The Plight of the Unemployed & Republican Intransigence

Sometimes I wonder why certain bills in Congress, intended to save jobs, have such a small number attached to it. The recently approved State Aid bill of $26 billion may not be that small, but in the chambers where our ever increasingly tiresome economic recession has been vetted & responded to, we've seen far greater numbers go to war spending, bank bail outs, & automobile manufacturers.

Only two Republicans were reported to have joined the cause, in the midst of repeated incidents of Republicans & most recently, the House Minority Leader, Republican John Boehner, predictably criticizing the Obama administration & the Democrats for their economic stimulus plans, and/or purported lack of concern for job growth.

Since the Obama administration took office in January of 2009, it has become extremely depressing yet easy to acknowledge that the Republicans believe there is only one side to every coin. The GOP's incessant dogma exploiting a dubious reason for market uncertainty & the inconsistent dangers of government spending is an example of despicable intransigence that is holding economic growth back & should be enough to fire all Republicans in 2010 by way of voting them out, but I'm not that naive.

If Republicans are really concerned about the well being of all Americans, they'd let go of (at least for the time being) their crippling defense of the flawed private sector & allow for a more certain approach to job growth. Although government or public jobs may be a fabrication of job growth in their eyes, no one can deny the impact that an increase in income would have on the market, especially in a country that relies so heavily on consumption to grease its wheels.

Just a few short days ago, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that "This year, the share of young people who were employed in July was 48.9 percent, the lowest July rate on record for the series, which began in 1948."

The Republicans in the House & Senate certainly don't seem fixed on securing a prosperous financial state for this particular population of our nation's youth in the weeks and months ahead, but are they willing to capitulate temporarily for the well being of their long term future? Given the Republicans' rhetoric and track record, I wouldn't bet on it. Besides, chances are that coin's missing its better half.