Are Unemployment Benefits Extensions Anti-Republican?
Republicans Aren't Just Denying Unemployment Extensions for Fiscal Reasons; It is Ingrained in Their Ideology
For millions, this has not been the case. Many are still unemployed, some well past the 99 weeks offered in some states. But often it isn't laziness, lethargy, indifference, or simply not looking or wanting to remain on unemployment. It is the lack of jobs available.
But to hear many Republicans (and the occasional Democrat), the reason that the jobless are not getting jobs is that they would much rather subsist off of an unemployment benefits income and do nothing than get a job.
Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) said in March on the Senate floor: "In fact, if anything, continuing to pay people unemployment compensation is a disincentive for them to seek new work."
To put Senator Kyl's words into proper perspective, a person receiving the average unemployment benefits check (an average of just over $1200 per month), who would not make in 52 weeks roughly one-twelfth what a senator or representative makes in the same time period and who most likely is months behind on their bills (if they still have a home or vehicle), would rather collect the unemployment because it has become a "disincentive" to look for work. Clearly, Senator Kyl is out of touch with at least 305,000 individuals (the number of unemployed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics) in his home state.
But Senator Kyl isn't the only Republican blaming the unemployed for being unemployed. Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) believes the unemployment extensions undermine the economic recovery. He said they "basically keep an economy that encourages people to, rather than go out and look for work, to stay on unemployment."
And the unemployed found out how little Senator Jim Bunning sympathized with their jobless woes in February when, after being begged by Senator Jeff Merkley to drop his objection to the unemployment extensions then being debated, said, "Tough s**t."
But Senators aren't the only members of Congress that believe the unemployed remain unemployed due to the "allure" of getting something for nothing. Congressman John Linder (R-GA): "Even when businesses are willing to hire, nearly two years of unemployment benefits are too much of an allure for some."
Congressman Jason Altmire (R-PA): "At some point you have to take a step back and look at the relative value of unemployment benefits versus people looking for jobs."
The attitude is shared by Congressional candidates as well. Sharron Angle, Republican senatorial hopeful in the state of Nevada, has stated that the unemployed in America are spoiled. She believes that "...we really have spoiled our citizenry and said you don't want the jobs that are available." Angle said that the unemployed should take an available job even if it paid less than unemployment, which would roughly equal a job taken at wages at the national minimum wage level.
Although the attitude is deeply rooted in conservative individualism, it also denies the basic social responsibility of one person for the relative well-being of his fellow man or, by extension, one's government for the individual citizens that comprise it. This attitude persists even though the unemployed are former employees, taxpayers, jobholders and jobseekers, who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own and, because of the economy, the lack of available jobs, age discrimination, unemployed stereotyping, and unemployment discrimination ("unemployed need not apply"), cannot find gainful unemployment. The attitude persists even though, historically speaking, there has never been an unemployment benefits extension provision that required it being paid for or having a balancing revenue-generating offset.
In the current Congressional battle over whether or not to vote for the unemployment benefits extensions, hardline Republicans might want to get to understand the term "brother's keeper," something which they contend they are not, because, in denying the unemployed the extensions that enable them to continue to be unemployed workers, the long-term unemployed are being forced more and more to draw on welfare and various government assistance programs, thus forcing Republicans (and Democrats and other taxpaying citizens) to truly become their brothers' keepers.
Published by Saul Relative
WVU graduate, with degrees in History, English, Secondary Education, Computer Programming, and Psychology (and nearly a degree in Political Science). Originally from West Virginia, with stints in Virginia,... View profile
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21 Comments
Post a CommentUI benifits are only a third of the normal salery....who wouldnt want to have a job where they would get paid 100% of their "worth?" Dumb!
Jennifer Budd has an excellent point. For every dollar being spent, other companies have a dollar earned. Bush gave out those stimulus checks and folks paid bills. This means the companies who were blowing up folks' phones telling them their payments were past due could now be paid, and workers at those companies could keep their jobs instead of being fired since so many workers were behind. When I hear Republicans argue against unemployment without actually knowing these imaginary people they speak about or even interviewing ONE person on unemployment who is supposed to be so "lazy" and living it up off of unemployment, it makes my skin crawl a little like the posts directly under mine.
...fired because temp. work is easier. I worked for an educational textbook publisher as a contracted copyeditor, and I watched a whole floor get fired. About half of the people at the company were temporary workers. Why? The company didn't have to pay health or dental insurance and didn't have to pay a temp. what he/she was worth. So even for those who can find employment in bad circumstances, that also hurts long-time employees who are being forced out. Anyway, great job, Saul. I saw you in this millionaire article and dropped by to see how you became so popular. From this entry, I can see why. *thumbs up*
I'm scratching my head reading the comments from Kyle Minor and Nik Minor, but I'm guessing from the last name's that simple minds think alike. (Sorry, that was tacky to say, but I'll be damned if it's not true. Whenever one responds with something stupid, the other one always follows.) Anyway, this was a very interesting and thought-provoking entry and pretty much everything you said took the words out of my mouth. The job market is also weak because employers have far more applicants to work with. Whereas some employees would give a job seeker with a reasonable background a chance, there are folks with Master's degrees and Bachelor's degrees who are one-upping those folks. Now they have the pick of the litter. The job market today is being treated like a dating show with a bunch of beautiful people with great personalities. If you can pick the best, why not? The average job seeker gets left high and dry far too much. There's also an issue with those who are experts who are being fire
Why, ON EARTH, do you think it is the government's responsibility to take care of people? Also, if unemployment is not a disincentive, why do they keep extending it. This article seems VERY poorly thought out.
Unemployment is a disincentive. I've known people on unemployment who opted not to freelance because the benefits were greater than the work payout. Regardless, we cannot afford to extend unemployment benefits. This attack on Republicans is absurd. If those in Congress (either party) gave a damn about the people, they would look to reduce waste and cut spending elsewhere, in order to provide such benefits. The govt is literally creating money out of nothing. If you think you feel the pinch right now as an unemployed person, just wait until the value of the few unemployment dollars you do get drops even more. We simply can't continue to create dollars without lowering the value of our money. Once that happens, traveling outside the US (with our useless currency) will be impossible and goods here will also greatly increase.
the reason there are no jobs in the U.S anymore is because of the free trade agreement. That was a republican bill that let big businesses out source there work to different countries. The sooner that bill is redone the better off we will be. We need to stop the dumping of products in the american market, maybe that will bring a few jobs back to our soil. Ihave been out of work for over a year I put out anywhere from 8 to 15 resumes a week let me tell you no one is hiring anybody,and also these credit checks and back ground checks have to be stoped because that is profileing and I thougt that was againist are consitutional rights
If this bill is a tax cut for the rich, you can be sure all the republican in the senate and the house will vote for it. Republican are pathetic little people.
I had two jobs and lost them both within a month of each other. My 26th check came the week after extensions expired. I was not prepared. I have no gas in my car and I cannot look for work. I'm embarrassed to admit this but I'm having to ration toilet paper. I'm down to my last two rolls. (I use a wash cloth for job #1.) I'm using left over soap bits to wash my clothes. Thank goodness for left over Walmart bags or I'd have nothing to put trash in. I'm having to brush my teeth without toothpaste. I used my last $2.00 to buy a carton of eggs. I needed food but couldn't think of anything else that I could stretch out over the next week or two. I had a yard sale and parted will many things I didn't want to sell, so I could have July's rent. My car insurance expired and all other bills have come due. One of my Senators, a Republican, is up for re-election in November. I will be at the polls to vote him out. I pray the rest of my state's unemployed do the same.
These people (repubs) have no idea of what reality is. They are just vulchers that troll America being paid millions of dollars out of the tax payers pockets and waiting for the next assignments to prey on he American people once again. The sad thing of it all is, they have their followers and unless this cycle is broken, America will discenergrate, and need not worry about the enemies outside, the repubs are the ENEMIES....