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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 121-150 of 450 total comments.
Tears…………. God Bless YOU Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. You are speaking w/our voice.
how can anyone argue with what Mr. Harkin is saying right now i draw my insurance from mississippi 235 bucks a week was making 21 dollars an hour could be makin that now if there was a job opening yet im lazy not looking at least someone “gets it”
They CANNOT argue…thats why they dont…they hide and play games and posture..that is the REPUBLICAN way! I am gald the Democrats are taking the floor today and using our words and feelings regarding the 4th and families etc..! The Republicans are probably busy with the 4th of July plans or talking about beaches and college baseball teams!! They have to go and this MUST be PASSED TODAY!!!
Love the analogy Harkin is making about ending antibiotics too early, and ending unemployment too soon, and the recovery being prolonged. So true! There cannot be recovery when there are even more homeless hungry people! I don’t know of anyone receiving unemployment that doesn’t have to spend every dime, in the community to keep going, nobody is able to save, and certainly nobody is getting rich off of unemployment!
I would suggest calling each Republican Senator just to let them know how badly this is needed. Be nice you will be talking to some young staffer. You can find all of the numbers on this site.
Screw being nice!! People have continued daily to call…that is their job to answer the phone and report the TRUE FEELINGS of the PEOPLE not disguised feelings and being polite..we are BEYOND that at this point. GET THIS DONE TODAY!!
From what I’ve read of your posts, you’d like us all to be as angry and bitter as you are, Revolution. Please stop trying to incite anger and hatred. YOU may be beyond being polite, but do not assume that I feel the same way. Take a deep breath and calm down. This situation is bad enough already.
P.S. I find that people are more likely to listen to what I’m saying when I’m polite. How many times have you been hung up on while you were reporting “the TRUE FEELINGS of the PEOPLE”?
“From what I’ve read of your posts”- go read them again…stop reading into them but read them…I am not trying to incite anythign except passing unemployment…Dont tell me what to do. I am from Boston and I will do what I know best…if that gets you and the republicans a little excited so be it…now go drink some tea and take your pills so you can stay calm….while I fight this battle. I have not been hung up on once and now how to get my point made.
Sometimes you have to take a stand and if we all thought your way…well, you may be living a territory owned by England. I am a Veteran, are you? I am the wrong target..go bother someone else. You sir, are an idiot.
Also, if there were a hypothetical situation where a man in Boston was approached by someone like you with your thoughts and words, you may find yourself searching the grounds for your teeth….or a phone to call someone with 3 numbers. Now go pass Unemployment assistance and make your polite phone calls. I bet you like skimmers and south carolina sports talk dont you?
indimom2010, please get a second opinion on that. Here on Texas, it says on the website, and I’ve confirmed this with a phone call, that when (!) the extension passes, we will be our back money. They even tell us to keep filing no matter what.
As for me, next week I’ll be going on the THIRD interview for a job that pays barely above minimum wage. I’m not complaining, it’s the only interview I’ve gotten in forever. But, it’s got to say something about the job market that one has to jump through so may hoops to make so little. Assuming I get lucky, I’ll gladly take it, because all my UI tiers will be exhausted at the end of July anyway, and I have just enough to make through this next month barring any more extensions. And if it doesn’t work out, well… our Gov.Perry is living in a $10,000-a-month house that the Texas taxpayers are paying for, so I’m gonna pitch a tent on his lawn if I lose my apartment.
I wonder what they would be doing if they were the ones without jobs and without unemployment?When we vote, we have the power to put them out of work
Even if they are voted out, they have a lifetime of privileges they will continue to enjoy, they will never know the desperation of the long term unemployed that literally have NO safety net beneath them.
I did not know how Robert Byrd stood on many issues. I am just hearing this now that he is getting such wonderful tributes. BUT… if he is the man of these many tributes, I feel, if he could speak right now, he’d say “Get on with helping these people in need and speak of me afterwards”
I’m a 25 year old White female Architect. I put my race because I want to make it known that I now know what so many of the minorities in this country have gone through for decades.My parents, staunch republican’s can NOT believe what’s happening. Why? Well just because it’s happening to their daughter. I will be the first to admit that if I wasn’t going through unemployment they would be along side every Republican and Democrat that has voted against this Extension.
I was apart of a firm that laid of 70 Architects over a two years span. It’s been a little over a year and half and guess how many of those 70 have found jobs,,,,2,,,,, that’s it. It’s no longer a situation about people who don’t want to work.I’m working customer service for Best Buy to supplement UI just to make ends meet and UI will end in 3 short weeks.
Even when I get a job I’m going to remember this time in my life and will never again trust in our government to do whats right.
Well we can only hope that the one senator does the right thing. Alot of lives hang in the balance of this one vote. I just don’t understand how they can’t just pass the bill. Defecit I understand but there is many many lives at stake here. It’s all up to the senate lets just hope they do the Americans good.
if u notice on cspan the house reps are debating reform for financial regulations THEY ARE WORKING it might not be what i want them to be debating right now but they are there actively debating the issue to get it done why is the senate only making speeches thats all theyve done all week if not in quaruom (spelling) call no work ive seen whatsoever and they get 10+ days off in a few im disgusted get people in there start WORKING FOR YOUR GOOD PAY not just making speeches that isnt heard by the people that arent there
Have they even brought this bill to vote today?? Are they going to stuff it through tomorrow? When will it take effect? Did they take away the extra $25 a month??
no votes today in senate yet only speeches god i feel like a political reporter which ive never paid this much attention to not sure about the 25 bucks talk talk talk talk talk i have cspan 1 on tv and cspan 2 on puter going at same time house of reps has made at least 6 votes already today where are the senators working
I don’t think the $25 is part of it. However, I believe extending Cobra benefits is. Not sure though.
Mojo>> when I read the bill they were going to put through it said it was going to remove the extra $25 a week we get ( stimulus money) which lowered the money that was being put out for us.. the unemployed. That paltry amount allows me to have food and pay for utlilites. Dropping that amount is scary.
Kerlynne, Yes, I hear ya…that $25 /week really helped me too. That is part of the Stimulus that Obama and Dems put together. Obama really understands. Remember, after he came out of Harvard Law he could have gone to any number of large corporations, but he opted to work with poor communities in Chicago. I bet lots of folks don’t know that or choose to forget it because they dislike him so much.
Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) on Wednesday urged Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to offset at least half the cost of extending unemployment benefits by using unspent stimulus funds, but Reid refused.
“He flatly rejected this request even though Democratic Leadership was going to take $10 billion from the stimulus to help pay for business tax breaks just last week,” Voinovich said in prepared remarks. “My concern is that Democrats are more interested in having this issue to demagogue for political gamesmanship than they are in simply passing the benefits extension. I came to the table with a fair compromise and the ball is in their court.”
The statement indicates that Voinovich would support the measure if Reid met him half way and paid for half the bill.
http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/801-economy/106505-voinovich-urges-reid-to-use-stimulus-funds-to-pay-for-unemployment
they reject that thinking because theyre taking money away from creating jobs ie stimulus to pay for ui benefits which in the history of the senate has never had to be paid for doesnt make sense to take money from creating jobs to pay for this when jobs is what we need im not a democrat used to think of myself as republican so im not drawing party lines just saying what ive been hearing and the sense it makes to me
So what’s the word???
http://www.examiner.com/x-27052-Rochester-Unemployment-Examiner~y2010m6d30-Extended-unemployment-benefits-Senate-still-one-vote-short-of-passing-unemployment-extension
CONGRESS MUST ACT NOW: The people who truly need this money don’t care where it comes from. Congress is playing politics at the cost of driving Americans to poverty. Neither side is “good” in this situation. Bipartisanship is putting unemployed Americans out on the streets. I’m tired of calling senators. I’m tired of asking people to help contact congress. I’m tired of reading all the BS press on “finger pointing”. I’m asking congress to be proactive and nothing is happening. I have worked very hard my entire life and I feel like I am a pawn in their political game. My benefits just ran out in June and I have been unemployed 6 months. I apply for countless jobs everyday. I’m an educated, hard working person and I cannot get a job. I have applied to mow lawns, wash cars and cook fast food just to pay bills. They are all not hiring. I don’t do drugs and I am not lazy. I’m just tired of this whole situation and I demand resolution.
see right now quorum call not enough people in senate to debate WHY IS THIS THE HOUSE OF REPS HAS BEEN ACTIVELY WORKING ALL DAY this is what upsets me the most someone please explain this to me
Can a girl get a job? Congress needs a reality check I say we reduce their salaries to what they would get on UI and watch how fast they would pass an extension. You can’t go sailing and go to clam bakes on that!
It’s been over 1 month now since my husband has recieved unemployment. He was waiting on his first extension at the end of May come to find out that the politics stopped unemployment. 1 month is along time to not have any income come in. Shut off notice on all the bills. Felt guilty when I took my kids piggy bank to buy food but had to eat. Now everthing is gone. It’s a sad day that they let familie go hungry and in the dark while they party on our tax dollars.
MOMof2inindiana>> girl you’re making me cry. Just last month I broke into my penny bank that I have kept since I can’t save anything anymore but the penny’s it get some gas and some milk and eggs. I had $10 in penny’s. Last week my neighbors gave me some cash to buy grocery’s. I have just enough to pay rent, utlities and some groceries. I am so sick of living like this.