Harry Hamburn/Associated Press
We have one of the outstanding members of the Republican party obstructing the passage of bill that would extend by another month, unemployment benefits for those who have been out of a job for at least six months. This time it is Senator Tom Coburn, R-Okla. His justification for this latest obstruction by the GOP is that the estimated $9 billion cost of the extension should not be added to the national debt. A few weeks ago it was Senator Jim Bunning, R-Ky who decided we did not need to extend unemployment benefits.
First of all, what is a Republican doing arguing against spending money? I know they are supposed to be the ‘conservative’ party but when you look at what has been spent for the last twelve years the words ‘financial responsibility” are not what comes to mind.
Senator Coburn was quoted as saying “What we are doing is stealing future opportunity from our children.” Really? Extending the unemployment benefits that are helping so many Americans survive month to month after losing their jobs, will threaten the future of our children? Helping those unemployed continue to pay mortgages, rents, buy food, pay bills…that is what is threatening the future of our children?
Huh. Well, perhaps he’s right. Maybe we should just spend some more money on a war we shouldn’t be fighting. Do you think he’d be cool with that? Of course, he does belong to the same party that believes that the unemployed are only unemployed because they want to be.
To any one who may have their benefits interrupted because of Senator Coburn, I feel for you and I know exactly how you feel. I really do.
If you’d like, I suggest you contact the Senator from Oklahoma and let him know what you think about it. Maybe tell him to start doing something constructive instead of something obstructive.
source: CBS News
Damn. You tell them! If they don’t think unemployment is necessary they should come live in Delaware for a little bit with our jacked up mortgage, milk and well all that stuff.
You can count us in the numbers of people who will be affected this summer when the extensions run out.
Yeah, I’d like to have a talk with this dude about the little matter of 8 years of Republican spending we just went through and let him know what I think is unnecessary debt.
“Maybe tell him to start doing something constructive instead of something obstructive.”
Well said! Sadly this is more or less how Congress runs these days…