Are they required by law to go home? Or could they have stayed if they had wanted to make the extension an issue? And if they could have stayed, what does it say about them that they didn't?
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/04/05-7Published on Monday, April 5, 2010 by CommonDreams.org
Shame on All of You for Hurting the Least of These Again
by Donna Smith
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Do they know what it's like to have that unemployment check not arrive? Already much less income than one gets when working, the benefits are sometimes just enough to prevent folks from qualifying for other government help but not enough to really afford payment of all the bills. Being on unemployment is no picnic but it is better than nothing.
I recall weeks when those unemployment checks were the difference between buying a child's asthma inhaler and not being able to do so. And I suspect that thousands of families are facing just those kinds of decisions this week as their benefit checks will not arrive. Would they like watching their children wheeze and gasp for air? Would they want their utilities cut off or to see an eviction notice posted on the door. The pharmacist and the landlord, the tax collector and the utility companies don't really give a damn whether the Republicans were punishing the Democrats by cutting benefits - the bill collectors want their bills paid. On time. No wiggle room.
Cutting off unemployment benefits during this time is causing great harm. It isn't just about not being able to have a spring holiday or a new iPad, it's about having groceries and a roof over one's head. I know we all understand clearly after the healthcare debate that precious few of our elected officials really believe healthcare is a human right for all persons, but now it should be abundantly clear that they also have nearly total disregard for the suffering resulting from their failure to protect most human rights in this nation.
Cruel and unusual punishment is forbidden by the Constitution, but not by this Congress and not by this President. I am angry with them all for not being in the least bit courageous or creative in finding a way around and through their differences that did not harm the people they are elected to represent. Shame on you all. And may you never know what it is to have such cruelty thrown your way by people who pretend they care. Restore the benefits, by whatever means necessary, before more people suffer. Just because you are on recess doesn't mean you can hide from your responsibilities. The people who elected you sure can't. Get it done.