Had to cut those food stamps--nope, that $8 billion was just too much. Can't approve an extension for all those poor bastards out of work thanks to the foolhardiness of Wall Street--can't afford that. Can't afford Obamacare, can't afford spending on our deteriorating infrastructure, can't afford to spend on universal pre-k, and definitely can't afford to give raises to teachers, firemen, and police officers. Hell, we can't even afford to take care of those who selflessly served our country.
Know what we can afford? $13.2 billion to Boeing. $5.6 billion to Alcoa. $3.9 billion to Intel. $3.5 billion to GM. $2.5 billion to Ford. In all, over $110 billion dollars in our taxes for subsidies to business, with 3 out of four dollars going to less than 1000 large corporations.
I think very few of us mind having our taxes used to help start up companies or to give tax breaks to small businesses. But billions of dollars to billion dollar entities? Socialism, my ass--let these fuckers make it or break it on their own.
Frankly, I can think of many much better uses for my tax dollars than padding the bottom line so incompetent boobs can get bigger bonuses from their corporate boards.
Peace,
emaycee
Showing posts with label Unemployment extension. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Unemployment extension. Show all posts
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Friday, December 20, 2013
1.3 million
That's the number of Americans whose unemployment benefits are set to end a week from tomorrow, because Congress failed to grant them an unemployment benefit extension.
While Democrats can be faulted for valuing a budget deal more than the needs of the unemployed (remember that unemployment is still at 7%, with a UE over 13%--and that there are three job seekers for every job opening), Senate Dems have at least invoked cloture setting up a vote for a retroactive extension for early January (House Dems never had a chance--working half the month proved too much for House republicans and they left town long ago).
Let's face it--this is a big part of the republican agenda to continuously fuck over those in need. And Democrats need to make republicans own the failure to extend the unemployment benefits.
There's a great scene in It's a Wonderful Life where George Bailey's guardian angel Clarence asks him how he can help. Bailey asks if he happens to have the $8000 he needs, and Clarence responds that they don't need money in heaven. To which Bailey replies, "Well, it comes in pretty handy down here, Bub."
It's high time republicans were knocked off their lofty perches and had the common wants and common cares of the working folks of America shoved in their faces. If nothing else, it will show many Americans it's actually the Democrats, for all their faults, who have their backs.
And that when American families are hurting financially, the money received from unemployment compensation comes in pretty handy.
Peace,
emaycee
While Democrats can be faulted for valuing a budget deal more than the needs of the unemployed (remember that unemployment is still at 7%, with a UE over 13%--and that there are three job seekers for every job opening), Senate Dems have at least invoked cloture setting up a vote for a retroactive extension for early January (House Dems never had a chance--working half the month proved too much for House republicans and they left town long ago).
Let's face it--this is a big part of the republican agenda to continuously fuck over those in need. And Democrats need to make republicans own the failure to extend the unemployment benefits.
There's a great scene in It's a Wonderful Life where George Bailey's guardian angel Clarence asks him how he can help. Bailey asks if he happens to have the $8000 he needs, and Clarence responds that they don't need money in heaven. To which Bailey replies, "Well, it comes in pretty handy down here, Bub."
It's high time republicans were knocked off their lofty perches and had the common wants and common cares of the working folks of America shoved in their faces. If nothing else, it will show many Americans it's actually the Democrats, for all their faults, who have their backs.
And that when American families are hurting financially, the money received from unemployment compensation comes in pretty handy.
Peace,
emaycee
Saturday, June 19, 2010
How can a poor man stand such times and live?
It was the worst of times, it was the best of times...
So the Senate failed to pass another extension for unemployment, helping to guarantee a probable double-dip recession with the usual suspects (Repuglicans, Conservadems) feeling they are practicing some tough love--you know, because taking a $7.00 an hour job for 10 hours a week is a sacrifice the working class has to make. But keeping six figure salary doctors Medicaid payouts? Hell, yes, we're there.
And to no one's surprise, who's jumped on this crusade? None other than fresh from the psycho ward unit in Kentucky, Rand Paul. Of course the little people have to sacrifice--but not Mr. Paul, the optometrist who receives between 300k and 500k of his income from Medicaid payouts. He can't take a 21% hit, but the unemployed are supposed to take a cut from $300 a week to $100 a week? Five little words: Fuck you, next idiot please!
Chris Hayes from The Nation had an excellent piece this week on corporate accountability and individual accountability and the path we've been snookered down. We're always being asked to forgive corporate failures, but expected to take a hard line on individual failings. What the fuck? I suppose part of this (at least to my thinking) stems from the sheer power of corporations and our inability to defeat them which leads to apathy, but eventually you'd think we'd say enough is enough and fight back for Christ's sake. Of course, it doesn't help, either, that the average American is always being fed some bugaboo (gay marriage, the war on terror, socialism, illegal immigration) which is supposedly destroying our country but is really only a diversion to make us forget how much we're being screwed by the corporate interests and the wealthy.
Courage? For fuck's sake, that's what they're calling selling out your core constituency and sticking a knife in the back of working people? (Frankly, anyone who thinks teachers are overpaid or have overly generous benefits is a flat out fucking idiot). The truly heinous part of this is that the Free Press actually has people writing its editorials who believe for one minute that somehow this is going to cause Repuglicans to take a look at tax reform. Repuglicans have never acted in the best interests of the people, and never will act in the interest of the people. As stated so eloquently by Mr. Lewis of the Daily Kos, "Republicans are not on your side." The word that best describes these 16 Democrats (so-called): saps.
The best of times--we did have a few good ones this week....
Bob King was elected President of the UAW, and judging from his acceptance speech (though union leaders often do become members of the elite), appears to be taking the union leftward with calls for social justice, fighting for workers around the globe, and taking on anti-union forces. A quote: "We will never ever have success where our membership is concerned if we are not part of a large, broader social movement." Preach it, brother.
Even better was President of the AFL-CIO Richard Trumka's speech on illegal immigration, calling on union members to support them and reminding us (yet again) that we are a nation of immigrants. From both of these I see unions trending farther left, and while their influence has waned in recent years, if past history is any precedent (think the thirties), when the unions turn leftward, things get a whole hell of a lot better for the working class. Bravo!
Digby on why we still need to support the Democratic Party: she is exactly right, things could get much worse, and for right now, it's the only option liberals have. We have to keep fighting.
Or, in the words of Samuel Beckett: "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." Amen.
Peace,
emaycee
So the Senate failed to pass another extension for unemployment, helping to guarantee a probable double-dip recession with the usual suspects (Repuglicans, Conservadems) feeling they are practicing some tough love--you know, because taking a $7.00 an hour job for 10 hours a week is a sacrifice the working class has to make. But keeping six figure salary doctors Medicaid payouts? Hell, yes, we're there.
And to no one's surprise, who's jumped on this crusade? None other than fresh from the psycho ward unit in Kentucky, Rand Paul. Of course the little people have to sacrifice--but not Mr. Paul, the optometrist who receives between 300k and 500k of his income from Medicaid payouts. He can't take a 21% hit, but the unemployed are supposed to take a cut from $300 a week to $100 a week? Five little words: Fuck you, next idiot please!
Chris Hayes from The Nation had an excellent piece this week on corporate accountability and individual accountability and the path we've been snookered down. We're always being asked to forgive corporate failures, but expected to take a hard line on individual failings. What the fuck? I suppose part of this (at least to my thinking) stems from the sheer power of corporations and our inability to defeat them which leads to apathy, but eventually you'd think we'd say enough is enough and fight back for Christ's sake. Of course, it doesn't help, either, that the average American is always being fed some bugaboo (gay marriage, the war on terror, socialism, illegal immigration) which is supposedly destroying our country but is really only a diversion to make us forget how much we're being screwed by the corporate interests and the wealthy.
Courage? For fuck's sake, that's what they're calling selling out your core constituency and sticking a knife in the back of working people? (Frankly, anyone who thinks teachers are overpaid or have overly generous benefits is a flat out fucking idiot). The truly heinous part of this is that the Free Press actually has people writing its editorials who believe for one minute that somehow this is going to cause Repuglicans to take a look at tax reform. Repuglicans have never acted in the best interests of the people, and never will act in the interest of the people. As stated so eloquently by Mr. Lewis of the Daily Kos, "Republicans are not on your side." The word that best describes these 16 Democrats (so-called): saps.
The best of times--we did have a few good ones this week....
Bob King was elected President of the UAW, and judging from his acceptance speech (though union leaders often do become members of the elite), appears to be taking the union leftward with calls for social justice, fighting for workers around the globe, and taking on anti-union forces. A quote: "We will never ever have success where our membership is concerned if we are not part of a large, broader social movement." Preach it, brother.
Even better was President of the AFL-CIO Richard Trumka's speech on illegal immigration, calling on union members to support them and reminding us (yet again) that we are a nation of immigrants. From both of these I see unions trending farther left, and while their influence has waned in recent years, if past history is any precedent (think the thirties), when the unions turn leftward, things get a whole hell of a lot better for the working class. Bravo!
Digby on why we still need to support the Democratic Party: she is exactly right, things could get much worse, and for right now, it's the only option liberals have. We have to keep fighting.
Or, in the words of Samuel Beckett: "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." Amen.
Peace,
emaycee
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Pinheads in the Free Press
So many pinheads, so little time...
Today's Free Press opinion page (www.freep.com/section/OPINION) is a beaut...
First of all, the headline "Sen. Bunning: Is he heartless or prudent?" Um, we have to ask? That anybody even bothers to raise this question speaks volumes about where we are as a nation. Ten percent of us are out of work, it's closer to twenty-five percent if you add in people who are working part-time but want full-time, or aren't getting 40 hours a week--NONE OF IT THEIR FAULT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH WALL STREET--and there are people who think we should not extend unemployment benefits. And we're really supposed to wonder if this is being prudent? Prudent how--so we can be a third world country? So we can lose even more jobs as there is less money to be spent?
Then there's the bonehead who "applauds" Sen. Bunning for "standing up against the constant increase in our debt." Uh, where were you when George W. Bush was running up record deficits, mostly through two badly thought out wars and cutting taxes for those who least need it? That worked out so well for us. Trickle down--as it always has in the past--ended up being a drop of water in the desert. Thanks for nothing.
But the winner for today was the idiot who wrote "Bravo, Jim Bunning," and then went on to claim that the best way to get people back working is to cut off their benefits, so they can move to where the jobs are. Hello? In the first place, where the fuck are they supposed to get the money to move if they don't have any? Second, what about the millions of us who need two incomes and have a spouse who is still working--he or she is supposed to quit and move, too? Frankly, it doesn't just bother me that I have to share a country with this stupid mother fucker, but that I even have to share a planet with him.
I feel so much better...
Peace,
emaycee
Today's Free Press opinion page (www.freep.com/section/OPINION) is a beaut...
First of all, the headline "Sen. Bunning: Is he heartless or prudent?" Um, we have to ask? That anybody even bothers to raise this question speaks volumes about where we are as a nation. Ten percent of us are out of work, it's closer to twenty-five percent if you add in people who are working part-time but want full-time, or aren't getting 40 hours a week--NONE OF IT THEIR FAULT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH WALL STREET--and there are people who think we should not extend unemployment benefits. And we're really supposed to wonder if this is being prudent? Prudent how--so we can be a third world country? So we can lose even more jobs as there is less money to be spent?
Then there's the bonehead who "applauds" Sen. Bunning for "standing up against the constant increase in our debt." Uh, where were you when George W. Bush was running up record deficits, mostly through two badly thought out wars and cutting taxes for those who least need it? That worked out so well for us. Trickle down--as it always has in the past--ended up being a drop of water in the desert. Thanks for nothing.
But the winner for today was the idiot who wrote "Bravo, Jim Bunning," and then went on to claim that the best way to get people back working is to cut off their benefits, so they can move to where the jobs are. Hello? In the first place, where the fuck are they supposed to get the money to move if they don't have any? Second, what about the millions of us who need two incomes and have a spouse who is still working--he or she is supposed to quit and move, too? Frankly, it doesn't just bother me that I have to share a country with this stupid mother fucker, but that I even have to share a planet with him.
I feel so much better...
Peace,
emaycee
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