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Just One Vote
June 30, 2010 - by Donny Shaw
A single senator now stands between millions of unemployed Americans and the extension of unemployment insurance benefits they need in order to feed their families and gas up their cars to get to job interviews. The Hill reports:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Wednesday said two Republicans will support his new extension to unemployment benefits and that he is hopeful a third and final Republican will eventually back the bill.
“If we had Senator Byrd’s replacement we would have 60,” he told reporters. “We have to wait and see what a couple of Republicans do.”
Reid did not say which Republicans have chosen to support the bill, but one of them is expected to be Sen. Olympia Snowe (Maine), who last week said she would support a stand-alone extension of unemployment benefits.
We’ll know later today or tomorrow morning if the Republicans and conservative Sen. Ben Nelson [D, NE] (pictured) are going let the Democrats’ latest attempt at passing an extension, and the last attempt before they leave for July 4 recess, get an up-or-down vote.
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Comments
Displaying 91-120 of 450 total comments.
To Bobbybixler’s comment above. Where are all the jobs? Here where I live. Ceneca Aircraft has shut down all 3 plants and taken them to Mexico, Dell has shut down and is moving to Mexico, Charbroil Grills has moved to China, I could go on and on and this just in my small town. Foreigners are buying all the local brick and mortar busineses and they will not hire because they bring relatives over here to work. One foreigner offered me part time at a convenience store at 5.00 an hour under the table, I said fine, but I am American and I must report my earnings to IRS, I will pay my own taxes, SS, etc. He said No! No! Get out! This is why I can’t get a job! By the way, I was working at an American owned grocery store for years but the owners wanted to retire and they sold to foreigners! They refused to give me a job and only foreigners work there. It is so so sad I don’t know what to do.
Lookup… you are so right!! The non americans come in and buy up vital business and import their families and take away jobs. I have seen it over and over here in Washington State. Even Microsoft is known as “Little India”. I know everyone deserves a chance to improve themselves but we need to take care of our own first. There has to be some reform on immigration and work. Why do I see this future of divided states that become little countries of there own?? This is sick and wrong. I feel a bit shameful but when you go looking for jobs and food for you family…. very confusing and wrong.
The Neilson Family has a huge plant in Florida. As of right now, 90% of the people that work there are from India and barely speak english. Obama needs to pass a law that heavily taxes all business owners who have moved their plants to other countries or who have plants here in America but do not have American people working there. So when is that going to happen?
We have billions for war and no money to help Americans through this crisis. The Iraq war was not paid for… the Reps had no problem with that. The Bush tax cuts were not paid for and the Reps all voted for that. If you’re a big business you have it made in this country. The average joe the Reps don’t care if you have food on your table. They figure that the poor, unemployed people aren’t voting for them anyway. I’m not unemployed but I do know two ladies that are and they can not find a job in Nevada.
Remember this vote in November.
When they pass this today or tomorrow, and I am remaining positive that they will, will we get our back pay? Its going to take me forever and a day to get caught up if they dont.
Sen Bill Nelson a Democrat from Florida will not be getting my vote ever! I think he was the only Democrat to vote against this bill.
It was Ben Nelson, Democrat from Nebraska, who continues to be lone Democrat to vote against.
I am a single mother with cancer, was laid off from my job of 6 years in Dec, I only drew unemployment for 6 months. Now after already loosing my home due to being laid off from a good job Ive now lost my unemployment and looks like I will loose this home too. I can no longer afford my perscriptions or Dr visits. Ive been faithfully looking for a job from the day after I got laid off. I am even willing to take a job at minium wage. But very few interviews and no job offers. How can they do this to us and sleep at night? how can they go off and enjoy a holiday knowing that so many of us are desperate? We really need to pray for this country and its leaders. Stop sending money over seas and start helping the American people!
I live in Indiana…. I call the unemployment office they tell me there will be no retro pay…..when they pass the extension.
In Indiana they say no retro pay…. I will just be happy to get this passed. It would be nice if they would do retro pay though…….so many people are hurting it is so SAD !!!!!!!
Please visit GiveUsOurMoney(dot) org for the latest on this crisis. If this bill does not pass, there is a revolutionary 50 state protest on Friday.
Please take a look.
god bless the ohio sentor mr brown thank god for u
I blame the Republicans for this simpley because Bush came into office with a surplus in the billions of dollars and a growing economy.And in 8 years created the largest defecit in our history and lead us to 2 wars that are not paid for and now when it comes to helping hard working Americans these hipacrits are worried about paying for extended UI benifits its unbelieveable This is the NO party the NO party has to GO!
rep sheldon brown just made the most obvious remark on cspan 2 this isnt unemployment welfare its unemployment INSURANCE i worked 9.5 years paying into this just from last job yet repubes are saying its a handout
rep sheldon brown just made the most obvious remark on cspan 2 this isnt unemployment welfare its unemployment INSURANCE i worked 9.5 years paying into this just from last job yet repubes are saying its a handout
sherrod brown opps sorry for the misnaming and double post
This guy Sherrod is as right as you can be.
I WANT STABILITY. I WANT A JOB. I’VE TRIED SO HARD I’
PLEASE DON’T TURN YOUR BACK ON US. I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO LANDING A JOB TO GET OUT OF THIS HELL I AM IN…
Let’s get deadly serious for a moment. We are in a deep, financial crisis. Millions of Americans are loosing their Unemployment INSURANCE, today. If we fail to act quickly, our neighbors will loose their homes, their healthcare, their autos, and their ability to feed their families.
Families will be displaced or broken up; Homes will go up for sale or be destroyed in our neighborhoods; people will go without healthcare; some will starve; our social service systems will be pushed until they falter. Every one unemployed person may have a spouse or a child or children, or parent who depends on them. For every one unemployed person, 3, 4, or more may be directly affected by the loss of their insurance. Those who have already lost their Insurance may no longer be counted in the unemployed ranks. The figure could be in the double digit millions and why, because we are worried now about debt? Its time we stand up and fight for the AMERICAN PEOPLE.
I am glad someone is listening….(Harkin)..but they need to pass this NOW!! Enough talk and posturing! Put the people on the floor and make them vote!! This is a big game. This idiot from Florida talking about beaches-right now people may be living there soon dur to their failure to act…all they do is point fingers about non sense-people are hungry and he’s talking about SKIMMERS!! Get him out of office he is a disgrace and should be removed for failure to fullfill his duty…!Get this done NOW!! We had a Revolution to take and keep our freedoms and we usually celebrate that on 4th of July…we can do it again!! If this fails, I can see alot of people taking to the streets!! GET IT DONE NOW!! The AMERICAN people have spoken!!
I agree that UE benefits need to be restored, however do recognize that the failure of action on the oil spill is going to worsen the job situation, as there will be more unemployed workers competing for even fewer jobs as the seafood, tourism, and related industries suffer. Addressing that is his duty, and ultimately does affect the job market.
NOT RIGHT NOW IT ISNT!! PASS the UNEMPLOYMENT FIRST-THAT IS A CRISIS, not skimmers!! My point is he should be concentrating on helping the already unemployed that grows by the week and they have no income. He is an idiot-he is stalling and not addressign THE CRITICAL ISSUE-AMERICANS with ZERO/NONE/ZERO…..ZERO…ZERO to support their families NOW,…not next week, not next month…some already have had ZERO for 3+ weeks…Talk about this crap later..the issue is AMERICAN FAMILIES NOT Skimmers…. His duty is to protect the american families that need it most-this is not a hard decision VOTE and get the assistance out now….THEN talk about whatever you want because of duty etc…This is stupid!! Get it through your head, read the posts and other sites…
Getting the skimmers quickly to the gulf will minimize the environmental and economic impact. The whole point he was trying to make was the lack of urgency.
I don’t disagree with the face that the unemployment crisis is urgent, but for crying out loud, most of what they’ve been talking about today has not been urgent, has it? I think they should be locked on the Hill until they get this resolved and restore payments.
If the Republicans were not stalling, no one would be waiting for them to talk or vote-it would be done..That is my point..the Democrats cant talk about anythign else or do anything else unless the Republicans give some sign that they will support unemployment assistance-thats what the Republicans should be talking about not talkign about South Carolina College baseball teams or skimmers in Florida…UNTIL this is done—they are avoiding it and have been doing so. Everythign else can be a second priority but they stand up there like nothign else is going on pleading for help on non issues. Let them argue/debate etc on anything and everythign after this is done-time is running out.
I think every democrat at the mic has spent a lot of time eulogizing Sen Byrd, the funeral isn’t today, I agree he deserves recognition, but if urgency is what the democrats want, why not wait to give those speeches too? At least skimmers in the Gulf is part of their jobs.
I agree on the Byrd piece-go read my post I placed on the article regardign byrd on the blog page a few days ago. I do not want to hear ANYTHING other than unemployment assistance being passed from anyone. We wouldnt be waiting for anything if it was passed already but due to Republicans we are wasting more time and going no where. I think URGENCY is what all AMERICANS want not just Democrats..there are also Republicans on unemployment who have families…I want ALL AMERICANS to get the help they need..REPUBLICAN SENATORS are blocking that. You are obviously missing the point on skimmers and college baseball teams…maybe it will sink in later.
Harkin gets it…tune in.
Another day with applications, another day of no openings, one stating they only wanted people who already have jobs (unemployed need not apply), one stating they will not accept any applications, one a minimum wage part time, the other with about two hundred apps for one job and the last a contract (use your own tools and truck, liability insurance for the job must be self provided.) To all of you who look down at the rest of us who fell on hard times, say that we are lazy and hooked on a government handout, these are the jobs that are out there. Pray you don’t loose your jobs anytime soon. I had to cash in my retirement and have refused to go for welfare which shows that most of us are not wanting anything but to be self reliant.