Lone senator blocks unemployment benefit extensions

[OhioFiler]

The whole "lone senator" or "one-man blockade" reports on this still have me confused.

How is it that republicans have so little power in DC and yet they have been accused of blocking UE benefits or not passing Obama care, etc. They are in the minority and have been since 2006.

Maybe someone smarter then me can answer this. I just do not get it.

I'm not smarter than you but I'll add my two cents.

The "reports" are the old media failing to explain to the American people what was actually going on.

Bunning acted within the framework of the Senate's rules AND in accordance with Obama's speech on February 13, 2010, that mandated ALL spending bills must be funded. The Unanimous Consent that Reid tried to employ was in direct violation of the PAYGO law signed into law and fully supported by Barack H. Obama.

Irony is this is the FIRST bill voted on by the senate after PAYGO became law and IMMEDIATELY the PAYGO law is waived. I would hope Obama has the courage of his convictions and vetoes this unfunded bill.

Senator Bunning wasn't in favor of ruining lives of unemployed Americans. He simply insisted the Senate follow the law (enacted a mere 2 weeks prior) and create the funding for this bill.

That it would take an extra week to do so is not an issue. Why did Senate Majority leader Reid wait until the very last opportunity to vote to extend the unemployment benefits? He could have begun the process to extend the benefits earlier and had plenty of time for debate on the Senate floor.

The old media is an arm of the Democratic party and still powerful, though losing such power quickly, as was demonstrated by their attempt to demonize Bunning for following the law. All we saw from these relics of the past was how evil Bunning was yet not a peep on why he was holding the Senate to task demanding the bill be funded.

Most Americans aren't falling for the shenanigans in Washington. They are on to this shell game. November is only a few months away.

[WhatMoney]

How is it that republicans have so little power in DC and yet they have been accused of blocking UE benefits or not passing Obama care, etc. They are in the minority and have been since 2006.

Maybe someone smarter then me can answer this. I just do not get it.

Sure, I'll be glad to explain BR.

The UI benefits, Doctors medicare payment, VA doctor funding, highway funding etc., extension bill was being passed in the Senate by unanimous consent - which requires a 100% vote from all present to pass. It's common with non-controversial funding bills to keep the government wheels turning. Bunning was just grandstanding and taking advantage of the publicity by blocking the bill with his sole no vote.

The alternative was to write a new funding bill and have it passed by Congress without Bunning's yea vote. When both Congressional leaders started to introduce a new funding bill on Monday, which would have taken about a week to pass and get signed, Bunning gave up and voted for the present emergency extension this afternoon.

Bunning was also told by his Republican Senate colleague in KY (Mitch McConnell) that he should not attempt to run for congress again, because the KY voters think Bunning is such an old azzhole that if he ran again a Democrat would be elected in his place. Bunning was acting like an idiot at the wrong time and was condemned for his stupid stand by both sides of the aisle.
He'd make a good candidate for the Tea Baggers party - he could be Palin's running mate...

[banca rotta]

The whole "lone senator" or "one-man blockade" reports on this still have me confused.

How is it that republicans have so little power in DC and yet they have been accused of blocking UE benefits or not passing Obama care, etc. They are in the minority and have been since 2006.

Maybe someone smarter then me can answer this. I just do not get it.

[OhioFiler]

The cure is simple.... we must get back to a constitutional government.

With that being said however, I really doubt that it will ever happen.

Join a Tea Party and help America get back there!

[frogger]

The cure is simple.... we must get back to a constitutional government.

With that being said however, I really doubt that it will ever happen.

[OhioFiler]

Here are a couple of ways to get more money back in-house:

1. Remove the training wheels from the Iraqi bike and make them start pedaling on their own. Bring troops home. It costs millions to keep them there, and like a kid with a bike, it is time to let go of it and let them fall or pedal on their own. We have hotspots that require troops, but a majority can be brought home.

2. NASA=waste of major $$$$. I do know we need to maintain certain things because sattelite communications is the present and future. But do we really need a 30 year anniversary trip to the moon? It hasn't changed. Do we need to spend billions to send some second grade teacher from Frog Balls, Tennessee (thanks, George Carlin...love this line) into space because she dreamed of being an astronaut?

3. Cut out most welfare recipients. I am sick of being behind some woman in a supermarket, standing there with her Vuitton bag, perfect hair and perfect nails, too tight True Religion jeans...who then pulls out the food stamp card to pay for groceries and a huge wad of cash for the ciggies and beer who hops into her new Escalade and drives off. If drug testing works for the military, time to pop random tests on others whose payday comes from the gov't. Obviously many have unclaimed income. Time to investigate where it is coming from.

Eliminating MOST federal agencies would satisfy me.

[flyinbroke]

Here are a couple of ways to get more money back in-house:

1. Remove the training wheels from the Iraqi bike and make them start pedaling on their own. Bring troops home. It costs millions to keep them there, and like a kid with a bike, it is time to let go of it and let them fall or pedal on their own. We have hotspots that require troops, but a majority can be brought home.

2. NASA=waste of major $$$$. I do know we need to maintain certain things because sattelite communications is the present and future. But do we really need a 30 year anniversary trip to the moon? It hasn't changed. Do we need to spend billions to send some second grade teacher from Frog Balls, Tennessee (thanks, George Carlin...love this line) into space because she dreamed of being an astronaut?

3. Cut out most welfare recipients. I am sick of being behind some woman in a supermarket, standing there with her Vuitton bag, perfect hair and perfect nails, too tight True Religion jeans...who then pulls out the food stamp card to pay for groceries and a huge wad of cash for the ciggies and beer who hops into her new Escalade and drives off. If drug testing works for the military, time to pop random tests on others whose payday comes from the gov't. Obviously many have unclaimed income. Time to investigate where it is coming from.

[OhioFiler]

Perhaps with them mess we are in all we can do is borrow from tomorow? People are not paying taxes so things can not be paid for. When is the last time any senator asked how we were going to pay for viet nam, or the war in iraq? We have not paid for WWII yet. What are they talking about? They act as if they have ever balanced a budget. They simply dont "count" the cost of war in the budget.. So, maybe we should not could social services in the budget either.

Except Congress just passed and Obama just signed the Paygo bill which requires congress to pay for spending via cuts elsewhere or raising taxes (i.e. PAY as you GO). This bill was the first one after the passage of Paygo and the fools wanted to exempt it from the Paygo requirements.

[momisery]

Perhaps with them mess we are in all we can do is borrow from tomorow? People are not paying taxes so things can not be paid for. When is the last time any senator asked how we were going to pay for viet nam, or the war in iraq? We have not paid for WWII yet. What are they talking about? They act as if they have ever balanced a budget. They simply dont "count" the cost of war in the budget.. So, maybe we should not could social services in the budget either.

[OhioFiler]

Thank goodness. Someone needs to stand up for fiscal responsibility. Republicans and Democrats have been equally guilty of irresponsible spending and larding on the pork. Maybe the protests are starting to give them a clue.

Amen!

Too many in Washington have forgotten that their fiscal responsibility includes both sides of the equation i.e. revenue and expenditures.

You want to dump another $100,000,000 into unemployment benefits? No problem. Cut the worthless Department of Education budget to pay for it.

[WhatMoney]

Does not come as a surprise that the funding of unemployment benefits would take a back seat. After all it's much more important for the Obama administration to propose to TRIPLE THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY LOAN GUARANTEE PROGRAM TO $ 54 BILLION in support of building new Nuclear Reactors under the guise that this will create 'new jobs for Americans'....

Of courseBuilding new Nuclear Plants DOES NOT CREATE AMERICAN JOBS: the majority of stimulus money would be going to the following overseas companies. Here are the largest ones:
JAPAN STEEL WORKS,
AREVA
MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES
TOSHIBA
GENERAL ELECTRIC/HITACHI LTD

You mean they are bringing Japanese workers over here to build our nuclear power plants? The Japanese are going to be hired to operate the plants? Japanese security guards? WOW that doesn't sound very American to me. Ban those damn efficient and clean nuclear power plants - any project that will employ thousands of Japanese shouldn't be allowed in this country. yeah - that's the ticket.

BTW it's a REPUBLICAN senator that is blocking the unemployment extensions - why you blaming Obama for what some azzhole Republican lame duck senator is doing?

In addition to funding unemployment insurance and the COBRA health insurance program for people who have lost their jobs, the bill would have prevented a scheduled 21 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors.

This is more important - the extensions will be passed despite some grandstanding idiot who doesn't have to face his voters.

[DeadManCrawling]

Why do politicians always seem to find a backbone or a cause worth fighting for in their last term of office, or after they are out of office altogether?

Honesty seems to only arrive when the next election no longer matters.

Don't take me wrong, UI needs to be extended.

But WHY did this fool choose now to stand up to deficit spending? Why not in 08 when Republican friends at Bank Of America, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan, and Goldman Sachs were feasting at the public trough?

I am so tired of the posturing that we see in D.C.

Term limits for all.

Both parties are to blame, and we the people are, too.

Our country is at risk of total failure, and we get more of the same from politicians. But, also from US, the people. We let this happen. Every time one party or the other distracts us by finger pointing we are guilty. The parties are essentially the same.

One argues that the sky is partly cloudy and condemns the other.

The other argues that the sky is mostly sunny and calls for heads on platters.

Enough. Our country is burning to the ground, and these morons waste time and money on stupidity. Revolution will come if this continues.

People ARE waking up, but it is a slow process. Maybe too slow to halt the coming disaster.

[albacore44]

I'm watching this closely to, as my wife is on UI and has 5 weeks to go. if they pass something, it will be just in the nick of time

[OHBOY]

Does not come as a surprise that the funding of unemployment benefits would take a back seat. After all it's much more important for the Obama administration to propose to TRIPLE THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY LOAN GUARANTEE PROGRAM TO $ 54 BILLION in support of building new Nuclear Reactors under the guise that this will create 'new jobs for Americans'....

Of courseBuilding new Nuclear Plants DOES NOT CREATE AMERICAN JOBS: the majority of stimulus money would be going to the following overseas companies. Here are the largest ones:
JAPAN STEEL WORKS,
AREVA
MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES
TOSHIBA
GENERAL ELECTRIC/HITACHI LTD

[AngelinaCat]

This is the article that poster Tigergem is referring to in the post in 'General Talk'.

Please read the article carefully. the Senator is NOT against Unemployment Compensation; he simply wants the program PAID for, NOT added to the National Debt that our children and their children will be paying for.

Believe me, I am interested in this, as I have been unemployed for two years, except for a small PT job, that I am very grateful to have. However, it won't pay the bills. I have been looking, but I live in a small, poor county, and am 57 years of age. I have now been passed over for more than 5 positions that I am more than qualified for. The rationale is that the employers want people that are from 'outside', as the have more 'worldly experence' and they want people that are young and not looking to retire in 5-10 years.

I told them I would be with them for 30 years if they would hire me, and would work for less than minimum wage.