Tier 5 Unemployment Benefits: Why the Democrats in Congress May Not Want to Extend Your Benefits

Will Congress pass Tier 5 unemployment benefits? As the recession drags on with no real end in sight, millions of the long term unemployed have already begun to run out of benefits. Called "ninety-niners" because they are near to or already have run through their historic ninety-nine weeks of unemployment benefits, many of these unfortunate souls now rest their hopes for another unemployment benefits extension or "Tier 5" on the Democrats in Congress. That hope may be misplaced, however, as it doesn't seem this crop of Democrats do much of anything either on principal or for the sake of their constituents - Only for political expedience, under threat, or for a bribe.

While the notably biased press as well as the Democrats in Congress have criticized fiscally conservative Republicans for holding up unemployment benefit extension bills asking only for a way to pay for such an expenditure, the Democrats have truly been the ones using the sensitive issue to make political hay. Certainly more spending without a way to pay for it is detrimental to this nation's economic prospects as well as to unemployment, both short and long term. So the Republicans have even provided means to pay for previous unemployment filing date extensions. Yet, in the interest of continuing to spend with abandon while painting the Republicans as cold-hearted obstructionists, the Dems insisted on passing the unemployment benefits extension bills and simply adding them to their already astronomical deficit. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) even went so far as to trick Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) for his vote earlier this year, first striking a deal paying for a benefits extension, then reneging on that deal. (See "Unemployment Benefits Extension Delayed: Was Senator Jim Bunning Right?") So who's playing who?

But now a new dynamic has begun to press down upon the beleaguered Congressional Democrats. As their overwhelmingly unpopular and unproductive policies and sleazy tactics have taken them to record low approval ratings and cries to "Throw the bums out!", most encumbent Democrats have good reason to fear for their political lives come November. Clearly, thinking Americans increasingly see little benefit to anything this administration or Congress have done over the past 16 months.

So the dems need a win, and a big one, before the November midterm elections if they want to have any hope of keeping their seats. The only win that could make that difference? In the words of Bill Clinton, "It's the economy, stupid". And not just any indicator of economic improvement. The only sign that could possibly convince the American people that the economy is actually getting better is for unemployment to begin to come down.

Herein lies the Democrats' dirty little secret. Americans whose unemployment benefits have run out are no longer counted in the unemployment figures. Once a ninety-niner runs through his or her ninety-nine weeks or 4th Tier of unemployment benefits, they fall off the unemployment rolls, making it appear that unemployment is going down. Allowing several million people to run out of benefits and off the rolls will allow the administration to site declining unemployment and, thus, allow the President and the dems in Congress to brag about the economic recovery. Timed just right - to show a few months of declining unemployment before the fresh barrage of bankruptcies, foreclosures and homeless welfare recipients can make the news (if the liberal media would even report it) - the Democrats could benefit from avoiding adding Tier 5 unemployment benefits. Citizens be damned. And, of course, Republicans be blamed.

If you think this sounds too cynical or conspiratorial to possibly be true, consider that this last month the President and many of the Democrats in Congress have bragged about the 431,000 jobs created in May. We all know, of course, that all but 41,000 of those jobs were TEMPORARY CENSUS jobs, employment intended only to last a few months. Consider further, however, that census workers from all over the country have reported that they have been hired and trained only to be fired and rehired, sometimes several times, or some never hired back after only a few days work, all in an effort to manipulate the unemployment figures.

Tier 5 unemployment benefits are an essential lifeline to millions of long term unemployed Americans, many with families, who have worked hard and played by the rules all their lives. We ask only that those we've sent to Washington to represent us play fairly with us and extend these benefits so we can survive this horrible economic environment they've created rather than use us for their own political gain. I agree with the Republicans that we should pay as we go. Fortunately, only half of the "stimulus" has been spent, so paying for this necessary assistance should not be an issue. But I do hope that all will realize that, contrary to what many seem to believe on both ends of the political spectrum, ending unemployment benefits to people does not create jobs for them to take. Until this government, this President and this Congress stop this insane social engineering track they are on, and until they free the private sector of the American economy to go back to creating wealth AND JOBS again, the only way millions of Americans will survive is through the passage of Tier 5 unemployment benefits, an extension of the ninety-nine weeks.