First Responders Fund

In the first part of June 2019, entertainer and activist Jon Stewart accompanied some "first responders to the September 11, 2001 terror attacks" to Congress to appeal to representatives to act on renewal legislation to provide the money for the fund to take care of health care bills for the men and women who have suffered medical consequences for their actions during the aftermath of those attacks. A number of representatives did not even show up for the hearing, or perhaps some came in late. This is what our country has become, with "representatives," and I use that word with great skepticism, who are terribly detached from average people. If a hearing for this proposal featuring actual victims of deadly or debilitating illnesses could not get the attention of a number of  "representatives" (there's that word again), and Jon Stewart's presence and voice could not stir them to attend, what chance do you think you or I have to get action from "representatives" on other matters? The hearing proved to be an embarrassment for some "representatives," and after some pressure on the Majority Leader in the Senate, the legislation was passed, but it just shows how difficult it is to accomplish what should be an easy and non partisan task.

Regular readers know I'm a Democrat, BUT I do NOT give Democrats a free pass. While they acted on the legislation more quickly in the House of Representatives, over which the Democrats have control, they should have been FAR out in front and leading the charge on this issue. For not having done so, for Democrats... SLAP! SLAP! The Republicans are in charge of the Senate, and Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made a remark on television that John Stewart was "bent out of shape" over the issue. For that, SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! To Jon Stewart... a PAT ON THE BACK for a job well done and for NOT taking the crap of Mitch McConnell, which forced McConnell to agree to bring the legislation to the floor of the Senate. 

Below are the role call votes in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. I have not listed the names of supporters of the legislation, rather only the names of those who voted "no," as well as the names of those who did not vote, so if you do not see a representative's or a senator's name, that means that person voted "Yes." As to those who did not vote, I have no idea why they did not vote, but I do know this, that barring serious illness or emergency, there is NO reason for not voting. The first job of a legislator is to legislate, and that means... to vote on legislation! So... to those who who did not vote and were not ill or in the midst of an emergency.... SLAP! SLAP!... and just so you remember.... SLAP! You deserve it, as you failed in your primary duty to your constituents and to the nation. 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES (July 12, 2019):

402 "Yes" votes
12 "No" votes
19 "Not voting"  

12 "NO" votes in the House of Representatives, eleven Republicans and one independent* (Justin Amash of Michigan, Jodey Arrington of Texas, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Mo Brooks of Alabama, Ken Buck of Colorado, Michael Cloud of Texas, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Andy Harris of Maryland, Jody Hice of Georgia, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, John Rose of Tennessee

19 "not voting" (Republicans: Kevin Brady of Texas, Sean Duffy of Wisconsin, Garret Graves of Louisiana, Sam Graves of Missouri, Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, Tom Rice of South Carolina, David Roe of Tennessee, Mike Rogers of Alabama, Ron Wright of Texas)
(Democrats: Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri, Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, Lloyd Doggett of Texas, Marcia Fudge of Ohio, Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, Ro Khanna of California, Brenda Lawrence of Michigan, Ed Perlmutter of Colorado, Cedric Richmond of Louisiana)

SENATE (July 23, 2019):

97 "Yes" votes
2 "No" votes
1 "Not voting"

2 "No" votes, both Republicans (Rand Paul of Kentucky, Mike Lee of Utah)
1 "Not voting," a Republican (Johnny Isakson of Georgia)  

* Representative Justin Amash of Michigan was elected to this term of the House in November 2018 as a Republican. He announced in early July 2019 that he was declaring himself to be an independent. 

WORD HISTORY:
Clinic-This word is related to "incline," "recline" and "climate," all Latin-derived words borrowed by English. It goes back to Indo European "kley/klei," which had the notion, "to slope, to lean, to incline, to slant." This gave transliterated Greek "klíne," meaning, "bed," which produced the transliterated Greek adjective "klinikós," meaning, "of or about a bed." This then gave transliterated Greek "klinike téchne," meaning, "medical treatment for bedridden sick people." Latin borrowed the word as "clinicus," meaning, "doctor who tends to bedridden patients," later also the meaning transferred to "a bedridden patient." The word passed into French as "clinique," meaning, "doctor who tends to bedridden patients." English borrowed the word from French in the first half of the 1600s, initially with the meaning, "bedridden patient." German also borrowed the word from French (early 1800s?), initially as "Clinik," then "Klinik," by which time it had taken on the meaning in French, "facility for training medical personal by firsthand experience at bedsides," which also was taken by German. The English word then took on the meaning of a "hospital, medical treatment facility," by influence of the German meaning in the 1880s.