Congress: An Embarrassment to Our Country [PHIL-OSOPHY]

It took a retired comedian to humiliate and shame the House Judiciary Committee to authorize the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund, the lifeline for ailing responders and survivors, that was running out of money.

Until Jon Stewart made me aware of it, I had no idea the fund has had to slash payments to these heroes by up to 70 percent because of the rising number of cases. Sick and dying, these responders were dishonored by the mere fact that they had to go to Washington and beg for the money each and every year for the last two decades.

What's more important than taking care of the heroes of 9/11? It turns my stomach to think that already we've forgotten the very people we promised never to forget.

Every year, the fund has to be renewed by Congress, and we're told that because of a record number of claims, it was running very low on money. And that's part of what really offends me. This fund should never run out of money. I'm very bothered that the fat cats of Washington can bring home the bacon, yet turn their backs on these American victims.

The bill will need to be scored by the Congressional Budget Office before it can get a full vote in the House. And the Senate version has plenty of bipartisan support as well. The new bill will keep the funding going until 2090. These paragons did their jobs dauntlessly, daringly and valorously—unlike the namby-pambies who represent us.

Phil Paleologos is the host of The Phil Paleologos Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Contact him at phil@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @PhilPaleologos. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.