Paralysis....not in the budget

The Christopher and Dana Reeve Act, named for the actor who was made famous by his portrayal of Superman and later became a champion of the disabled, along with his late wife, is part of a broad package created by Democrats which lumps together 36 bills.

It would have allocated $25 million for research on spinal cord injuries, rehabilitation and measures to improve the quality of life for paralyzed Americans. The effort is backed by the Paralyzed Veterans of America, which claims 19,000 members. Some 200,000 Americans suffer spinal cord-related injuries.

“We have a war with many veterans who suffer some from spinal cord injuries or paralysis,” said Lee Page, associate advocacy director for Paralyzed Veterans for America told the Navy Times Tuesday.

The overall bill, dubbed the Advancing America’s Priorities Act, was blocked by a 50-42 vote, short of the 60 votes need to overcome a filibuster. It was created in an effort to draw attention to Sen. Tom Coburn, a stalwart crusader for tightening the pursestrings of government.

You would have to be a very cold person to vote against a bill that would allocate more funding to improving the quality of life for both Americans and veterans who suffer from spinal cord injuries. Here's to hoping that none of the Senators who voted against the bill never suffer a serious spinal injury themselves.

Would anyone like to comment on why they voted against the bill?

"They're using every trick to get us away from dealing with high gas prices," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

That is intellectual superiority at it's finest! With sharp thinkers like that running our country is it any wonder why our economy is in the shape it is.