Bah, Humbug. Bush beats up on the jobless again

[camero]

http://www.sunspot.net/news/opinion/bal-ed.employ10dec10,0,5998373.story?coll=bal-opinion-headlines


IN A MOMENT only an unrepentant Ebenezer Scrooge could fully appreciate, Congress got out of Washington yesterday without leaving behind so much as a lump of coal for the unemployed.

Thanks to Republican inaction this year, there will soon be no more extensions of the 13-week federal unemployment benefit for those who exhaust the customary 26 weeks of state benefits. That federal program kicked in during March of last year when the unemployment rate was 5.7 percent. It ends while unemployment is 5.9 percent.

Perhaps Republicans were too busy with other matters, such as trying to stuff their $820 billion turkey of an omnibus spending bill with pork. The House found time to approve $2 million for Florida's The First Tee program, an effort to encourage young golfers, but not a bent farthing for the unemployed.

No doubt relatively few of the long-term unemployed vote Republican. And maybe Republicans in Congress think they're doing employers a favor - all that excess money in the trust fund might pay for a future cut in payroll taxes (albeit a tiny one, since the federal unemployment tax amounts to $56 a head annually). This is the second time Congress has packed its bags before Christmas and let unemployment benefits expire. Last January, it reversed course and renewed the program retroactively. One can only hope that the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future get busy between now and Jan. 20 when Congress is scheduled to reconvene. Who knows? Like Scrooge, maybe even Tom DeLay can have a heart.

I really doubt that Delay has a heart. So much for "Peace on earth, good will to men." Or women for that matter.

[camero]

1. Kick

Kick

[camero]

8. no crumbs for the poor

not in bushies life

[Nay]

2. Hopefully there are a lot of unthinking Bushbots losing their unemployment

Maybe now they will STOP VOTING REPUBLICAN. But who knows?

[camero]

3. That would be good

And they figure out that voting Dem is in their best interest. They got a tax cut alright. Down to zero, but no pay either.

[salin]

4. Time for Symbolman to start replaying his flash

starring bush as scrooge. http://www.takebackthemedia.com/xmas.html

On edit - this is from last year (2002) - but it still seems appropriate.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

5. And as soon as those people drop off the unemployment rolls they will use

that figure to proclaim unemployment is down. Just like last week.

[camero]

6. Yep

More Enron accounting just in time for the election.

[camero]

7. Kick

I had the misfortune to post the same time 2 good Canadian threads are here..doh.