By: Former Congressman Ronnie Shows (D-MS), a member of the conservative Blue Dog Coalition when he served in Congress.
Anyone following me on the Huffington Post knows that finding ways to reduce the national deficit is one of my recurring themes. Like many current and former Blue Dogs, I believe that if we don't get our national debt under control there will be disastrous consequences. But rumblings on Capitol Hill from Republicans (and even a few Democrats) about not extending federal unemployment benefits is bad politics because it will anger many Americans and have little impact on reducing our debt.
While there are undoubtedly some bad apples taking advantage of their unemployment benefits, most unemployed people are productive and valuable members of our society who are down on their luck. These folks have worked hard, paid their taxes and now need their government to help them through a rough patch.
Unemployment benefits also help those beyond the people who are receiving them. Unemployment checks are used to pay bills and buy necessities like food and clothes. The ripple effect of millions of Americans not being able to pay bills or spend money in their communities is enormous and would have negative impacts on all Americans, whether they have jobs or not.
One very distressing aspect of the debate over extending unemployment benefits is that many conservative members of Congress are using their reluctance to support the extension as an example of their willingness to get tough on runaway spending. In other words, they are trying to send a political message by being stingy. I have some bad news for Republicans: This line of thinking is bad politics because many Americans have hard-working family members or close friends who have lost their jobs during this recession through no fault of their own and rely on unemployment benefits to make ends meet. People will not appreciate out-of-touch Congressmen looking to score political points by jeopardizing the well-being of their friends and family.
The fact is, reducing our national debt is not going to be as easy as curtailing some benefits here and there. Unemployment benefits are only a drop in the bucket. To have real impact on the deficit, the government is going to have to find ways to cut spending dramatically while developing policies to help the private sector grow. This means that both parties will have to take hard votes and make difficult decisions about cutting programs...everything must be on the table.
Lastly, the conservative assertion that keeping people on unemployment benefits for too long gives them incentive to not go back to work might have some merit during an economic boom, but not during a recession. Americans are prideful people and do not want handouts. They would much rather earn the money that puts the food on their tables and clothes their families. But today, many good folks have no choice but to take the government's assistance, because there are too few job opportunities. Unemployment benefits should be about helping people get back on their feet, not about scoring political points.
..and then ignoring it completely as they do it all again and go to war with someone else. (Redundant Plastic Fanfare please!)
It's a real shame that they are so cynical and short-sighted and really don't care about what they're doing and what they've done to the country (...and other economies beyond)
Maybe if public flogging of thieving bankers was brought back that would improve things?
The way they dragged their heels over health care, not out of any principles (google it...) but out of their VESTED INTERESTS... is simply and morally appalling.
I pity people trying to anything progressive in America (that is anything that will improve things), as you face a storm of lies and hate from those who benefit from the corrupt ways that are in place.
And the fact that they vote against extending unemployment from the people who's livelihoods they took away, is disgusting!
They are not true Republicans! Real republicans would have some heart. These are Doppelgangers!
How long till people take to the streets?
You can't push them forever. . .
HOW SAD WOULD THAT BE AMERICA?
If they think that by letting AMERICAN FAMILIES down,that they will be re-elected they are way wrong AMERICA! It is time the party of AMERICAN FAMILIES VOTED THEM OUT!
To let AMERICAN FAMILIES suffer because they play games in the SENATE.
This is not the AMERICAN way. IT's the Republican way! Vote them out AMERICA1
THEY HAVE FORGOT AMERICANS HELP AMERICANS
( NOT THEMSELVES SENATORS!)
"People will not appreciate out-of-touch Congressmen looking to score political points by jeopardizing the well-being of their friends and family."
Exactly! A typical American isn't going to care much at all about "deficit talk" when they can't even find a job to keep the lights on in the house or food on the table.
Instead of paying unemployment hire those out of work to build a solar and wind power infrastructure. Use them to improve national parks, use them to build a high speed rail systems that stretch from one end of the nation to the other, from north to south east to west, reinvest in America.
How will we pay for it?
The private sector has no interest in putting Americans back to work it was the private sector that laid them off in the first place to get tax cuts and think of increasing profit by a fraction by moving the jobs out of the country. Tax them for out sourcing and give tax breaks for those who hire in this country. I would say the citizens should boycott things with out a Made in America stamp but those items are hard to find and most things with it are only assembled in America. Tax breaks and increases should depend on the percentage of the product actually made inside the borders of the United States.
I know the right will vote no but let them.
It is time to think about Americans not profits, politics or power.
For members of Congress to criticize the unemployed as being lazy is the height of hypocrisy.
http://www.petition2congress.com/2/3355/extend-emergency-unemployment-compensation/
Enter your address and your Congress folks will pop up, as will the Pres. Then, you can send them an email in support of extending unemployment benefits. They need to hear our voices and pass this bill!