Citing the improving economy, Republicans decided Monday against extending federal unemployment benefits before Congress leaves for the year. Democrats said it would mean a joyless Christmas for tens of thousands of jobless Americans.
“It’s almost inconceivable to me that Republican leaders are poised to play the Grinch again,” said House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California.
Democrats raised the benefits issue Monday in a vain effort to block a vote on a $373 billion spending bill for the 2004 budget year, the House’s final major act before it ends this congressional session.
Federal unemployment benefits, which supplement state payments to the jobless, have been extended three times since March 2002. Without legislative action, they will be phased out beginning Dec. 21.
At least the jobless have a nice fat GDP number to plunk in their stockings.
I suppose we should just give people unemployment indefinitely… hell, why doesn’t the government just hire every unemployed person for minimum wage, then raise the minimum wage so we can have zero unemployment and everyone can live happily ever after.
You know what… maybe they should get a job. I’ve had a recenly unemployed mother and a recenly unemployed sister. My Mom found herself a new job after getting some retraining and aggressively marketing herself. My sister is about to land a great job. They didn’t sit on their a$$ whining about the government handouts running out.
This message is for those of you who think that unemployed workers are lazy and just sits on their backsides. Let me make this clear that the economy is horrible and the city I live in is so messed up that they are laying off Police officers, EMT, and Our Fire Departments so don’t tell me to get off my butt when there is no JOBS!!!! The Republican are only doing for the rich and Iraq. Well tell our president there are millions in the so called ”homeland who are jobless and it sucks that you would take our money to another country without taking care of home!! so how dare anyone say we are lazy, and how dare you take what little lively hood we have. May god bless the idiots who runs my country! and the idiots who think they knows whats going on here’s a clue they lie!!!!!!!!!