Jim Bunning Blocks Unemployment for 400-Thousand People

Jim Bunning isn't making many friends after blocking unemployment benefits. The Kentucky Republican Senator has put a stop to the potential unemployment extension thanks to his opinion that the country needs to not go further in debt. I think we'd all agree that the United States doesn't need to go further in debt. Wouldn't this block by Jim Bunning only compound the problem by taking money away from nearly a half a million people who are out of work?

How big is this blockage? If the unemployment rate is still around 10%, then it affects nearly one out of every ten people in the United States. It's huge. Jim Bunning might be responsible for a reported 400,000 to 1 million people not receiving their benefits this week and in the coming months. It's unlikely that an unemployment benefits package will not go through in the coming weeks-maybe sooner. The problem is that one person can dictate how so many people are treated.

Is Jim Bunning paying attention to why nobody is spending money? In a horrible economy, the last thing we need is to take unemployment benefits away from those who truly need it. Would this really be in the best interest of the country to deny benefits to a potential 1 million people who are out of work? The unemployment rate is still around 10 percent and there are 6 people for every job. Those are statistics that make it nearly impossible for 5 out of every 6 people to land a job.

Bunning has said he is for the unemployment extension but he wants to make sure that we have the means to pay for those benefits. This unemployment benefits extension saga is reaching a peak this week. Politicians scramble to figure out what could be a tragic situation for those who are unemployed. Jim Bunning can apparently act patient as 400,000 people this week lose their unemployment benefits.

The media isn't about to let the saga go down without a fight. There is video of Jim Bunning being followed by reporters on the Louisville Courier Journal website. Bunning is asked several times during the video about why he is blocking the unemployment benefits but doesn't provide an answer. Bunning only says "Excuse me" several times and tells the reporters that an elevator he hops on is to be used by just Senators. Bunning comes across in the video as a snob who thinks he is better than the reporters he is being pursued by. Only for Senators? Come on? While there may be truth in that-you wouldn't think any Senator would actually go there. Particularly not when members of the media are asking questions on behalf of so many people. Why didn't Jim Bunning answer the questions? If he has such a logical reason, then why isn't it good enough to tell the people who elected him and that he serves? It's awful that people who elected this guy are actually getting hurt by his actions. I think we all understand the ramifications of spending if money is not there. In this case, it's an emergency for so many people. When you have an emergency in your own individual household, you typically pay now and ask questions later.

A broader, more long term bill could save unemployment benefits and could be voted on as early as later this week. Let's hope Jim Bunning gets with the program. Jim Bunning probably doesn't need the money nor does he seem to care that so many people are affected by his decision. It just doesn't seem in the best interest of the country that a stubborn man is hurting so many people.