Extended unemployment benefits run out? Fuck you, says Sen. Kyl (R-AZ)

[Roland99]

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/sen-jon-kyl-r-az-holds-unemployment-e

If your unemployment ran out this week, you can thank Sen. Jon Kyl. Yes, the Republican whip objected to a quick vote that would have helped all those people. You can contact him here and thank him for his compassion:

Washington -- Key Senate Democrats tried unsuccessfully today to quickly pass legislation to give jobless workers in Michigan and other hard-hit states an additional 20 weeks of unemployment benefits.

That delays action on the high-stakes issue until at least next week.

Tom Clementson, a 58-year-old unemployed construction worker in Indian River, expressed frustration by the Senate's slow pace.

"So many people are out of work and need this extra money to put food on the table," said Clementson, who cashed his last check six weeks ago. "It seems like the Senate should spend more time on getting this passed."

[tonysam]

1. Senator Shaheen is more responsible than Kyl

She decided to fuck around with the House bill and try to change the legislation to cover all states instead of creating a separate bill to deal with the other states.

We wouldn't have this problem of people going without if it weren't for her.

[Roland99]

2. Is she nuts?

*Sigh*

[tonysam]

4. No, she's just silly

She should have put in a separate bill. I think the 13 weeks passed by the House would have been passed by the Senate and signed by President Obama by now.

The other issues could have been wrangled out separately. As it is, workers are being screwed over, as usual.

[99 Percent Sure]

3. Lots of blame to go around on both sides of the aisle.

NELP issued a release in July telling Congress that many of the jobless would exhaust all benefits including extensions by the end of September, but Congress took recess instead with the promise that they would address unemployment immediately upon their return. But they didn't.

Finally, the House passed HR 3548 on 9/22, giving the extension only to those 27 states with unemployment over 8.5%. That was wrong, IMO. Then the majority leader Reid said, a day after the House passed their bill, that they would pass S. 1699 "very, very quickly" yet didn't keep his word. Then a week ago yesterday, Shaheen, maybe under pressure from her New Hampshire constituents decided to amend the bill to include all 50 states, holding up the bill even longer while those who have been without money since July(!) are losing their homes, their cars, Finally, it was the vile obstructionist, Kyl, under orders from the party of no, who objected on Thursday, thus holding up the bill even more. Charles Gibson and Betsy Stark did an excellent hit piece on the Senate's lack of urgency to help millions of jobless Americans.

[tonysam]

5. Thanks for the post

I wonder if there is a phone number or email address to contact this idiot Kyl.

People should inundate him with calls and emails.

People are HURTING out here.

[Roland99]

6. What state is under 8.5%?

[tonysam]

7. I think about 23 states are

A few are very low, much as ND, SD, WY, and IA.