Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) Holds Up Unemployment Extension. Thanks to Him, Hundreds Of Thousands Fall Off Rolls. It's The Party of No!
By Susie Madrak Saturday Oct 10, 2009 6:00am
(from WMXdesign h/t Howie Klein)
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."
Today's failed effort to quickly pass a bill followed the unveiling of a compromise bill by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and key allies. The bill would give all states an extra 14 weeks of jobless benefits, plus an extra six weeks for states with unemployment rates of 8.5 percent or greater.
[...] Reid introduced the bill after reaching a deal with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, who had balked at the House-passed bill, which only gives extra benefits to the hardest-hit states.
[...] But when Reid asked senators to quickly pass the bill under a speedy procedure, Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., objected. That's enough to prevent a quick vote.
Kyl said he wanted to have time to look at the proposal and consider possible Republican amendments, and also ask the independent Congressional Budget Office to estimate its cost.
[...] While objecting to quick passage, Kyl said he expects "at the appropriate time," Republicans will "be able to work out some kind of agreement."
Kyl helped cause this mess. It's only good manners to help clean it up - but then, Republicans aren't big on personal responsibility, are they?
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When things go wrong, others are responsible. That's us, the GOP, the party of NO responsibility, accountability, or sensability.
What a joke.
leader that he is by relinquishing his senatorial retirement and health plans. Lead us senator. show us how to cut the fat. - a fan from Michigan.
That's what I've been saying in effect.
If our medical insurance plans are so great, let the republicans who oppose reform get off of FEHB plans and enroll in the plans we must. They can afford it more.
But I doubt the insurance companies would deny them procedures. So they'll still have a lopsided view.
have probably donated so much money to the average senator they can easily afford the 20% Blue Cross rate increase my state received this year. It is interesting how the Republicans can say they don't want the government to get involved with health care. All the while the insurance companies are paying them big bucks to stay involved on their behalf.
Ever notice how the rightwing MSM never, ever, never points this out?
Does anyone for a minute think a strong Democratic ML would have tolerated any of the Right's bullshit in the Senate??
Doddering Harry Reid is a horrendous leader whom Kyl or any other Republican can twist into a poodle with one hand. Don't blame Kyl for his strebgtgh - give it to Reid for his failures.
Ol' Harry is solely responsible for the stinking decay of the Senate, which makes all the Moderates -like Baucus and Lieberman -feel so right at home they're getting away with murder. Literally..
But worse, Obama is slowly destroying himself and our hopes by putting his entire world vision into the limp hands of Harry Reid.
We who supported Obama are slowly dying off, too..
With a POS like Reid, who needs any GOPers or Bribe-O-Crats?
I'm sure the unemployed in AZ will find a way to thank him, and they pack.
Couldn't have said it better myself. Thanks to Kyl's policies I'm sure every red-blooded American in AZ has a semi-automatic. He should thinnk about that. This guy is slime of the earth.
of which there are many, should camp out on this creep's front lawn until he gets off his high horse and helps them!!!
They are getting exactly what they voted for! They were just to stupid to realize it on election day.
Speedy votes are problematical.
Immediate relief is needed
Because who knows what's been attached to the bill?
We fault politicians for having voted for the Patriot Act without reading it first.
They are making certain they never have political power. Just look at what they do with the little power they still have.
Block any and everything - never help the people - more money and power for the corporations.
They better hope the SCOTUS gives corporations the right to vote. . .
...is unworthy of an extension. Maybe then these people will finally see assholes like Kyl for what they really are.
Hell, isn't unemployment insurance a form of socialism?
When I hear idiot republican's complain about how fucked up things are, I laugh at them. Then I say "this is exactly what YOU voted for - corporate fascisim!"
"You should be revelling in it. This is the ripening fruit, that 30 years of movement conservatism was all about."
"Now you can't even find a job in government when things are bad. Privatization baby! Work for nothing, with NO rights, and NO benefits!Just what the conservatives ran on, and exactly what YOU voted for!"
"All that "socialism" tax money that use to support a large middle-class that worked for the community, now goes into the hands of a couple of republican CEO's."
"These rich assholes are laughing at you in their country clubs, and you still support them. You are a chump."
that aren't socialism are those acts which reasonable people would classify as tyranny and repression. Anything that looks to the well being of all citizens and residents is socialism, by definition.
I'm sorry, but this is how I feel.
If you had an "R" next to your name and you voted in elections in the last 30 years for your "R's," you owe the rest of us money. You helped take money from workers and gave it to the owners. PAYBACK TIME! And if you're one of the working, or non-working, poor who voted because the charlatans told you it was in your best interest, you owe money too. Too bad. Just because you fell for their 3-card monty game doesn't mean you don't owe the rest of us. Maybe that'll teach you and you'll join the rest of us to put in some progressives and, yes, LIBERALS - and no, I don't mean the current crop of "Democrats," with a handful of exceptions.
Senator Kyl, we can start with you and your family. Give us back your 'not hard-earned' money.
REPARATIONS!!!
You better start giving us back our money, or, you know, one day, we may decide to TAKE IT!!! Hell, they did it in France a couple of centuries ago. When we peasants get poor and hungry enough where we don't care whether we live or die, that day will come. And we ain't far from that day right now...
Obama voted for the bankster bailout with no oversite!
Paulson came to congress with a derivative bomb strapped to his chest....and Obama caved!
Obama owes us reparations...
as a matter of fact, more democrats voted for a bailout with no oversite, than did republicans!
democrats are actually the corporate fascists. (republicans too though) Congress (in general) owes us reparations
The Democrats we've got in place are little better than the Republicans.
The whole system is corrupt and about to collapse like a house of cards. What happened last year was just the beginning. They did nothing to stop the financial game that's been played for 30 years. Worse is coming. Much worse!
Call me a Cassandra if you want...
I assume you're referring to the Senate vote on TARP, because otherwise Obama wasn't Prez at the time. Obama doesn't owe us any reparations, but Wall Street sure does.
You also seem to overlook the fact that once Congress had approved the TARP money, Paulson then arbitrarily changed the program's goals. And the fact that the leadership of both parties supported the original TARP because they were the ones that had received the "crisis briefings" from Paulson and Bernanke, and were apparently frightened enough at the scenario that they
acted to provide the money.
Not only did Paulson/Bernanke/Bush (since he was still President) double-cross Congress, but
subsequently the Banks have failed to live up to their expectations once they got the money.
I share your anger, but it needs to be directed at the right people. And you can start with the financial services industry.
By the way, only about half of the TARP money has actually been distributed.
a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering. This man has no compassion for his fellow man.
it must be hard to be in congress, and to make big money not working two and half days a week for 36 weeks.... they are all in cahoots with the big cash cows.
Congresscritters have their own form of unemployment compensation--it's called Congressional pensions. Additionally, if a critter loses his job, some lobbyist always gets said critter an appointed position, from which we can never, ever remove the varmint..
The scum in the Congressional pond currently are pondering how to get illegal importers of Mexican brown heroin, cocaine, and meth as much American job protection as they can, and amnesty for their importation trip.
Americans who only use legal prescription drugs and OTC's get no such job protection, and no pharmaceutical subsidies of the kind that illegal drug dealers and corpoRATS get.
The Republicans are a bunch of rich rotten Pricks who don't and never have given a Crap about working people.
a crushing majority into a hapless political object.
for saving our tax dollars for the truly worthy.
I'm sure his morons will put my e-mail into the positive pile.
What a typical Republican bastard.
... but I was in denial, pretending that I actually believed that my unemployment benefits would soon be extended. Deep inside though, I knew what would happen.
But the delay means hundreds of thousands of people who lost them a week before won't be eligible.
If you still have any time left, I suggest you report you worked for a week or two (which means you'll lose your check) and that will extend you into the period where you're eligible again.
Susie,
This is not true at all. If you ran out of extensions anytime this year, you will be eligible to collect as soon as the bill is signed. I have already spoke to a person high up in my unemployment dept. in NV. Everyone will be eligible. So, I suggest you keep the hope up, and fight those idiots in the Senate who do not fight for this extension. I have already written to Kyl to tell him he's an asshole, and he should be giving up his own salary to create new jobs, which is what he says is the reason he doesn't want to let this go through. If you read his site, it gives the impression he is stalling indefinately. So keep on fighting by emailing, calling him and your own Senators, and filling up their voice mail.
Rate Rises to 9.8%”.
Can you say “Bye-bye, Barack?
You consistently redirect GOP bullshit to Obama.
GOP kills everything the Democrats supposedly want, even with minuscule minorities in Congress?
In the Senate they have no "miniscule minority" when the reality of consistent filibusters is taken into account. The GOP hasn't killed everything, but they have played the obstructionist game quite well.
Furthermore, including the topic itself of this thread, there are ways in which an individual Senator can halt or hold-up legislation and Pres appointments. That's what Kyl is doing. It has
nothing to do with the size of the minority in this case.
Yeah it's Obama's fault. This depression economy happened in the last nine months.
Two categories of republicans: the rich and the ignorant.
The ignorant rich and the just plain ol' ignorant.
:)
I assume you're talking 2012. So, who would make your heart sing then? Please share.
I was floored when I read this:
I think Roe v. Wade was based on the privacy issue?
Grrrrrrrrr
“What would Bush do?”
He would go on vacation to cut some brush . . .
Obviously.
lololololo
Yep, and 50+ Cheney in the Senate, along with their massive 222-213 House majority would ram through every piece of god-damned people screwing, corporate fascist legislation he wanted.
Screw the shit out of the people Bankruptcy bill - no problem!
Steal 2 trillion dollars from working people and give it to trust-funders - you got it!
Start a freaking war, yeah, a freaking war on total bullshit - well, ok!
______________________ fill in any of hundreds of people screwing laws those bastard GOPer's passed.
His wife likes to go au naturale, what?
Check out the final report of Bush's economic council (which Bush signed), dated 5 days before Obama's inauguration. It clearly states that we're on the road to rapid economic recovery.....
Among other things, this rosy Jan. 2009 scenario underscores to what extent we didn't know at the time
the full extent of the recession.
But what's going to happen,of course, is that the Dems will do the heavy lifting, make tough decisions and pay for it in elections. Then when things are really looking somewhat better,the Republicans will say it's time for them to run things again. Run things back into the ground....
there's a family which will lose their house because Kyl obstructed the renewal of Unemployment benefits for the victims of his recession.
Now I know it is wrong to imagine such a thing, but it amuses me to think that that unemployed father will seek out Senator Kyl the next time he returns to Arizone, and beat him to within an inch of his life, leaving the sumbitch injured and bleeding, with his teeth--those shiny Pol-polished, federally fixed teeth--tumbling through a sewer grate.
Obviously, it would be wrong to hope Senator Kyl met such a fate.
Kyl is POW "prick on wheels"
I just saw an ad for Chevron Oil on this site. The ad is about doing "our" part to save energy. It was about dryer loads. What in the hell does Chevron care about dryer loads? The company is one of the most corrupt killers of the ecosystem in the world and you are allowing them to advertise on your site to make themselves look good?
These assholes are using you to make themselves look good to progressives? What the hell is going on? Are you trying to compete with Beck for the most criminal advertisers?
Greed doesn't cut it.
Why shouldn't lefties get in on the "gravy train." It's big bucks, and easy work. Just sell your soul, take the money and run, why - it's patriotic.
Senator Kyl;
I would like to ask you a simple question: Who do you work for? Do you work for the people or, do you work for the republican party??
I looked over several of your votes, and it is clear to me you have forgotten the people who cast legal votes for you. Your party's hatred for our new President is so very clear to those of us who find our NEWS from sources other than fox.
It seems you have allowed your hatred for the man who unseated your party from power, you care NOTHING for the people in this nation who are so damaged by this hatred. Your holding up the Unemployment extension is proof of my words. The hundreds of thousands of Americans who for whatever reason, have not found a job before their benefits have expired, will not buy food this week because of YOUR hatred for Mr Obama and the Democratic Party. How is this a good decision for America??
If I thought you cared for the people, I would probably try to have see all the pain you've caused, but to be honest, I don't think you care.
It's doubtful you'll ever see this note, even more doubtful is that you will care about the message I am trying to relate. Just know this, no matter how much money your corporate masters are funneling to your campaign, you have now made political enemies out of this nation's unemployed.
People should matter to you more than your party, but to you, and to the republican party, we don't. This much is certain.
However, it's a different certainty I wish to leave you with; in elections, people really do matter. And, you've now alienated a large voting block who's numbers will keep you, and your ilk from re-election/election next year. That is a promise.
Sincerely,
Sane Zonies (there are a growing number) will appreciate it.
for shining some light on the AZ contingent of creeps in the past few weeks.
Jon Kyl and John McCain were voting to help protect the Halliburton/KBR rapists earlier this week.
Hopefully, folks will remember Vyl Kyl complaining that he didn't need any kind of care for expectant mothers a couple weeks ago; Kyl shined with his racial bigotry during the Sotomayor hearings.
Then there's McLame "I'm a hero POW who can't count all of my houses."
We can thank McLame for bringing Bible Spice to the national stage. One might remember his unaccompanied stroll through the Baghdad Bazaar with a platoon of armed soldiers and a couple gunships.
And Trent Franks, who rules the second district gerrymander stood up for Murrikkka and declared Obama an enemy of humanity. This former Halliburton employee likes to use pictures of cute littlt baaaabies on his campaign signs while having voted against EVERY SINGLE BILL that would have provided health care to poor children.
But it's okay, he has a 100% approval rating from Focus on the Family - an organization he used to chair in AZ.
Once you're out of the womb - YOYO.
Keep shining the light on these evil men, Arizona deserves to be a laughingstock until these villains are voted out of office.
BTW, the phone numbers of these solid statesmen - should anyone wish to thank them for saving the rapists - Jon Kyl 202 224 4521
McLame 202 224 2235
Franks 202 225 4576
http://www.uclick.com/client/nyt/bs/
I live in Phoenix and used unemployment for the first time in my life this year. I'm 50, worked since I was 16. I now have a job. Phoenix is very hard hit by all of this and Kyl's political ambitions obviously outweigh his concern over the people of Arizona he supposedly represents. Time for yet another letter to his office not that he cares.
Here are the rest of the RNC Clowns...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30835791@N07/set...
Kyl may be doing Obama a favor although not the people who need help.
When Bush refused to extend unemployment benefits his unemployment rating went down from 8+% to 5.5%.
When Republicans point at the new unemployment figures they will cringe at the thought of Obama's policies looking better with unemployment rates dropping instead of going over 10%.
Republicans have always been fools who shoot themselves in the foot at every turn!
AARP, SEIU, ACLU, all the GRASS ROOT people have you had enough yet? The biggest block is the AARP, the next biggest is the SEIU and the UNIONS and for our Law Wisdom is the ACLU, the Present Congress and Senate are more interested in smoke and mirrors and catering to lobbyist then the constituents that elected them so here is what I am asking.
ACLU- can you research and see how WE as Citizen change the Congressional and Senatorial retirement packages, this is to include ALL PERKS. Since they DO NOT think it is essential that I and my fellow citizens have Insurance then I DO NOT believe I should be paying for theirs and their staffs. Next their staff the reason for the pay raises were to cover cost so they SCREW America and pocket the cost lets make it MANDATORY they must pay for their own staff out of their pay, things like book writings and office space for said amount of years NO MORE, Retirement regardless of which house they serve in they CAN NOT draw Retirement till 70 years old and that's to be on a sliding scale for every 5% they are above the National Poverty level we DECREASE their retirement even better and more fair is they can not be paid any more than 155% above the lowest paid job in America. There is more however time and space doesn't allow it. Oh the biggest thing is NO GRAND FATHER clause.
SEIU, Local Unions, and the AARP now organize and push, push like your very life depended on it these Clowns that are stealing from us can be checked but only in a Organized effort and WE have the Mid-Terms coming up lets put their heads on the Chopping Blocks.
I am not a great admirer of Bob Dole how ever it is he who said that if Congress and the senate keep this up it will cot them because the American people are getting tired, he said this quite a few years ago and you know what I AM TIRED the Benefits, PAY and the RETIREMENT MUST be overhauled. Shoot for the mid Terms,Lets beat these Clowns Senseless. ACLU What do you say?
a nice GOVERNMENT job, so why should he have to pay anything towards helping the unemployed?
Extending Unemployment Benefits-No Hurry.
Health Care Reform- No Hurry.
Defense Spending Bill, Corporate Tax Cuts, Money For War-Done, Done, and Done.
Typical congress
where all the kindler, gentler, compassionate conservative types hang out. You know, the amoral clowns, the ones so blissfully unburdened by any troublesome traces of conscience.
Well evidently, people in Arizona are ALL having no economic problems and they ALL have the right JOB they want; not to mention still having a roof to live under.
If that's the case, I guess you have no problems with John Kyl's voting.
However, if what I have described is NOT the situation in Arizona, then what are you doing about it with Kyl?
Are you hammering his office with near vulgar (no swearing - just get your anger across) phone calls? Are you pummeling his office with angry letters about his "who cares" attitude about the American Worker?
You'll have to get it across to him that HE Will Be Looking For UNemployment Benefits soon, Very, Very Soon!!
Very simple. Make euthansia legal. The republican taxes stay low. The rest of stay lower.
It took bush and the republicans 8 years to get the economy in this mess and now kyle is blocking unemployment extensions for people who badly need it! How can you expect President Obama to fix this mess in 9 months? Thats the republicans playbook, obstruct and no new ideas of their own. The unemployment rate in Arizona is at least 9%, let kyle know how you feel.Call and e-mail this guy every day, make your voice heard and remember on election day. Hold kyle responsible.
So, noone read the memo? OOps here it is. Duhhh!!!!!
Everything he has asked for has already been done, dock his pay for wasting time.
Any other employee would have been fired for that excuse.
Give me a break they had plenty of time to wake up and smell the coffee.I guess negative attention is better than no attention at all.
I will be switching my party affiliation this minute.
Is it not endangerment to put peoples lives in jeapordy?
My husband drives over the road, he could not get any sleeep last night because of all of the homeless people at the rest areas banging on the window begging for money or food for thier families.
Many of the road travelers had everything they own in the back of Uhauls and pick up trucks, splilling it out onto the highway.
Have they not seen the mob scene of 35,000 people from Michigan trying to get social services?? Or are they playing ostrich..CNN doesnt talk about it they would rather talk about some late night talk show host who thinks he's a stud.
This bill needs to pass they need to sleep there in the chambers until it is done. No breaks no dinners no time off get it done!! STOP THE FOOT DRAGGING, the elphant is in the living room , (pardon the pun..)
I don't need to tell anyone here that the Repug party is blatantly for Wall street ,the big corporations and the very wealthy , in fact they are against the common people , the working families and we the people , it is that simple . What still , even now after the last eight years , completely overwhelms and boggles my mind is the total BLINDNESS , STUPIDITY and IGNORANCE of those idiots who to say the least , vote against their own best interests and support these ass holes . It's like looking up at the stars and trying to comprehend infinity , just shorts out the circuits . Maybe Repugism is a mental disease .
I want to thank Senator Kyl and his distinguished collegues for finally bringing me to my knees. Thanks for the new bankruptcy laws which will allow me to give up everything I've worked my entire life for. Thank you for enacting Federal Unemployment Taxation statutes which forced my previous employers to fork over more than $60k during my working career. Thank you for the paultry $12K you so graciously returned to me from those unemployment taxes. You and your cronies probably spent the difference in some war or bailout somewhere.
And I want to especially thank you and your collegues for the way you mismanaged the economy and enabled you and your friends to enrich themselves at the expense of the taxpayers. You must feel proud of yourself. You must swell up with pride everytime you see a homeless man begging for a few coins on the street corner. It must bring tears of joy to your eyes when you hear that you and your collegues have spent the entire Social Security Trust Fund.
And thank you for your efforts to solve the immigration problem. And special thnks go out to you and your collegues for allowing Corporations to outsource jobs. Once suggestion however, maybe one of the reasons direct marketing sales are down in the U.S. is because the consumers can't understand what the foreigners who call our homes are saying.
And I an particularly thankful for being forced to draw my social security (if you've left me any) at an early age. Yes, my dream to retire has come true. Although not in a way I envisioned. I lost my job in 2006 and haven't been able to return to the workforce. I've literally begged for a job but it seems that a 62 year old man isn't needed by the current economy. Not even Walmart or Burger King is interested in me. I'm thinking about lying on my resume and stating that I'm an illegal immigrant. Maybe that will help me get a job. But then again, how will I get around the age discrimination issue.
Thanks also for making my life so much simplier. I no longer have any assets or money to manage. Since I was laid off I've exhausted my savings and 401(k). Now I've exhausted my unemployment benefits. And tomorrow, I'm filing for bankruptcy and will join the homeless. They already repossessed everything they can. Try going from $65K to 12k a year.
And, on behalf of my friends who lost their lives in Vietnam and those young men who have died and will continue to die on foreign soils so our great country can exert our political ideals throughout the planet (and of course sell our weapon systems), a special thanks goes out for printing fiat money to fund these various and continious wars.
I am a 62 years old veteran who fought in one war, returned and earned a college degree and believed that this once great nation was the best government on earth. Both my sons have fought for the ideals of this country. And my family history reveals that someone in my bloodline has fought in every war since the Revolutionary War. So no one can say we're not a patriotic family. Yes - we are patriotic - Just misled........ And betrayed............ And overtaxed.......
I was a republician - now I consider myself an indepentent. But honestly I can't find any political party that really represents my ideals and viewpoints. If I break the law, they'll send me to prison. If they break the law, they'll evade justice through a loophole thay created when they wrote the bill.
Sorry to hear about your plight. I am 59 years old and can't even collect Social Security though. I will be going bankrupt, losing my house because I don't have two paycheck stubs, exhausted unemployment in July. friends died in Vietnam. I still miss them.
I was Never Ever a republican. I have always been a democrat. Thank you and your family for fighting for the rest of us, but those republican Senators have never been there for us. If you made 62K a year, you really should have realized sooner, you should not have voted for them. I made up to 48K, have not had a steady job since 2007 and made 13K last year all on unemployment. And I tried hard to get a job. Yes, ageism really exists.
This Jon Kyl is a typical republican. He cares nothing for anyone save himself. He has made a name for himself. And there's a place waiting for him in Hell.
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