100 United States Senators are making a decision on the fate of 1.2 million Americans-if the Unemployment Extension vote ever takes place. Democrats have worked hard to trim a broader bill that includes the 2010 Unemployment Benefits Extension. This jobless aid, or as it typically deemed by national media, has been up for debate for over 3 weeks now in the United States Senate.
The issue passed in the House and moved on to the Senate. The only hitch was the United States Senate took a 10 day holiday before reconvening and getting down to business on June 2. Now, nearly 22 days later, those 100 United States Senators will decide the fate of the growing number of jobless Americans who are suffering because of a complete lack of urgency on the part of our United States Senate. Does that 10 day holiday mean we are still 10 days away from a solution? Or can the 100 United States Senators even figure out a solution to this mess? The political process is horribly failing us at this moment. I have asked the question many times to myself and in stories I have written on Associated Content. How can 100 United States Senators decide the fate of 1.2 million Americans? Those Americans are currently without benefits after reaching a particular Tier of the Unemployment Compensation program.
Now the Senate is stalling once again. The GOP is using a filibuster to currently block the legislation. Even key Democrats are unsure the Unemployment Benefits bill will even pass if it does come to a vote. Even if it did, it would still take another vote in the House to get it through and into effect. What does this mean for jobless Americans who are all in the same horrible sinking boat of a nightmare? It means our political process is failing miserably to allow 100 people, however bright they may be, to make a decision that will affect the lives of 1.2 million people in a direct way. We are not just talking about a little stress and heartbreak for the families involved in this mystifying situation. We are talking about dire consequences and complete devastation for these 1.2 million people-those of whom can not immediately find a job in this horrible job climate. Perhaps the most horrible item to note is that each week more new jobless Americans will be added to the pool. It could be an alarming 300,000 more people without benefits each week. Within one more month-the total number could reach 2 million or more? How much is enough before the Senate finally stops dragging its feet and does something?
The statistics still show–and I know I sound like a broken record-that there are 6 people for every one job available. That means 5 out of every 6 of these 1.2 million people will be up the creek without a paddle. 100 United States Senators have, by not making a decision, made a decision that those 1.2 million people are going to have to live with. There will be major consequences for these actions. People will lose homes, go bankrupt and some will be homeless. The Senate has shown little compassion for their fellow human being as a collective group by not figuring out a way to pass this item individually or in a broader bill. The have failed and turned their back on the American people when times are still tougher than most.
It’s a horrible thought that 100 United States Senators can directly affect the lives of so many people in such an adverse way. It’s amazing that our political process is getting in the way of jobless aid at this hour–three weeks after something should have been done.
There are some Democrats who are working vigorously to get such legislation passed. But it seems like the Democratic plan is to lump everything together with other items in a broader bill. What does this do? It takes away the accountability for the votes or decisions by each member of the United States Senate. That way individual Senators can say they did not vote for the legislation because of this item or that and not directly have to address the painful need for unemployment benefits extensions. It’s an outrage and I am completely dumbfounded that this is acceptable in any way or fashion. This bill should have been passed months ago. People will now be subject to fines on mortgages, homes and credit cards thanks to the lack of urgency in this matter and the role of politics.
It shouldn’t have happened this way. The American people deserve better.
You can read more of my slant on this issue that needs to be addressed here on my blog.
