Extension of Benefits For Jobless Is at Risk

[Ichingcarpenter]

Source: Washington Post

House Democrats are likely to drop a 13-week extension of unemployment insurance benefits from a major spending package that includes continued funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and that would create a new education benefit for military veterans returning from the battlefields.

House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) said yesterday that the unemployment insurance provision would "probably not" be part of the final package of war and domestic spending, which has become the most important legislative battle this spring between congressional Democrats and President Bush.

After huddling in the offices of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for more than two hours yesterday, House Democrats emerged to say they were still undecided about how to pare down the overall cost of the supplemental spending bill.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/03/AR2008060303237.html?referrer=digg

[Jackpine Radical]

1. Jesus. DEMOCRATS kicking the downtrodden.

I swear, those Congressional Dems must have been victims of Republican abuse for so long, they've turned into abusers themselves.

[bluesmail]

3. That's a realistic way of looking at it.

[Ichingcarpenter]

4. Blue dogs had to be appeased apparently

"House Democrats now hope that eliminating the unemployment insurance and other spending from the bill will mollify Blue Dog concerns on spending for the new "G.I. Bill."


"The unemployment insurance provision is one of several measures likely to be cut in an effort to win the support of the Blue Dogs and to increase the opposition to a veto that President Bush has threatened over several aspects of the bill."


The extension of unemployment benefits would help the local economies of the blue dog democrats, I don' see
what their angle is?

[Dr.Phool]

6. Blue Dogs need to be spayed and neutered.

[Jackpine Radical]

10. We need a big enough majority of actual Democrats

so we can ignore the Republican wing of the Party.

[madrchsod]

2. fucking traitors

[balantz]

5. I expect more of the same from here on out.

No big changes for the better will come our way with this corporate ruled government.

[DollyM]

7. Anyone need a college psychology teacher?

My husband's unemployment ran out in April and our only income is his part time job at Wal-mart and what I bring in selling a few dolls. Two people with Masters degree and the best we can do is a job at Wal-mart! Just pitiful. All that most colleges want to do now is hire adjunct teachers, class by class and a maximum on how many classes you can teach, which is about 3 (that means about $700.00 a month) with no guarantee of how many classes you will get at all.

[lib2DaBone]

8. Know what you mean

Hey Dolly.. I know what you mean. I am in the same boat. My unemployment ran out. I have a Masters and can't find a job. I'm working P/T in the Library for $6 an hour.(I was making $7 an hour back in 1978!) Yet, the Blue Dogs, Pelosi and crew, are going to give Bush another $165 BILLION for his war, no questions asked. The sad part is that most American's are still sound asleep. Even with $4 gasoline, they don't see (or don't WANT to see), the trainwreck that is coming their way. It's going to get very ugly very soon.

[Jackpine Radical]

11. 25 years ago I was in that boat

except that I had a PhD. I finally abandoned any thought of an academic career & retreaded myself as a clinician. That was in the Reagan years. SOSDY

[conspirator]

9. Meaning: you either volunteer for cannon fodder in our imperial wars or

you starve.

[tom_paine]

12. Gosh, I am so surprised.

:rofl:

Sometimes, you just have to laugh because the alternative is so hideous.

[AndyTiedye]

13. Trim the WAR SPENDING Instead!

0 seems like a nice, round number for that.