Posted on 02/06/2014 12:34:56 PM PST by SeekAndFind
WASHINGTON — The Senate failed to move forward on a three-month extension of assistance for the long-term unemployed on Thursday, leaving it unlikely that Congress would approve the measure soon and dealing a setback to President Obama’s economic agenda.
The vote was 55-to-42, falling short of the 60-vote threshold to break a Republican filibuster effort.
Republicans and Democrats, many from the nation’s most economically depressed states, had been trying to reach a solution that would allow people who have exhausted their unemployment insurance to continue receiving benefits as long as the government offset the $6 billion cost.
Ultimately, how to pay for the program proved too big a hurdle for senators to overcome.
“We’ve given them everything they wanted. Paid for,” said Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader, flashing his irritation at Republicans who blocked the bill.
He said Democrats would keep pushing to extend the benefits, which expired at the end of last year, leaving more than 1.3 million Americans cut off. That number has since grown to more than 1.7 million.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
At least call it what it really is...WELFARE!!!!!!!!!
For those of you who want to know which Republicans voted with Democrats, here they are:
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20140206-711340.html
Excerpt:
Joining Democrats in voting to advance the bill were four Republicans—Sens. Dean Heller of Nevada, Susan Collins of Maine, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
Long-term unemployment has become a second tier welfare system. If someone's unemployed that long, they should get a job at entry level with a company that promotes from within. Another good way to spend their unemployment time would be to become advocates to end taxes and regulations that make independent small business formation almost impossible.
With all due respect to the unemployed, the Senate needs vote down any appropriations-related bill that the states have never delegated to Congress, via the Constitution, the specific power to address.
The unemployed need to deal with their state lawmakers who have the 10th Amendment-protected power to tax and spend for such purposes.
“””Joining Democrats in voting to advance the bill were four Republicans—Sens. Dean Heller of Nevada, Susan Collins of Maine, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.””””
My, that was unexpected.
Looks like the water in the lobster pot known as midterms is coming closer to a boil.
It oughta take a 90% positive vote to spend big money——on anything. And it oughta be a matter of the GENERAL WELFARE, not a squeeker benny for less than one percent of the working population. Shutting this krap down now at least should block the dims from one more path of buying votes until November-—because you know if they got the three months they’d want another 3 in 3.
States with the highest unemployment generally don’t have Republican senators (imagine that!) so I can understand Heller’s vote as political savvy, not necessarily an ideological decision. That might be true of the northeastern ones as well but it is hard to say since they are RINOs anyway.
How is it that those off unemployment benefits rose from 1.3 million a month ago to 1.7 million? Doesn’t this actually demonstrate the ineffectiveness of the program?
Extending these benefits are necessary to provide democrats cover for the massive lack of jobs. Time for people to face reality.
Thanks for the list of four solid RINO Obamacrat Senators.
The unemployed need to deal with their state lawmakers
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Thought I heard the other day that North Carolina had cut off some of the ‘benefits’(???) and the unemployment rate went DOWN once the ‘free money’ was cut off.
Funny how the ‘giveaways’ are considered ‘benefits’ while my SS payments are ‘entitlements’.
And before the ‘other’ crowd jumps in, I also paid into the same system and never drew a penny of unemployment or used medicare/medicaid.
I admit to using VA for a couple of procedures BUT I worked many years at sub standard pay with no ‘clock’ to guide my work hours...MY CHOICE, but.......
BTW my 1st withholding in 1954 and am still ‘working’ albeit at my own pace etc.....
Also, I have NEVER been without gainful employment one minute more than I have ‘wanted’ to be.
Good, Now they will go out a get a JOB!!!
This will cause employment to rise, and Obama will take credit.
“Now they will go out a get a JOB!!!”
Don’t think it is so easy. After losing my job of over 20 years last year I’ve been looking....and finding NOTHING.
Yeah, sure I MIGHT be able to get a job equal to what I would have done 30 years ago, but that won’t pay my bills.
This is like the glee expressed by some here when someone is hurt by Obamacare: good, they deserved it, no doubt voted for Obama.
Well, about 1/2 the people did NOT vote for Obama, but we are still suffering the ill effects of his governance, including Obamacare and including a dead cat job market.
If you have a job be grateful, that is all I can say.
But Obama justr said a week ago that the economy and the state of the union are STRONG! Why do we, then, need an emergency unemployment benefits extension of three months?
If unemployment was kept to no more than 26 weeks, the unemployment rate would plummet. Repeal Obamacare, and the unemployment rate would be in a relative free-fall.
Really, this is just a benefit to the 1.3 or 1.7 million, or whatever the number is. They are just choosing to not work. Just another benefit of ObamaCare.
“At least call it what it really is...WELFARE!!!!!!!!!”
Probably the FDR era term “Dole” would be more accurate. Except for the FDR voters, most Americans were too proud and self sufficient to take it. Of course FDR doubled down with his Progressive crony capitalists (actually communist oligarchy) to make the need for the dole more severe and extended.
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