The Help Americans Deserve

In the House of Representatives, an extension to unemployment benefits failed by just three votes. Three votes stood in between giving Americans their much-needed help for an additional 13 weeks, as every Democrat and 49 Republicans were joined in voting for the extension. (Since it was a non-controversial item, it required two-thirds majority.)

Sadly, for many Americans this assistance is vital in our current economic climate. This assistance can stand between a mother being able to put food on the table for dinner, or a father being able to put gas in the car to get to work. Sadly, for many minority communities, including Latinos, the economic crisis is hitting them harder then the nation at large.

This Congress has taken strong steps in improving life for all Americans, by providing the first minimum wage increase in a decade, the largest college aid expansion in six decades, and by spurring innovation across our economy with investments in national science, technology, math, and engineering teacher corps. In dealing with the current economic crisis, we have also helped families with Economic stimulus rebates and passing a comprehensive housing foreclosure crisis bill.

More specifically, in helping address the economic disparities facing Latino families, this Congress rejected President Bush's harmful cuts in the nation's budget. We kept or increased funding levels for programs vital to all Americans, especially Latinos. We funded the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps households reduce energy costs. We rejected cuts to housing assistance programs, like the community development block grant and the HOPE VI housing program. We are ensuring that students have access to higher education, with our increases to Perkins loans and supplemental educational opportunity grants.

Yet, as grim statics come out that show our nation's unemployment rates have surged to 5.5 percent, Republicans have again tried to block assistance to the families that urgently need it the most. And for the Latino community, this crisis is even bleaker, as the unemployment for Latinos rose to 6.5 percent in the first quarter of 2008.

Those that voted against this measure will not stand in the way of our assistance to the families in vital need of this help. Speaker Pelosi has announced that tomorrow, we will bring this bill back to the floor under regular order. There are 3.8 million Americans who need this help, and we cannot waste a moment in bringing them this relief.

Comments

[scooperss]

Last time I checked if you're an American, you're an American.
Why the misleading headline of talking about helping Americans and then devolve into helping Latinos instead?

[milo9]

One thing Americans deserve is the return of the Rule of Law, specifically: No Secret Courts to hide Retro-Active Immunity for Telecoms. No Secret Courts to conceal Administration's political skulduggery. No Appeasement for Law Breakers. I for one won't forget the coverup Congress has been trying provide to the Bush Administration for the last year.

[rwe]

well maybe the unemployment rate would be lower without the 20 million illegals.... maybe if all of government went on a cut in perks... maybe if we would DRILL HERE and DRILL NOW....I would imagine there are a few earmarks in your district and a driver or two that could be curtailed..... How about a windfall profit tax on campaign donations?

[Chavez08]

After everything the working class has and is going through in the past 30 years, don't you think you owe it to yourself to give some critical thought to the status-quo economic system?

Why is Capitalism GOOD and Socialism BAD?

[mh01]

I won't address why Capitalism is good, I will let centuries of successful free market economics answer that for itself.

As for socialism being bad, well, again, look at the track record of socialism EVERYWHERE ITS BEEN TRIED, and tell my why it isn't bad....

Do people need help from time to time? Absolutely. Is Government the best, most efficient way to help people, absolutely not. Unless you think chewing up $.80 on the dollar to fund massive government in order to get $.20 on the dollar to people in need is a good formula.

[ez14livin]

We have socialism now, my 'friend'. What do you think Medicaid and Social Security are?

Have you considered the admin overhead between Medicaid vs Privatized healthcare? 3% to 25% Well run government can be extremely well run

Centuries of free market economics? It took unions fighting robber barons to keep this country from becoming what we consider Indonesia and other child labor intensive areas of the world.

Why isn't socialism bad? Well let's look at Europe and Canada: yes they pay more in taxes, but they also have better health care and typically longer vacations, longer life spans and a better quality of life than we do.

We are slaves to the dollar, my friend. In fact most of the jobs created in the past decade do not even offer health plans or vacation pay. But hey, a job's a job, right?

You have been brainwashed, my 'friend' in regard to a word. And even then, you have no answer to Chavezo's point, other than to say government is BAD.

My only hope is that you are blogging from Iraq, serving in defense of your principles...

[Chavez08]

The slavery and povericide we're experiencing is called "Neoliberalism" (alias - "Reaganomics")America bought it and chanted the slogans since the 80s but they had no idea what was in Reagan's "Magic Bag"

The contract that you ignored reads like this:

What you signed on to receive:

- A promise that if you play in the stock market, you could be wealthy (they didn't mention insiders can trade with a wink-and-a-nod and you get to hold the bag)

- All those "Welfare Queens" would be forced to work (they didn't tell you they were moving all the jobs)

- America could "compete" with rising economic powers (they didn't tell you that "competing" meant working for slave labor wages with no benefits)

Labor protections - gone
Healthcare - gone
Consumer protections - gone
Safety inspections - gone
Endless war
Dissolved borders
Poisoned products
Loss of 1/4 of Civil Liberties

How's "Reaganomics" working for you?

[SILVANUS]

Thanks for telling it str8.

[returnofthejedi]

As an American I get so offended when I hear a politician or anyone else say the phrase "jobs that americans wont do" Where do they get this from. As I look at history there is no such thing as a job that Americans wont do. I say the problem lies in the companies unwillingness or inability to pay
a wage that is enough to provide the wopker with some type of quality of life. To me it makes no sense to have to work hard 40 hrs a week only to still have to stand in the bread and cheese line right along with the unemployed. When I look at congressional hearings involving alot of these CEO's of major employers and see them getting 100 million dollar contracts I can't believe it. To hear these same companies that are paying the top people of the company that type of money, turn to us and say they can only afford to pay the workers 5 or 7 $ per hour is just an outright fraud hidden under the guise of capitalism.

[Berettasskeeter]

Mr. Baca, you in the Congress did not give anyone a raise! You stole more money from the people who make the jobs. Slowly but surely, you on the Left are freezing the young out of the job market, by forcing prospective employers to work harder on their own and to do without the help they'd like, but cannot afford! Save us from your help.
Semper fi

[jfor]

As an employer i have not felt the freeze you accuse the left of doing to me. I always work harder than my employees, it is my business. The minimum wage is a joke in this country. Still is. Have you noticed that CEO's are raping eiier companies even when failing for hundreds of millions of dollars, yet you in your ultimate show of wisdom think its the kid who makes seven bucks an hour tthat is hurting America.

Epsilon Beta

[Chavez08]

The only time I hear your kind of rhetoric is from the corporate media talking-heads whose sponsors or cronies benefit from Neoliberal global slavery or the social outcasts who would forget to breathe if Rush Limbaugh stopped broadcasting.

[Salome]

Maybe you should talk about getting your constituents behind Obama first. Unconditionally. I just read an article in "The Hill" which intimated that you might be sort of dangling them in front of Obama in exchange for getting him to promise to get an immigration bill passed within 100 days of your taking office.

Here is the quote: "And first and foremost, the discussion will need to be about how to reach out to the Clinton supporters and then [get] them incorporated into his campaign."

Baca said that if Obama fails to do that, and fails to give his "strongest types of surrogates" in the Latino community the ammunition they need to help seal support for his candidacy, the record Latino turnout that was seen in the primaries could disappear.

"We have a tendency to not go to the polls to vote," Baca said. "[The CHC] can help get them out to vote, and it"ll make a big difference. But in the end it"s up to him."

I agree with the merits of the bill that you are speaking of but I do not agree with your tactics. It is YOUR responsibility to encourage your constituents to back Obama. It's not up to Obama at all--his messages and policies have been consistent throughout. It's up to you.

[SiSePuede08]

I read the same article - http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/hispanic-dems-warn-obama-he-risks-losing-latino-voters-2008-06-11.html

...and I didn't get that he was trying to "dangle" his constituents.

The article talks about what they are conveying to Obama will be necessary for Latinos "to come home" for him. They don't know him, they don't know his policies. And the name McCain is more familiar to him (don't forget, he used to be an advocate for comprehensive immigration reform before trying to cozy up to the conservatives)

Read the whole article. They are saying he needs to energize the community to get them to come out for him.

[FogBelter]

Congressman Baca, if you REALLY want to do a favor for unemployed Americans ... why not attack these bogus unemployment figures? Everyone knows that the Labor Departments methods of counting the unemployed are woefully inadequate.

Sir, if you can get the accurate number of unemployed reported there will be overwhelming pressure on elected officials to act.

I would also consider a retroactive outsourcing tax for all companies doing business abroad ... if that doesn't fly, we should apply a tariff to American Business when they bring their goods and services back to the United States for sale ... Treat these multinationals as the foreign entities they are and you will be surprised how quickly the jobs return.

[MidwestBlue]

FogBelter, you hit the nail on the head. Elaine Chao is fudging the numbers. She should be called to testify and explain just how she arrives at those phony numbers they're always spouting, especially when the stock market goes down. Like today: retail sales are the highest in six months. What? Did some oil company execs buy a few yachts?
I agree with you on a retroactive outsourcing tax, too, and tariffs.
All any of these members of Congress do is complain and say they're trying so hard, but those mean Republicans won't them do anything. I'm sick of their rhetoric. They never offer any real solutions. Extending unemployment is good, but they know nothing will come of it, and then they'll complain some more.

[OhioJan]

Amen to THAT one, Brother/Sister Fogbelter!!!! My husband & I have been saying the SAME things for at least 4 years now: That Congress should impose tariffs on "American businesses" that outsourced our jobs and then bring their goods BACK into the US for retail! To add to that arguement, we also feel that each "American business/employer" who has moved out of the contry to conduct their business, MUST be hit with a penalty/fine - I say it should be made retroactive to the year they left American soil - that they're REQUIRED to pay, YEARLY. Those "American businesses/employers" who choose to remain here & conduct honest, LEGITIMATE business should be rewarded with tax CREDITS on an annual basis.

This hypothetical scenario could eventually help to level the corporate playing field, help to generate much needed tax-revenue for rebuilding our infrastructure, create MORE, stable jobs,and help recessitate our economy - just to name a few potential benefits.

The bottom line is, that Congress (AND, we, American citizens should DEMAND it of our "leaders") really MUST begin to reward good business practices and penalize corporate greed & misconduct!

[UnbiasView]

An extension on unemployment? Paid for by who, those that are working?

The greatest motivation to find a job to feed one's family comes if they aren't getting free handouts from government. At some point congress must realize that they can't be a fix for everyone's problems. I don't see the rationale for paying people more when they themselves may be holding out for a job with better money.

[mh01]

of course you extend it, once you get enough people on the various government "doles" you will have consolidated your power and locked down your voting block. forever.

And that's right about the time that they will cap and trade us back to the stone age.

[MourningDude]

Anyone choosing to go on public assistance should have to voluntarily give up their right to vote as a condition of receiving it.

[mh01]

Good job, your raising of the minimum wage is WHY unemployment surged to 5.5%. No-one can pay summer workers the new minimum wage, so a whole lot of students will sit by idle. But we can feel better that they MIGHT have made the new $ wage, when I bet they would have been pretty happy with $5 when the alternative is no job and $0/hour.

And nice job patting yourself on the back for rebate checks that Bush lead the charge on.

[UnbiasView]

Raising the min wage results in:

#1 More jobs going overseas
#2 Less workers being hired
#3 Less hours being worked

In an ideal economy the min. wage is $0, if employers decide someone's work is worth $4 dollars an hour and no one shows up, they'll have to offer more.

[starboymikey]

In an ideal economy the min. wage is $0
_________________________________________________

Slavrey, for want of a better word, is good.

[jfor]

after perusing your comments it is amazing how much you do not know about America and how we got where we are. There is a reason for the minimum wage and your benefitting from it as the rest of us. You know it sure must be easy living in America when you can always make a comment even when you dont have a clue.

[SiSePuede08]

Wrong - that was Pelosi's idea- back in December.

[nickelking]

What was the bill number, I couldn't find it with a cursory search on thomas.gov.

[SiSePuede08]

It's HR 5749. You can see who voted against it at http://clerk.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.asp?year=2008&rollnumber=403

[nickelking]

cool, thanks.

[nickelking]

And now I need to write another letter to my supposed representative.

[nickelking]

My benefits are up this week, how I hope I can find something very soon to pay off the credit cards I'll have to use to keep up the job hunt.

[UnbiasView]

Best thing to do in that situation, not rack up credit card bills in the first place.

[starboymikey]

Best thing to do in that situation, not rack up credit card bills in the first place.
_______________________________________________________________________

Unless there's no other way you can afford to pay the rent and eat.

[nickelking]

Right, so no buying of food, gas, or soap while looking for work in the car dependent world of Los Angeles. Of course once I hitch a ride for a job interview they'll take one look at my emaciated , stinky, unshaven self and hire me right away.

[pistol1557]

We'll give you the three more you need in November, and some. Keep fighting until then.

[scooperss]

You go ahead. Damned if I'm voting for the same SSDD.

[HeevenSteven]

Do something really impressive Joe; get a REAL energy policy. Get us out of Iraq. Impeach Bush.

What happened to John Mutha's "redeploy" mantra? That's all we heard back in '06. You guys got your majority, and Murtha's exit strategy became "The surge is working" We so need a third party.

[UnbiasView]

I agree on the energy olicy and Iraq but the Bush thing does nothing for us right now and would put Cheney into power which is worse.

[jfor]

Unbias nothing is worse than being an appeaser. How's that feel?