US senator single-handedly freezes unemployment payment

Will there really be riots, though? People seem so tired nowadays that I think most of them would rather commit suicide than commit to crime, and whatever crime that does happen will be easily stopped by the police and a complete media blackout. The only way anything will succeed is if all these unemployed people were to organize, and how can they organize when they can't pay for their telephone or Internet?

The only man with a spine. He is not single-handedly holding this up, the rest of the Senate is by not appropriating the already available stimulus funds to pay for this as Bunning has suggested. Finally someone that has not taken the easy way out by spending our childrens' future. This is a power play by the rest of the Senate. They could all easily cave on this for the benefit of those that need the benefits but then their robbing the tax payers scam would come to an abrupt end. The entire country would be unemployed if this continues. Then where would the money come from? Those that don't care will accept the crumbs given by these corrupt politicians. That's what you will get, crumbs that you paid for ten fold.

Originally posted by ripcontrol

he still might go into the hall of fame

Jim Bunning has been in the Baseball Hall of Fame since 1996.

Originally posted by Subjective Truth

Hmmm that is a good idea all of them should have salary cuts a least right? What is going on here if you are rich they will make you richer but if your jobless you are screwed.

It's amazing to me that everybody is ready to cut the throat of the only senator that realizes we are broke and need to be able to pay for things prior to doling them out.

Obama's big push was pay-as-you-go. He has waived it a number of times now in order to further his agenda and that of his party. Further, he believes that spending should cease! But not until 2011.... conveniently after he has cleared his agenda.

What do you think is going to happen in 2011? Do you all suddenly think that unemployment is going to go back to 3% or so? Seriously? Do you think that when Obama stated that spending will be FROZEN in 2011 that he secretly went *wink* *wink* to the unemployed? Do you really think WE THE PEOPLE are anywhere in this equation?

It will not be until the American people get truly irate and literally storm the White House and their local government offices that something will actually change. And there is nothing like waking up the masses by withholding their checks.

We wanted a wake up call -- this is it!

I am shocked by the number of people on this site that think this is merely a temporary situation and as long as we continue to cut checks -- despite not having the money OR anyway to pay it back -- that our economy will rebound.

Do I feel terrible for the people that this is affecting? Hell yes! But if we continue on the path that we are on now we are all going to go down. Continuing to spend money in the ways that the government has chosen for us does not, and will not, work. The only method to which they can recoup this money is to pull more and more money out of our paychecks. Can you afford that? I know I can't.

So in my opinion, they better pay for this first. Otherwise, it'll trickle down and we will end up paying even more without government having to change any of its current behavior.

Reality check: Left on its own, do you really think the government will take money from their salaries, the military budget, or all of the earmarks BEFORE the American people lose their benefits? No way!

These benefits need to be passed AND they need to be paid for. NOW.

Originally posted by johnny2127

Conservative don't expect or believe in long term govt handout and social entitlement programs. Conservative are not sitting there screaming 'Give me my check!'. My unemployed conservative friends agree with what Bunning did. In fact they hope they even mention that when they received unemployment, they witnessed first hand how the apathy to find work and work hard starts to happen. They are working part time now, since thats all they can find, but they took the work and are doing it now. You truly don't understand conservatives. We don't believe in or want govt handouts.

Bingo johnny! This government wants us all unemployed. This is a test of resolve. This is also another example of how we have a one party system. Just two heads on the same snake. Both ends bite and both ends eat away at our nations' wealth.

Bunnings was just looking for his moment in the spotlight he got it and now they get to vote.It's pathetic that this whole thing was held up just so this burnt out former baseball player can feel important.

Bunning is retiring. Good for him one less politician without an answer, put out to pasture. And hes trying to prove a point while hes out the door, good for him its dam irrelevant at this point. Hes got his money and done his duty. Its funny how 'pay as you go' only apllies to those that, acually manufacure or have some job that applies to the community. But those that produce nothing but binary wealth off the supplies of others dont have to follow that rule. And no i'm not talking abouth the computer age millionares they still have some use and purpuse. The banksters and offshore crap needs to stop though, I have no clue what the hell they are thinking, they all can be replaced too and by one suppercomputer after all its all numbers. And even if they did somehow succeed what then, if this countrys info structure falls the dollar wont be worth squat, so that means you'l have a billion squats in your offshore banks. And trust me the foreign governments wont like you all of a sudden. There is a big need to invest in the US economy, after all its not all chese and crumpets being rich. And I also think its a big mistake to cut funding for the military, cut funding there and then you will have millions of military personel, with out jobs, wars arent the problem there will allways be wars, after all. "all of life is fighting". There needs to be some way were the Military complex and the private sector are binded together so its usefull in both walks of life. Instead of arguing abouth democrat and republican, he said she said bull. They should focus on getting the private sector and military sector to the same table, and come to some sort of plan. The funded and those in need of funding.

reply to post by russ212


Thank you for your comments... I was thinking the same all the way through but was on the fence about saying anything because I'm not really good at keeping track of which discussions I enter. (I have been a sort of active member of this site for years under this and a former screen name that went inactive... still don't know all the bells and whistles of the place. Well that and the content changes so quickly around here and by the time I get in from an activity, there's a new fabulous thread. ;o)

Here's a little more about the program:

usgovinfo.about.com...

It a a theft of wages from all workers to be sure because naturally your employer factors that cost into hiring but it's not truly a benefit YOU pay for. It in addition to what you pay for SS. And I, like seemingly few others on here, am anxiously awaiting the fall of this house of cards; the sooner the better. Hopefully when we rebuild, we have the courage to put it back correctly. TANSTAAFL baby and too many peeps have become accustomed to feeding on the free lunch card. Bill is due.

Originally posted by Hemisphere
The only man with a spine. He is not single-handedly holding this up, the rest of the Senate is by not appropriating the already available stimulus funds to pay for this as Bunning has suggested.

Exactly.
THE DEM MAJORITY HAS REFUSED TO USE UNSPENT STIMULUS MONEY TO FUND THE UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS.
Wake up sheeple.

reply to post by Extralien


"American reliance on government at an all-time high"
Washington Times, March 1, 2010

"The so-called "Great Recession" has left Americans depending on the government dole like never before.

......Moreover, for the first time since the Great Depression, Americans took more aid from the government than they paid in taxes."

www.washingtontimes.com...


[edit on 2-3-2010 by pumpkinorange]

reply to post by deltaalphanovember


Where I come from roads are made of concrete i.e. cement with very little to no asphalt. Inexpensive and lasts decades (they are approaching half a century now) and if you ride in an S-Class (I don't) you can gloat over people in lesser vehicles as you glide past them.

Well, it is over.

How many people starved to death in this long FIVE day period? ( the majority could have ended it the first day )

Much ado about nothing?

What was accomplished?

Originally posted by butcherguy
Well, it is over.

How many people starved to death in this long FIVE day period? ( the majority could have ended it the first day )

Much ado about nothing?

What was accomplished?

Well I guess people can still feed their families right? I think it funny how the people with jobs sit so high and mighty. Just remember the people who need the unemployment are not bum's many worked for many years until this depression. And also remember because they are not bum's they have alot to lose and when they do this nation may fall into chaos. And then the great job you survived the depression with will be worth nothing.
You are tied to them in ways that are hard to see until the hammer drops.



I guess alot of it comes down to empathy either you have it or you don't. I fell sad for people that don't they usually find themselves alone even if people are around them.


[edit on 3-3-2010 by Subjective Truth]

reply to post by Subjective Truth
During the 1970's, my father was an out of work union member.
This was due to the economy and then a back injury.

When the unemployment ran out, it ran out. I'll have to do a search, but I don't remember extensions.

My dad was too proud to accept welfare, food stamps or help from relatives.

We survived. Thanks to our own will and determination.

I don't really feel high and mighty because I have a job.

I feel thankful that I do have a job, but I don't owe anyone else their job.

And I don't owe them any meals.

reply to post by butcherguy


You are comparing apples and oranges and by the sounds of you are fairly young. This is a depression back then you could still find a job I remember this is not the case today. I worked for the last 20 years 70 hours a week. I would still be working if I had my job I made great money and now I am barely surviving. Take a good hard look at the unemployment benefits they are the only thing saving your job whether you want to accept that or not. It is the truth

Originally posted by Subjective Truth
reply to post by butcherguy

 

You are comparing apples and oranges and by the sounds of you are fairly young. This is a depression back then you could still find a job I remember this is not the case today. I worked for the last 20 years 70 hours a week. I would still be working if I had my job I made great money and now I am barely surviving. Take a good hard look at the unemployment benefits they are the only thing saving your job whether you want to accept that or not. It is the truth

I am 47 years old. If that's too young, I'm sorry.
I can yell at my mom for giving birth to me too late, if that helps.
My father has passed on, so I can't bitch at him about it.

I wasn't really comparing anything.
I was relating my background and how my family dealt with HARD times.

It has nothing to do with it that it did not occur during the Great Depression.

It was growing up with NO INCOME in Appalachia.
I remember brushing my teeth with wood ashes when we ran out of baking soda.

It really seems like you are coming off as the high and mighty one here. Because you went through the Great Depression, no one else has room to talk of their hardships?

EDIT to add: The 70's economy was much worse than todays anyway!

[edit on 3-3-2010 by butcherguy]

Look's like Jello Biafra had it right.......

reply to post by galadofwarthethird


Unfortunately, too many politicians only grow a spine when their time is up and re-election is no longer a possibility. If that doesn't scream volumes, I don't know what will.

And he's on the Congressional pension plan. He can say whatever he wants, as he and his family are covered the rest of their lives.

[edit on 3-3-2010 by Freenrgy2]

Originally posted by romanmel
This senile 77 year old Senator is concerned about the economy? The one that gave and continues to give trillions of our hard earned dollars to the off-shore banksters with no strings attached? But we dare not give any scraps to the ever increasing numbers of unemployed of this nation.

Anyone else think this country is on it's last leg? I am sure we are about to see a final assault on what little freedom we have left. The writing is on the wall, folks. A two-hundred, thirty-four year experiment in democracy is about to end in failure. See ya at the soup kitchen.

Actually it was not an experiment in democracy it was an experiment in a constitutional republic. Democracy is at it's base, a mob, majority rules, can be nice or can be poison, and can change completely moment to moment because there are no hard and fast guidelines based on enduring and responsible principles.
Constitutional republic is supposed to be based on laws, and represented by those that were among the best and brightest, not the whims of the moment.
The big flaw, is that people think that it was a democracy and dont understand what the real limits or lack of limits of the systems are.

reply to post by thatredpill


A Republic is ALWAYS based upon laws, and such laws are simply just agreed upon rules a civilize society abides by, to share that space, respecting each others rights, treating each other as equals to forge a common goal of progress, prosperity and harmony living in one.

USA had ALWAYS been a republic, as such rules are more commonly known as the Constitution. The experiment of USA civilization is NOT an experiment of Constitutional Republic, but one of Constitutional DEMOCRACY, whereby the majority, no matter his/her social, racial, gender, religious, difference is given the freedom to speak out.

Intelligent or otherwise, should one utters nonsense, he/she would have gotten nowhere, but when the majority speaks out, there will be a genuine concern. The derisive term of ‘mob’ you used on the civilians are more often used by the bigoted elites who presumed themselves the master race and the civilian population utterly stupid, given to base emotions and ruled by mass stupidity.

This was a social experiment introduced by the founding fathers in the era of common serfdom, where only the elites speak and the masses perform.

Americans and subsequent immigrants in the 1700s were not as stupid as the rich elites denigrated. They were religiously orthodox trained and educated, as well as immigrants that were from the European renaissance age.

The founding fathers knew all this, had faith that the political experiment would succeed and evolved into greater freedoms as knowledge, progress and prosperity grew. Thus their blood sacrifices for the generations to come.

That experiment led to evolution and revolution of political thoughts within European capitals by intellectuals. By the 1900s right till year 2000, we saw social experiments being forged – Russian and China communism, German National Socialism, Roman fascism and American capitalism.

First to fall was National Socialism and Italian fascism. Then came Russian Communism. China is anything but communism only in name. In year 2008, we saw the last of the great experiments tottering – Capitalism.

All such great experiments were thought out by noble men. And yet it was the man in charge whom turned totalitarian and destroyed it. Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, Mao and the Feds.

Constitutional Democracy is the only political doctrine that had stood the test of time for 200+ years and will be the only viable doctrine of choice for evolution, where everyone has a voice but ruled only on the strength and wisdom of that choice by the majority, so that none gets left behind.

Selfish and incompetent folks like Bunning made used of Democracy to push totalitarian agendas upon the masses. It was Democracy that had triumph today against him and the likes of him, who are on their last legs, soon to be relics of politic doctrinal failures.