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Danger Lurks as the GOP Hoovervilles the Unemployed
As Republicans continue to filibuster extending unemployment benefits, the economic fate of our country hangs in the balance. Their obstruction to extending jobless benefits is more a result of their ideological contempt for the social safety net that can historically be traced back to the New Deal than their claimed discomfort with a growing deficit.
Republicans are trying to sell the meme that we should be more worried about our national debt during a recession than we should about economic recovery. They are further arguing that unemployment benefits don’t stimulate the economy. Economists from both side of the aisle disagree with the Republicans. Guess where Republicans got this talking point? None other than their media arm, Fox News.
Sounds like the Republicans are in bed with Herbie Hoover, who once said, “Economic depression cannot be cured by legislative action or executive pronouncement. Economic wounds must be healed by the action of the cells of the economic body – the producers and consumers themselves.”
Yes, that worked out well.
Back in reality land, according to the bi-partisan CBO reports, increasing aid to the unemployed is the single largest immediate step we can take to off-set a further recession. In fact, leading economists, including conservative Mark Zandi, chief economist with Moody’s Economy.com and a former adviser to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), agree that failure to immediately extend unemployment benefits is an escalating risk to our economy.
The current recession is one of the longest downturns since the Great Depression of the 1930′s.The number of jobs in the United States declined almost every month since December 2007 until 2009. This recession is a direct result of the financial crisis started by the housing downturn in 2006, and some speculate compounded by escalating oil prices. Yes, sing it with me, people: Despite Phil Graham’s claim that there was no recession and we were a nation of whiners, in 2008 the National Bureau of Economic Research declared the recession officially started in 2007.
Zandi argues:
“Congress needs to hurry up and reauthorize expired jobless aid or risk derailing the nascent economic recovery.Historically, federally funded unemployment benefits are always used in times of recession and have never been paid for. (Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., said paying for extended benefits would set a precedent that would essentially undermine the New Deal.) And they’ve never been allowed to expire with a national unemployment rate above 7.2 percent.”
The Washington Post further explained:
“Zandi estimated that each dollar spent on extending unemployment benefits generated $1.61 in economic growth. Extending benefits had the third-greatest bang-for-the-buck of any component in the stimulus package, after increasing food stamps and subsidizing work-sharing, both temporary measures. To quote Zandi, “No form of the fiscal stimulus has proved more effective during the past two years than emergency UI benefits.” The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities looked at the impact on poverty of the extension and found that it saved a total of 800,000 people from falling below the poverty line. So far, then, unemployment benefits have been very effective at stimulating the economy and reducing economic misery among affected families.”
Not only is the Republican filibustering on unemployment extension benefits an ideological assault on the social safety net, but also it has nothing to do with the current recession and is not based on economics. In spite of reasoned thought from both sides of the aisle, the Republicans are willing to put our economy at risk in order to gain momentum in their jihad like war on the poor, and everyone else who is not rich.
The GOP has returned to their intellectual economic forefather, Herbert Hoover. And I think we all know where that leads. Thanks, but no thanks, to that Bridge to Nowhere.
“Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things…..Their number is
negligible and they are stupid.” - Dwight D. Eisenhower, Letter to Edgar Eisenhower, Nov 1954
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18 Responses to Danger Lurks as the GOP Hoovervilles the Unemployed
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Lawrence C.
Jul. 4th, 2010 at 9:47 pm
So, Mr. Bradbury, despite his afflictions, can afford to keep tanned, and to buy a $3,000 Segway. Proving once again, along with Sharron Angle, that OP pols know nothing about how working class people live.
Geo
Jul. 4th, 2010 at 10:18 pm
Letter to All Unemployed Whose UI Benefits Have Expired:
Please feel free to move into the home of the nearest convenient Republican. Help yourself to their groceries, sleep their beds, use their internet and phone to send out your resumes and make your job-search calls, do your laundry in their washer and dryer.
Be sure they know of course that you’ll move back out when the ass-hats they elected get around to voting to extend your UI benefits. Please be patient in the interim. I mean, it’s not evryday the ‘Pubes get to politicize a crisis.
Oh… wait. I guess it is.
dani
Jul. 4th, 2010 at 10:35 pm
Ha I hope the undmployed make a rush on the selfish gopers who are only doing this in hopes of winning in the fall. Why do they hate america?
Nicky
Jul. 7th, 2010 at 2:35 am
Yes because continuing to pay those who have don’t have a job gives them a great reason to go out and find a job…
pallottine
Jul. 4th, 2010 at 11:15 pm
Hooverville indeed. Have we learned nothing from history. This indeed will be a long and hot summer.
Anne
Jul. 5th, 2010 at 8:09 am
I find the GOP’s lack of humanity worse than appalling. Just when I think they can’t stoop any lower in their bid to make Obama look bad in order to regain power, they surprise me. If anything ever destroys this country, it will be the ruthlessness of these cretins and the home-grown ignorance of those who insist on electing them in the first place or returning them to power. Those are a much bigger threat to the well-being of this country than terroristic attacks. For people who like to wrap themselves in Old Glory and bray (like jackasses) about their patriotism, they could not be more anti-American.
Allen S.
Jul. 5th, 2010 at 9:43 am
The republicans started this mess and now they are trying to make it worse. These idiots do not love their country, they are putting ideology ahead of American citizens. They should be ashamed of themselves, but are just laughing at us. People, if you want more of this kind of un-patriotic citizen slapping from congress vote republican, but if you want congress to continue to help rebuild the economy and help those in need, then you need to vote democrat. The dems are the only party that is willing to help people struggling through no fault of their own. Republinuts should be run out of washington on a rail, they have just gone TO FAR!!!!!
Anonymous
Jul. 6th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
You have gone too far by saying the republicans got us into this mess to begin with. This is completely untrue. Do some research and think a little.
Shiva (Moderator)
Jul. 5th, 2010 at 9:51 am
I cannot help but think this has absolutely nothing to do with a recession, or staving off a recession. This has everything to do with making Obama look bad leading up to the midterms.
It has to be obvious to everyone that the country with money in its pockets tends to do far better than a country with no money in his pockets. The Republicans know this and that is what tells me this has nothing to do with the American people or the current state of our economy in and of itself.
Are the Republicans so confident in their voting base that they can alienate this many people? They certainly must be, either that or the elections are fixed to start with. Politically you would have to think that this is an insane suicide move. Do the Republicans think that it’s only Democratic voting people that are unemployed? So far the Republicans have alienated the Latino vote, the black vote and now they are going for the little people at their base. what about the businesses that fail because the people cannot afford to use their services? Many people stay that all small businessmen are Republicans. I know that doesn’t make sense but it’s a fact. Why would they alienate those people? I’ve been trying to search for some sense to this but I honestly can’t find it.
And then I asked myself why are the Democrats not screaming holy hell over this? They should be on every radio station they can, every TV program that they could get on and pounding this home to people who are watching the news to see where their next two dollars is going to come from. Is this just political gamesmanship with millions of peoples lives at stake?
Walt
Jul. 6th, 2010 at 11:31 am
It would seem like poor voters would help the Democrats take power, but not so much anymore.
When the masses are broke they go to church, and there is nothing the Repubs are better at than using faith to get a voter to bypass all reason.
Chris
Jul. 5th, 2010 at 12:47 pm
How can the Republicans live with themselves? They know they are doing this just to fight anything and everything President Obama is trying to do to SAVE our fricking economy. They just don’t care do they. They don’t care one bit what their evil obstructionism does to any of us.
I hate the Republican politicians. They don’t deserve to serve the people of this country.
So, one has to wonder how the unemployed Republicans feel about their representatives cutting off their lifeline to feeding their children and keeping their homes. Someone get them on tv doing interviews, on what the think about being abandoned by their party when they really need the help.
Gary
Jul. 6th, 2010 at 12:29 pm
See the problem with everything you guys are saying is that most of these people on unemployment have been there for over a year now. When i was laid off i got on unemployment, and started looking for a job. MANY PEOPLE arent doing that. They are coming up with excuses and sitting on their butts. I look in the paper everyday and see hundreds of job listings. People might have to take a pay cut and do something that they dont enjoy doing but its better then sucking off the gov tit. This shouldnt be politicususa.com it should be imacrybabyliberal.com I was hoping for some balanced reporting here and was SADLY let down.
Anonymous
Jul. 7th, 2010 at 12:33 am
You sound like an idiot! You don’t even know the facts! This extension does nothing for the long term unemployed! I’ve been laid off 6 months! Looking for work everyday, at least work that pays a living wage, it would cost you more for me and my 4 kids to get on welfare then to extend my unemployment, I guess that’s next, a check, food stamps, low income apartment, wait I think I’ll do better then when I was working
losing hope in mankind because of people like you!
Rob
Jul. 6th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
With this last round of brinksmanship, I was a day away from calling my credit card companies to default on my bills, so I could continue to make my house payments. I am still working, but my wife isn’t. My salary covers the house payment, her unemployment covers food and bills.
Now if the GOP would like the 14 million Americans to default on their credit cards, when the average person has well over $12,000/person debt on cards, that’s okay. It only means $168 billion is losses for credit card companies. But I am certain, the banks are ready for those losses and the GOP will be ready to bail them out for that amount with the moneys from the remaining taxpayers (who will pay increased welfare and food stamps). This brilliant economic restructuring will of course work. After all, GOP is the party of money. They know how to make money and must be the only ones capable of turning this tide. Anything else would result in BOTH Fascism and Socialism, and quite probably cannibalism (after all, Pres. Obama is from Africa and everyone in Africa is a cannibal, right?).
The GOP will of course open more drilling platforms to create a new economic horizon saving us all. And to do so will increase the tax breaks for the oil companies to help them study the effects of oil on the Gulf Walrus.
Tx Dave
Jul. 6th, 2010 at 9:58 pm
The Neo-Cons would rather the country fail than help their fellow countrymen – and for something as fleeting as political gain; that’s how petty they are.
I’m a 56-year-old,college-educated male who was laid off 16 months ago and has submitted more than 300 resumes and received one interview in response. I resent being accused of doing nothing to locate work by those who simply don’t care about anyone but themselves.
Here’s hoping their legs grow together. They were never going to get their heads out of their butts, anyway.
Cathy
Jul. 8th, 2010 at 5:43 pm
Just remember who blocked our unemployment benefits when the election comes.
Maybe we should start some Hoovervilles in some of those rich fat cat Republicans yards.
Republicans don’t care about people like us and this should prove it.
Teresa Brown
Jul. 9th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
Blocking the only source of income to the unemployed with the staggering statistics of 1 job for every 6 unemployed is incomprehensibly barbaric.
The reasoning behind the Republican Party’s purpose in blocking unemployment is clearly stated in the posts above. I am here to appeal to the employed, the unemployed already know and feel the heartbreak and pain the Republican party has inflicted upon us.
What if you were one of the 15 million unemployed and there were no jobs available. Would it be appropriate then to overlook this tragedy? If the economy drops any further, you may find yourself in the same boat. While you think on this…. Is it ever okay dismiss previously working, tax paying citizens to the curb? Is it not our government’s job, whether Republican or Democrat to look after the BEST INTERESTS of the United States citizens? The job market is not there for the unemployed. Is it ever okay for our government, who your tax dollars pay, to take food, shelter, clothing and medical assistance from the mouths of the unemployed?
I know I didn’t pay for this to do this to me. Vote to get the Republicans out of office. Let them know this is not acceptable. If you are republican, don’t you think these tactics can be improved upon? Maybe a future generation of a republican party can learn from these mistakes and work toward a common good of the people, but this party has certainly lost sight of the people.