Feb 28 2010

For Your Consideration: Two Can Play the Same Game

(11 am. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

Jim Bunning Repeatedly Blocks Unemployment Benefits Extension, Tells Dem ‘Tough Shit’

Jim Bunning, a Republican from Kentucky, is single-handedly blocking Senate action needed to prevent an estimated 1.2 million American workers from prematurely losing their unemployment benefits next month.

As Democratic senators asked again and again for unanimous consent for a vote on a 30-day extension Thursday night, Bunning refused to go along.

And when Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) begged him to drop his objection, Politico reports, Bunning replied: “Tough shit.”

Bunning was more concerned about missing a basketball game than taking care of the unemployed in his state. The Senate went into recess for the weekend. without taking action.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the fence, someone decides to retaliate Ron Wyden To Block Other Extensions Until Senate Extends UI And COBRA Benefits

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has vowed to prevent the Senate from extending any other expiring laws until it extends unemployment benefits and subsidized health insurance for laid off workers.

Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) is single-handedly blocking Senate action needed to prevent an estimated 1.2 million American workers from prematurely losing their unemployment benefits next month. When, on the Senate floor, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) begged him to drop his objection Bunning replied: “Tough shit.”

The Senate adjourned on Friday without renewing the benefits. As a result, hundreds of thousands of people will stop receiving unemployment checks every week, starting Monday.

Too bad this didn’t happen before the voice vote on “The Patriot Act” took place. Let’s hope that Sen. “Milktaost” Reid and Rahm “the Enforcer” Emanuel don’t intercede on behalf of the Republicans.

h/t Atrios @ Eschaton

10 comments

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    • TMC on February 28, 2010 at 01:09
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    • #

    for some spine. Hope it’s contageous.

  2. the best GOP president evah, taking that crown from Bill Clinton.

  3. … so the there is going to be hell to pay on this on this Monday.

    Kentucky has about a quarter of a million unemployed people.

    The browser tells me the server is too busy to connect to the state of Kentucky’s unemployment claims webpage

    uiclaims.des.ky.gov

    Senator Bunning’s contact page for Kentuckians wishing to email  

    http://bunning.senate.gov/publ…

    Office Locations

    Home: Contact: Office Locations

    Washington, D.C.

    316 Hart Senate Office Building

    Washington, DC 20510

    Main: 202.224.4343

    Fax: 202.228.1373

    Map this | Directions To

    District 4 – Ft. Wright (Main State Office)

    1717 Dixie Highway

    Suite 220

    Ft. Wright, KY 41011

    Main: 859-341-2602

    Fax: 859.331.7445

    Toll free: 1-800-283-8983

    Map this | Directions To

    District 1 – Hopkinsville

    1100 S. Main Street

    Suite 12

    Hopkinsville, KY 42240

    Main: 270.885.1212

    Fax: 270.881.3975

    Toll free: 1-800-283-8983

    Map this | Directions To

    District 2 – Owensboro

    423 Frederica Street

    Room 305

    Owensboro, KY 42301

    Main: 270.689.9085

    Fax: 270.689.9158

    Toll free: 1-800-283-8983

    Map this | Directions To

    District 3 – Louisville

    600 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Place

    Room 1072 B

    Louisville, KY 40202

    Main: 502.582.5341

    Fax: 502.582.5344

    Toll free: 1-800-283-8983

    Map this | Directions To

    District 5 – Hazard

    Gorman Education Center

    601 Main St., Suite 2

    Hazard, KY 41701

    Main: 606.435.2390

    Fax: 606.435.1761

    Toll free: 1-800-283-8983

    Map this | Directions To

    District 6 – Lexington

    771 Corporate Dr.

    Suite 105

    Lexington, KY 40503

    Main: 859.219.2239

    Fax: 859.219.3269

    Toll free: 1-800-283-8983

    Map this | Directions To

    __________

    and for dessert, here’s a wonderful dumba$$ blog on redstate praising Bunning for “taking a stand”

    http://www.redstate.com/hogan/…


    The poor should not have sattelites

    jackhammer Friday, February 26th at 6:03AM EST (link)

    Seriously, you get absolutely adequate TV coverage with an antenna…in most metropolitan areas it is somehtign like 15 channels…and for some reason all the PBS channels always have 3-5 sub channels….

    But what I also find alarming is how unemployment insurance in the meantime is up to 99 weeks. Jsut as a reference, that is longer than anyone in social democratic Germany can get. unemployment insurance in Gemrany lasts 1 year max, and then you fall into a welfare system whcih depletes all your other income and savings reserves. The only ones coming close to 99 weeks are the category of people over 58 who have had at least 48 months of full employment, whose benefits can extend to 2 years…but otherwise America has officially become more generous to the unemployed than Europeans…..

  4. If the Dems had behaved this way from the day after they were sworn in, just think of what they could have accomplished by now.

  5. Fuck the IRS

    Write Joe Stack manifesto

    • TMC on March 1, 2010 at 17:21
      Author
    • #

    2000 Federal transportation agency workers were furloughed this morning. Funding for transportation was included in that bill. Perhaps there should be a rule that when people lose their jobs or benefits due to lack of action by congress, the legislatures should lose their pay and benefits. I know, you want some of the drugs I’m taking or what I’m smoking and if wished were horses we all have access to affordable health care.

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