"Those wascally Wepublicans," as Elmer Fudd might intone.
On Tuesday, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed HR 3630, a bill extending President Barack Obama's 2 percent payroll tax cut. The tax cut, which was set to expire on January 1, will save the average American family an estimated $1,000 next year. Good news in a continuing economically difficult climate, right?
Not so fast, my paycheck-challenged little friend!
Apparently, the wise men and women on Capitol Hill also want to help reduce the number of unemployed Americans with a couple of other choice tidbits included in the bill: unemployment insurance benefits, which currently provide for up to 99 weeks of support, will be slashed by about 40% . After all, they don't want you laying around, slacking on the job search thing.
And, since you must be ignorant if you don't have a job, you will also now be required to have a high school diploma or a GED in order to get the cash. So if you're a credit or two short, better enroll in some night school courses while you have no way to support your family!
Oh, and one more thing -- you'll need to find time to pee in a cup in between job interviews and Algebra One; there will be mandatory drug testing to be sure "that people who are receiving these unemployment benefits are not using those resources to purchase drugs." (A quote from House Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier, R-Calif. -- I promise, I'm not making this up!)
Many Republicans -- and a few Democrats seeking to pander to the more conservative elements of that party -- are fond of platitudes like "we believe a paycheck is better than an unemployment check." Another quote, this one from House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.)
Okay, most of us are with you on that one, Dave. But take a minute and just do the math (I'm assuming here that the Congressmen have at least a GED.)
As another Republican, Mark Zandi -- an economic adviser to John McCain in his 2008 presidential campaign -- has estimated, each dollar spent on extending unemployment benefits generates $1.61 in economic growth. Meanwhile, according to an analysis from the National Employment Law Project (NELP), the Republicans' bill would result in $22 billion in lost economic growth and cost at least 140,000 jobs next year.
Americans are not -- by and large -- stupid, shiftless and just waiting for the check in the mail so they can get stoned. The most recent data from the Bureau on Labor Statistics shows 6.9 million people receiving unemployment insurance (out of a total 14 million without work) versus 3.4 million job openings in September.
To borrow a line from another famous cartoon character, James Carville: It's the jobs, stupid!
Ideological idiocy aside, how do you people sleep at night offering stuff like this in the name of helping hard-hit Americans through these tough economic times?
A couple of helpful articles (and sources for the above stats and quotes): Mother Jones and The Hill
On Tuesday, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed HR 3630, a bill extending President Barack Obama's 2 percent payroll tax cut. The tax cut, which was set to expire on January 1, will save the average American family an estimated $1,000 next year. Good news in a continuing economically difficult climate, right?
Not so fast, my paycheck-challenged little friend!
Apparently, the wise men and women on Capitol Hill also want to help reduce the number of unemployed Americans with a couple of other choice tidbits included in the bill: unemployment insurance benefits, which currently provide for up to 99 weeks of support, will be slashed by about 40% . After all, they don't want you laying around, slacking on the job search thing.
And, since you must be ignorant if you don't have a job, you will also now be required to have a high school diploma or a GED in order to get the cash. So if you're a credit or two short, better enroll in some night school courses while you have no way to support your family!
Oh, and one more thing -- you'll need to find time to pee in a cup in between job interviews and Algebra One; there will be mandatory drug testing to be sure "that people who are receiving these unemployment benefits are not using those resources to purchase drugs." (A quote from House Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier, R-Calif. -- I promise, I'm not making this up!)
Many Republicans -- and a few Democrats seeking to pander to the more conservative elements of that party -- are fond of platitudes like "we believe a paycheck is better than an unemployment check." Another quote, this one from House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.)
Okay, most of us are with you on that one, Dave. But take a minute and just do the math (I'm assuming here that the Congressmen have at least a GED.)
As another Republican, Mark Zandi -- an economic adviser to John McCain in his 2008 presidential campaign -- has estimated, each dollar spent on extending unemployment benefits generates $1.61 in economic growth. Meanwhile, according to an analysis from the National Employment Law Project (NELP), the Republicans' bill would result in $22 billion in lost economic growth and cost at least 140,000 jobs next year.
Americans are not -- by and large -- stupid, shiftless and just waiting for the check in the mail so they can get stoned. The most recent data from the Bureau on Labor Statistics shows 6.9 million people receiving unemployment insurance (out of a total 14 million without work) versus 3.4 million job openings in September.
To borrow a line from another famous cartoon character, James Carville: It's the jobs, stupid!
Ideological idiocy aside, how do you people sleep at night offering stuff like this in the name of helping hard-hit Americans through these tough economic times?
A couple of helpful articles (and sources for the above stats and quotes): Mother Jones and The Hill
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