Democrats Block Unemployment Benefits Extensions

By tomorrow, another 1.2 Million unemployed will have lost their benefits extension lifeline because the Democrats continue to refuse to tighten their own belts and use some of the unallocated "stimulus" money to pay for the Unemployment Benefits "Extenders" bill.

Researching what has happened so far and what is likely to take place next week, I see and hear the same canned sound bites from the liberal news media and Democrat talking heads. Even Obama and Biden have chimed in with more hollow political rhetoric, accusing the Republicans of being "obstructionists', painting them as cruel and heartless politicians that don't care about the needs of the people, and accusing them of blocking the Unemployment Benefits Extensions.

Oh really?

Digging deeper I learn more about the amendment that Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) offered to HR-4213, the "Extenders" bill:

I learn that Senator Thune's amendment would fully pay for Unemployment Benefits Extensions and the majority of the provisions in the original bill while actually reducing the nation's massive deficit by $68 Billion. The Baucus Bill (Dem - Montana) increased spending by $100 billion and increased the deficit by over $50 billion over ten years.

I learn that Senator Thune's amendment preserved all of our unemployment benefits at their previous level, including the $25 per week FAC addition (from the 2009 "Stimulus" bill). The Democrats' revised bill eliminates that $100 per month from our benefits; their effort to reduce the cost of the bill. (Read: "Now Senate Democrats Want to Reduce Your Benefits to Pay For Them")

I learn that Senator Thune's amendment took care of the "doctor fix" through 2011, as HR-4213 originally called for. The Democrats, refusing sensible options, ultimately bifurcated the doctor fix from the rest of the bill and passed it alone, but only for a few more months.

I learn that Senator Thune's amendment reduced taxes for families and small businesses by $26 billion. Senator Baucus' bill increases taxes by over $70 billion. (Raising taxes reduces what people have to spend in the private sector, hurting struggling families and businesses and potentially costing more jobs and further stalling the economy.)

I learn that while Senator Baucus' bill is not paid for and only increases the deficit, further damaging our nation and it's economy, Senator Thune's amendment paid for the entire bill, including the unemployment benefits extension through November, by, among other things -

- taking advantage of unused and unallocated stimulus funds - Money that is already there, waiting.

- selling off unused federal property.

-collecting over $3 billion in unpaid federal income taxes from FEDERAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES. (Gee, I have to pay income taxes on my unemployment benefits checks! Why wouldn't the Dems want to do this rather than reduce our unemployment benefits by $100 a month??)

- freezing federal salaries (If this isn't a no brainer ... )

-cutting federal spending 5% across the board (You know, having the Dems tighten THEIR belts, too, rather than just continuing to pick Americans' pockets.)

Of course, the majority of the Democrats voted against the Thune Amendment. They voted against what was best, not only for the unemployed, but for the economy and the country at large. Honestly, can you think of a reason NOT to collect unpaid taxes from government employees? Can you think of a reason NOT to sell unused government property? Can you think of a reason NOT to use unused stimulus funds? Do you really think our bloated government would suffer with a 5% across the board cut in spending? DO YOU REALLY STILL THINK THE DEMOCRATS CARE ABOUT THE UNEMPLOYED? YOU? ME? Or, could it be, they're doing this and spinning it as they do - for political gain??

If you're still not convinced, let me also point out to you that back on June 10, as it was already becoming apparent that the "Extenders" bill was not going to be agreed upon quickly and that hundreds of thousands of unemployed people would be losing their benefits while waiting on the Senate decision, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) offered an emergency unemployment benefits extension of 30 days while the larger bill was debated. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev), however, turned him down flat, preferring to withhold desperately needed benefits from hundreds of thousands of Americans while simultaneously accusing the Republicans of "obstructionism" for trying to extend benefits for the unemployed without continuing to contribute to the destruction of the nation at the same time.

While everyone agrees these short extensions and having to return to the debate over and over again are painful, the Republicans tried to prevent us from losing our unemployment benefits while they debated the longer extension.

So I have to ask, could it be that the Democrats would prefer the opportunity to increase our pain and our anger while demonizing the Republicans for political gain?

Could it be that the Democrats wouldn't pass any bill extending our benefits that a Republican wrote, no matter how much sense it made, no matter how much better it was for the unemployed, no matter how good it was for the entire country and the sputtering economy - no matter what?

Could it be that the Democrats might BENEFIT from every last one of us losing our benefits and, thus, falling off the unemployment roles all together and giving the appearance of a reduction in the misleading unemployment figure they report, just before the coming November election? (Read: 'Why the Democrats May Not Want to Extend Your Benefits")

Call me cynical, but from what I can see, it's the Democrats that are the obstructionists; the Democrats that are playing politics with the unemployed; the Democrats that have blocked our Unemployment Benefits Extension. If the Republicans are finding their way back to fiscal responsibility again after years of spending like liberals, I'm all for it. And with his amendment, Senator Thune demonstrated once again that this country can have her compassion - and her sanity, too.

Sources: (Note: I apologize that I am having difficulty with this platform allowing me to include my sources for you in the usual and proper manner. In the interest of getting you the information, however, I have included some of them in a modified format, still allowing you to find the links. Hopefully the problem will be resolved for future articles.)

For Information on Senator Thune's Amendment, click here

Senator Mitch McConnell's 30-day extension, click here

The Senate's Missed Opportunity, click here

McConnell urges Senate to vote for fully paid "Extenders" bill, click here

Democrats put unemployment benefits at the top of the chopping block, click here

Excellent information, charts and graphs on the costs of the entire "Extenders" bill and its transformation over the course of the debate, click here