Forgive my language this morning, folks. I don't like to get my blood pressure up this early on a Saturday morning, but this latest action by 40 Republicans plus Ben Nelson in the Senate in killing the extension of unemployment benefits really pisses me off. And every time one of these lying, elitist assholes opens their mouths it pisses me off that much more.
Like Olympia Snowe, who sent a letter to Harry Reid "urging" him to bring a stand-alone extension of unemployment benefits to the floor of the Senate next week. Nowhere in the letter did she say she would vote for it. That's because she won't. And neither would the other Republicans and that idiot Nelson. Snowe is just playing Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown--again. Reid should tell her to take a flying f*****g leap.
When are Snowe, Nelson, and the rest of the obstructionists going to compromise on something. Ever? The bill was watered down to accommodate them-just like the stimulus, health care, and everything else--and they still voted against it. Everything but the $33 billion for unemployment extension was offset, just like they wanted. Still they voted no.
This just in, you morons. People who get unemployment checks don't put them in the bank. They spend every dime of it on rent, or the mortgage, or food, or clothes. It's called economic stimulus, dipshits. Get a clue.
Then there's Diane Feinstein who, even though she voted for the extension, gives ammunition to the obstructionists when she continues to say stupid-ass things like this:
Bullshit. Nobody's getting rich off unemployment, Di. The average check for one of Feinstein's constituents in California is $450 a week. In San Francisco, where Feinstein and her rich hubby live, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $1709 a month. Which leaves $91 a month for things like food, electricity, water--minor things like that.
And forgive me but "somebody" from some unnamed company who says that "they've" offered jobs to people who would rather stay on unemployment is bullshit too. The unemployment rate in California is 12.4%, there are 6 people for every job opening. People want to work, there just aren't any jobs to be had. But when you're sitting on top of a cool 40 mil, like the Feinsteins are, you have no idea what life is like in the real world where the peasants live.
I won't even get into Nelson. The man is just a hopeless, clueless idiot with a terminal case of HUHAD (head up his ass disease). Why he doesn't just switch parties and be done with it, I don't know.
[End of rant]
Like Olympia Snowe, who sent a letter to Harry Reid "urging" him to bring a stand-alone extension of unemployment benefits to the floor of the Senate next week. Nowhere in the letter did she say she would vote for it. That's because she won't. And neither would the other Republicans and that idiot Nelson. Snowe is just playing Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown--again. Reid should tell her to take a flying f*****g leap.
When are Snowe, Nelson, and the rest of the obstructionists going to compromise on something. Ever? The bill was watered down to accommodate them-just like the stimulus, health care, and everything else--and they still voted against it. Everything but the $33 billion for unemployment extension was offset, just like they wanted. Still they voted no.
This just in, you morons. People who get unemployment checks don't put them in the bank. They spend every dime of it on rent, or the mortgage, or food, or clothes. It's called economic stimulus, dipshits. Get a clue.
Then there's Diane Feinstein who, even though she voted for the extension, gives ammunition to the obstructionists when she continues to say stupid-ass things like this:
"We have 99 weeks of unemployment insurance now. The question comes, how long do you continue that before people just don't go back to work at all?" she said..."And there isn't a lot of documentation on this. Last night for the first time I had somebody from a company tell me they've offered jobs to individuals and they said well, 'I want to not come back to work until my unemployment insurance runs out.' So we need to start looking at these things. And, we need to start paying for it."
Bullshit. Nobody's getting rich off unemployment, Di. The average check for one of Feinstein's constituents in California is $450 a week. In San Francisco, where Feinstein and her rich hubby live, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $1709 a month. Which leaves $91 a month for things like food, electricity, water--minor things like that.
And forgive me but "somebody" from some unnamed company who says that "they've" offered jobs to people who would rather stay on unemployment is bullshit too. The unemployment rate in California is 12.4%, there are 6 people for every job opening. People want to work, there just aren't any jobs to be had. But when you're sitting on top of a cool 40 mil, like the Feinsteins are, you have no idea what life is like in the real world where the peasants live.
I won't even get into Nelson. The man is just a hopeless, clueless idiot with a terminal case of HUHAD (head up his ass disease). Why he doesn't just switch parties and be done with it, I don't know.
[End of rant]
I'm getting in on this so late that I decided to "pinpoint" my comment.'
Who the hell names a BABY "Olympia". That's not a horrible name for an old woman. But a baby. Or a young girl??? That's just damn cruel. The only name I can think of worse than that is Clotilde.
After all, despite what right-wing *thinkers* say - employment is not the end result of wealthy people looking for something to do with their money, but instead, a measure and product of sound economic POLICY instituted by the government.
If I were King, I'd take Congress' paychecks out of their hands and put it as a percentage of median wages (NOT INCOME) - as they are supposed to be, after all, working people. Perhaps there could be a formulation that would subtract monies for every percentage of the populace unemployed above 4% too.
They need everyone to get back to work to help fuel their economic and military imperialist empire. Ever since WW1, and especially after WW2 this is how it has been. Nearly a hundred years of the same old crap and people still don't get it.
They just want to go back to giving the steady stream of money to the banking cartels and military contractors. What the average middle class American needs to survive? insignificant to them...
They can just print money or invade some 3rd world country for it's resources, whenever they need some pocket change.
Still I don't think everyone fully grasps what we are dealing with here. Look, because they found all those minerals in Afghanistan they have a reason to stay now, and want to get back to dumping billions of dollars into it.
"Afghanistan could eventually be transformed into one of the most important mining centers in the world, the United States officials believe. "
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html
If anyone thinks they are going to continue receiving unemployment for much longer you're crazy.
No unemployment insurance is an excellent recruiting tool. Republicants don't care about working people. Jobs? They helped to move those jobs to foreign countries with no backup plan for producing more jobs. Ronnie Reagan wanted the US to be a service industry economy. We are not important factors in achieving their goals. I have been paying into this unemployment ins pool for 25+ years and have been blessed never to draw from it; I am sure that there are many more like me. I want the Ben Nelson's of the Hill to know that most of us want people without jobs to have a means to keep a roof over their heads and to feed their families. People often times become desperate, especially when there is no food on the table and they face the possibility of living in a car or pushing a shopping cart down the street during the day. If only we could be assured that Nelson and his sidekicks are sent packing to the arms of their closest lobbyist. Since when did these people get religion and want to curtail spending? Wish that they would do the right thing so that we can prepare for Cheney's next swing after his most recent sympathy discomfort. Sure that he will be in front of a camera soon talking energy, etc, with a little sympathy wind at his back. He has been in hiding since the oil crisis, knowing that he was on a slippery slope with his energy deals.
Maven, here’s something from an economist who knows what he’s talking about. Mark Zandi at Moody’s:
“The two programs which get the most “bang for your buck” are extended unemployment insurance benefits and temporary increases in food stamps. Such provisions are particularly helpful because those hardest hit are most likely to spend the money they receive to help the economy instead of saving it or paying down debt. Measures that target those most in need generate $1.64 and $1.73 respectively for every dollar spent.”
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/01/case_econ_stimulus.html
OK, here's a real, live example of a typical Republican response that I heard from a supposedly Christian - but Republican - person I know.
I was fretting to this person about a dear friend of mine. Who is *this* close to being homeless. Who is having major difficulty getting disability money she is owed. And did I mention....*this* close to being homeless?
The Republican friend (maybe I should say "friend") responded as follows: "I guess she'll just have to make some lifestyle adjustments."
What the fuck?
Oh yeah, I'm sure maybe she'll enjoy giving up things like....food. Or a bed. Maybe she'll enjoy living in her CAR.
The fact that this "Christian" woman didn't see the absolute HEARTLESSNESS of her comment amazes me. But then again....she's a Glenn Beck devotee.
They make me sick.
And yet....you have absolutely no rebuttal, do you?
Just bluster and shit.
Poor you.
sounds like Feinstein is getting concerned there won't be enough votes left for bailing out Calif. if everyone votes for unemployment benefits now :)
the best thing for the economy as well as the best thing for social/moral policy is continuing un-employment benefits; people on un-employment spend those funds and thereby cause an economic multiplier effect instead of what happens when the top 1% of earners get a tax cut (they bank it).
spending is not a dirty word just because it is being invested in people instead of propping up Wall Street's $604 Trillion pile of derivatives - a pile that is 1400-1500% of annual U.S. GDP and 1000% of annual PLANETARY GDP which is used to generate transaction fees and ' sales volume ' increases as they trade the paper back and forth between themselves in order make their bonuses.
people needing to pay their light bill and eat trump Wall Street banksters 24/7.
Larry Summers? In 1999? Jeez Louise did you pull out the wrong person to make your case. Do you know what else Summers was saying then? That derivatives didn’t need to be regulated and that Glass-Steagall should be repealed. We all know how well those 2 brilliant idea worked out. Larry Summers knows economics like I know nuclear physics. I don’t care if he is the president’s adviser.
As a middle of the road, moderate Democrat (who has to admit I vote for people and not parties) I am disgusted and put off by Beck, Limbaugh, etc. as much as Maddow, Olbermann, etc. MSNBC has just become the left wing version of right wing Fox (or Faux) News, with about 1/10th the viewership. I suspect those of you on this blog who like the progressive, liberal, left wing, or whatever you want to call yourselves, viewpoints of politics and the world (and this blog is extremely so) will not see MSNBC and those heroes I mention as anything but correct, insightful, unbiased, and smart. This is also what the conservatives, right wing, or whatever they want to call themselves, think of Beck, Limbaugh, etc. So I see both ends of the political spectrum as equally biased, blinded by idealogy, and thus unreliable as sources of information. It is very hard these days to sort out objective facts in the political world, as much is just slanted opinion, and thus you have to look far and wide (thanks goodness for the internet and blogs) and do all the work yourself. Or at least I do, as I am not satisfied with one view of the world. If you are, fine, enjoy the simplicity and lack of work.
Beck/Limbaugh/Fox News said so. Funny coming from someone who supposedly has disdain from biased media.
PM,
Can you tell me what qualifies those people you mentioned as leftwing nuts. Seriously, detail by detail, please!
PM,
Can you tell me what qualifies those people you mentioned as leftwing nuts. Seriously, detail by detail, please!
Partisan? Feinstein is a Democrat. Nelson is a Democrat.
Garbage? Care to give some specifics?
AMEN!
FiredogLake had a good effect on Sen. Blanche Lincoln - looks like Sen. Ben (never used an ATM) Nelson, along with Snowe and Collins need some focus.
read and weep-
http://www.omaha.com/article/20100520/NEWS/705209844
Shortstuff,
Beyond that they are congenitally unable to care...and that's the root cause of every ill known to man.
It seems that my daughter's stepdad who was laid off from his 100k+ a year job is now a hobo because he won't go to work at McDonald's.
Them peoples is f*cked up...They cite an instance of hoboness and that's it...if it ain't them then the rest of the world is useless and residing in Hoboken.
What Shortstuff said!
Feel free to rant. I know I do and it makes me feel that much more sane when others are as angry as I am. How can these assholes face themselves in the mirror every morning?
How the f*** does the GOP get off calling themselves the party of "family values"? That's pure bullshit.
They are the ANTI-FAMILY party. They don't give a shit about real Americans who are hurting, who are unemployed, who are desperate. They. Just. Don't. Care.
Sorry blackhearted bastards, all of them.
You can rant any time, Des. I love how I think things and you write them down for me.
:-)