immigration.

Don't even get me started on those idiots. For all the bitching and moaning about being marginalized that many conservative indulge in you'd think they would stop saying and doing things that seem to be explicitly designed to make them look insane.

ZV

 

[cubby1223]

Originally posted by: Harvey
Add this to the list of short sighted Republican demands. It wasn't that long ago that Republican governor, Bobbly Jindal was laughing at funding for monitoring volcanoes... just before the Vulcan deities reminded him of his idiocy when Alaska's Mount Redoubt erupted.

Because it's not stimulus. It does not belong in a stimulus bill.

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: cubby1223

Originally posted by: Harvey

Add this to the list of short sighted Republican demands. It wasn't that long ago that Republican governor, Bobbly Jindal was laughing at funding for monitoring volcanoes... just before the Vulcan deities reminded him of his idiocy when Alaska's Mount Redoubt erupted.

Because it's not stimulus. It does not belong in a stimulus bill.

I heard that point raised later, last night as part of Senator Collins' argument that she supports funding pandemic preparedness, but that she thought it belongs in the omnibus spending bill, rather than the stimulus package. That's supported by her record on the subject.

I can accept Senator Collins' position. The counterpoint is that this particular issue is time critical. We have had years of warnings from the global medical community that it was not a matter of IF a pandemic would occur, only WHEN it would happen, and that implementing this project would actually create a lot of jobs.

Regardless of how bad this particular swine-avian-human hybrid virus turns out to be, it drives home the point urgency of preparing for the eventual outbreak of a truly virulent virus strain. I believe the immediacy of the current outbreak makes the case for the validity of the project. I can respect both sides of the specific argument about how it should be funded, as long as it actually gets funded.

I also think ass clowns like Limbaugh and Jindal further damage their party's credibility when they try to score political points by minimizing the actual value of this project by hanging dismissive labels on it or, in Jindal's case, by trivializing volcano monitoring.