The Senate reconvenes on Monday and it’s expected that the unemployment extension bill will be put before the senate again. But unless the Democrat West Virginian Governor Joe Machin quickly appoints a temporary successor for the late Senator Robert Byrd, the Democrats may still be without the numbers to stop the Republicans filibustering the unemployment benefits bill once again.
If the bill is delayed even one day, it have a significant and adverse affect on those who have had their unemployment benefits cut off, or face imminent loss of their benefits.
Unemployment benefits stopped on the 30th of May for those were eligible for extended unemployment benefits. By the time the Senate meets again on Monday, it’s expected nearly 2 million Americans will have had the benefits stopped, and every day after another 50,000 will lose the entitlements.
Observers believe that Gov. Manchin is in no hurry to name a temporary successor until he had heard back from the Attorney General McGraw as to whether he can call an early election to fill the now vacant seat of the late Sen. Byrd. Under current West Virginian legislation, an election cannot be called until end of 2012. Manchin told reporters on Wednesday that until the AG gives a legal opinion on the matter, he will not be appointing a successor.
This possible delay will cause more hardship and stress on the already disillusioned unemployed who have lost their benefits. Many are relying on family and friends to support them in their time of need.
BC reports from Winter Haven, Florida “I lost my benefits the end of May. It’s been almost 6 weeks since I’ve seen a dime. My bank account is negative $300 and I’ve loaned money from literally every member in my family just to feed my kids and pay my bills hoping that GOD hears my prayers and this extension gets passed. This situation that is going on in Senate absolutely is ruined my life,”.
MD from New York says “I am one of those nameless, faceless millions that has been abruptly cut-off of unemployment that you were talking about and I am outraged at how congress is treating us. I am a college graduate and have worked hard all my life. Congress is sticking their middle finger up at us. I just paid my rent with the last money in my account. I am going to be 2 months behind on utilities. I have my last $20 to eat for the rest of the week….my bank account will then say $0. I am holding my breath for July 12th.”
MC writes” I am 26 and have been unemployed for the last year. I decided to go back to school and further my education since California currently has no jobs for someone without any degree. I only have 3 months of school left. All I am asking is for just a little more time to finish up my school. As is, I am about to lose the place I am renting because I can not pay the rent. I can’t afford to feed both my son and my self so I go without the food. I might have to quit school now because I can’t even afford to pay the day care to watch my son for 5 hours a day 4 days a week. How is this going to better anyone’s life? All this is going to do is increase the homeless population as well as the unemployed population.”
It is abundantly clear, to all that, no matter which side of the political fence you straddle, any more delays to the passage of the unemployment extension bill will cause incalculable hardship and distress on those already teetering on the edge.
After all the flack the Republicans have taken for their filibustering on the unemployment extension bill, how ironic it would be it the final push to those on the brink came from a Democrat. And a Governor at that no less.
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Maybe we should be protesting at the Republican senators residences, setting up tent cities in their neighborhood and yard. Their nieghbors would be so proud of them!
I have been phoning Senators offices for the past 3 weeks explaining my situation.
I was laid off last November, and have just expired my FIRST 6 months of UI.
I have been turned down for several jobs, because I am ‘overqualified’
I have 3 really good job prospects, one is actually a 6 figure salary, but none of them start until late July or early August.
I do not have money to pay for July”s rent, and am just awaiting my eviction notice.
I am driving without the legally required car insurance and with expired licence tags.
So, I would like to propose a few things:
First, if anybody gets evicted starting July 1st, let’s start taking over the Senator’s offices….use them to sleep in, send faxes, use the phones and their computers to find work.
Second, when we do find work, claim 99 exemptions. I REFUSE to PAY ANY MORE TAXES!! Remember the old saying ‘No taxation without representation’?? Well, it is VERY obvious that Americans have no representation!! “Taxation without representation is TYRANNY!!”
We need to revolt and start a new revolution….NOW!!!
Many of us don’t have much, if anything to lose anymore.
The most dangerous person is one with nothing left to lose!!
We can afford to GIVE Pakistan $7.5 BILLION to arm and train Taliban to kill AMERICAN soldiers…..we can afford to GIVE Egypt $7 Billion, we can afford to GIVE Haitian earthquake victims over $2 BILLION dollars, we can afford to GIVE $30 MILLION to Palestinian refugees…
We CAN AFFORD to keep the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest 1 percent of the country at a cost of $1.8 TRILLION.
We CAN AFFORD to bail out Wall Street to the tune of $700 BILLION and buy GM, even though a huge majority told Congress NOT TO!!
But we CAN’T AFFORD to take care of middle class AMERICANS who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own???
And this is being decided by people that ‘We the People’ are paying!!!
‘We the People’ are ALLOWING these people to GIVE our tax dollars away to others, but they won’t help us??? With OUR OWN MONEY????
I am absolutely ASHAMED of the Senators and to be called an American!!!
And Senators…..you should be ASHAMED of YOURSELVES!!!
Even more so if you consider yourself a ‘christian’!!!
Would jesus ALLOW people to be thrown out of their homes and apartments??
Would he ALLOW them to go hungry???
And yet FUND a 9 YEAR war, in which thousands of innocents have been killed??
I’ve worked in the Mortgage Industry for 18 years. My company (American Home Mortgage) was one of the many that was shut down in 2007. I truly loved my job. After that I went to work for IndyMac Bank – who, by the way, was the company that took over some of the prior American Home Mortgage Branches. In July of 2008 they were shut down. Once again, not my fault. After searching (and searching, and searching…) for employment in the Mortgage Industry I came to the realization that I needed to change my career path. I’m currently in school for Medical Office and Business Administration/Medical Billing and Coding. I’m graduating July 13. My point is this – not EVERYBODY who is on unemployment wants to be on it (god knows I certainly don’t) and not EVERYBODY on unemployment is sitting around doing ‘nothing’ while collecting their ‘huge’ check. I wish I could say the same for Congress. I can’t understand how this country has bailed out the ‘BIG BANKS’ but refuses to help the regular citizens. I was going to say the regular ‘middle class’ citizens, but we both know there is no longer a ‘middle class’. There is only the rich and the poor. I wonder which category Congress members fall into. I know which one I fall into. I also know I can’t wait until November rolls around. I might be living on the street by then, but I will certainly make it to the voting booth to vote all of you out of office. So enjoy ‘living large’ now, it won’t be for much longer.
I wrote to my Senators and Representative… All of them, Democrats and Republicans voted to extend in Pennsylvania.
Whats funny is that The letter from Spector addressed me as a woman, when clearly my mail stated that I am a “Mr.” and not a Ms. Just goes to show you, they have scripted replies and do not really read what the mail is about.
Pathetic… People, face it, we are among those who the elected officials CAN AFFORD to forget about… We are worthless to them… get used to it.. We can only vote them out of office, but guess what, they get a great retirement with lifetime health care even if they lose their job… so voting them out does nothing but give them a vacation, using our tax dollars…
Aint America the greatest!!! yeh…….
Is this really what the Senators want to see people hungry and losing their homes. I used to belive that our politicians worked for the benifit of america and not self intrest groups.Maybe we should all go to their homes for dinner!
All the stimulus money given to these banks added to the unemployment crisis.That money should have been given to the American People and the millions of unemployed people at that time, instead of these banks, wall street and big businesses.If each family received a million dollars each, This would have definitely helped our economy and jobs.Our country is f**k up when these greedy politians and even our puppet president obama could let this happen to us as American citizens,voters,families,men,women and children.
Senators,
Please Vote Yes on HR4213, or my next resume will go as follows:
WILL WORK FOR FOOD
Thank you,
Citizens of the United States of America
“I might be living on the street by then, but I will certainly make it to the voting booth to vote all of you out of office.”
Gotcha!
If you are living on the street you will no longer be able to use your old address to register to vote from. And since you have no fixed address you truthfully are ineligible to register anywhere as they cannot verify you are indeed a citizen of that town, county, city, or state.
And to beat that horse a bit longer. What good exactly has voting the bums out got us thus far? More bums?
Stop eating the cake and take to the streets.
i have a college degree and had been working for 25 years until i lost my job. and it wasn’t my fault that i lost my job. being unemployed was not my choice. i am not lazy. i am even willing to take on any job but i need to feed my family too. why do we need to “beg” for help? the “help” came so easy for the big banks and wall street? how about us?
I wish I had the words to describe just how horrible and cruel this all has been. To stop payments to those who have so little left to give and without notice. If they had said all benefits are going to end on Nov 30th for everyone we then ok most people would have to do something. But to cut it off without any notice is cruel and heartless. This is not America this is not the country we love. This is nothing less than class warfare period. The have’s and the have nots. I am convinced the GOP will stop at nothing to gain back the house and senate and the white house. No matter what your party is this is class warfare. If left alone this will spill out into the streets of America and people will be hurt or worse. Just look what happened last night in Oakland Ca and you can see what just one spark can do. There were about 800 people there, and there are about 3.0 millon and climbing in this issue and if the senate thinks this is not going to spark they are insane. Its coming folks the only question is when.
Georgia unemployment is $330. Now that the First Tier is over, if another extension is passed, my husband will be getting only 54% of that – gas money to say the least to look for a job. If my senator thinks we are sitting home on unemployment eating bon bons – he’s out of touch with reality. His swimming pool costs more than that to maintain each month!. Vote them OUT!
To my fellow Georgia citizen. I’ve written to both of our lame senators, (Isakson and Chambliss), numerous times. I written to Phil Gingrey numerous times. Their initial responses were all the same. They must have gotten their staff together to come up with a standard reply. Since their initial response, I haven’t received anymore, even though I’ve written them, time and time again. They are not worried about our children or grandchildren, they are worried about their own. What’s left of the middle class will be wiped out by then due to starvation and being homeless. All unemployed people are very bitter and rightly so. They are treating us like communists through no fault of our own. I have been unemployed since August, 2008. I have a wealth of knowledge and 30 plus years experience. Now, I am in my 50′s so I have two strikes against me, unemployed and considered to be too old for a job. Yet not old enough to collect Social Security. I would be willing to collect Social Security now since it would be more than what I’m getting now, zilch, nada, zero. They need to consider reducing the Social Security age so those in their 50′s who will never get a job have some income. We have wiped out our savings, our 401k, and had to file bankruptcy. I totally resent our government officials as they are wiping out what use to be the middle class. Don’t count on Chambliss or Isackson doing anything for us. I asked them what time I should be at their 4th of July party to eat but they never responded. God help any candidate that dials my number with their recorded message wanting me to vote for them, like Isackson. Right now, I don’t care if a camel was running against Johnny Isackson, I would vote for the camel. All incumbents need to be voted out of office and they all need to give up their future pay and benefits. We don’t have the money to pay them anymore.
Susan,
I am sorry to hear about your case. Yes it is true when you are 50 or above and I am in the same boat with you. I am fortunately that my wife still has good job and our kids finished college. My cousin was willing to take a temporary job about the same as his unemployment check but they still turned him down. I talked with my friend in Canada, he told me in Canada when you get laid off, you usually get severance pay up to a year (1 month per year service) but if you are 50 or older you get more like 6 months more since they know it is very hard to find a job.
Going back to the senators, the issue is their term 6 years long so not many need to run in this November that’s why most of them do not care and Nelson he needs to run again in 2012 that’s why he voted again Democrat party. I believe he the one who got a deal for his state in health-care bill then they took it off so he may piss off at Democrat.
“bailed out the ‘BIG BANKS’ but refuses to help the regular citizens.”
What middle class?? The land of freedom and free speech??
Its about time the people of USA need to get onto the street and PROTEST!!
I live in Iowa. I lost my job no fault of my own 2 days before Christmas of 2009. Some Christmas present huh? Well due to the area of the country I live in I had a long drive to and from work. I was unable to put anything into savings because by the time i paid my bills, bought food for the family, and paid the high prices of fuel to get back and forth to work there wasn’t much of anything left of my paychecks. I have just recently run out of unemployment myself. I have spent day after day in the last 6 months putting in applications and resumes to different companies for work and still have had no luck. I am about to see about withdrawing my money from the 401K that i started with my previous employer so I don’t end up losing my home if that is even possible for me to do. I have about 4 months left to pay on my home and i don’t want to lose it just because these pig headed politicians in Washington D.C can’t seem to get their heads together and o what is right for the american people and the unemployed. If they would get their heads out of their rear ends and see that letting the unemployed lose everything is going to hurt this country worse than them extending the unemployment benefits and making the deficit a little bigger. I know right now if Iowa’s Republican Senator Charles Grassley keeps going against this extension of the unemployment benefits he will not be recieving my vote come November of this year. And he even lives in the same county in Iowa that I live in, less than 20 miles from where I live. But as far as I am concerned if he can’t do right for the unemployed American people he will not get my vote and there are several others in this area that feel the same way.
Democrats, please tap into unused stimulus funds to get us what we need. And shame on Governor Manchin. I think he should consider changing himself to a Republican. After all we’ve been through already and he’s doing this to us??? If he doesn’t appoint someone tomorrow, I will vow to make sure I do whatever it is possible to keep him from getting elected. He better do the right thing for all Americans. It’s time you start doing your jobs and doing what’s right for US for a change and not based on how much money will go into your pockets. Shame on you ALL!!
This is awful ! I get all the extensions but don’t qualify for FED ED because my base period I only worked 17 weeks instead of the required 20 BECAUSE I was laid off of that job after 17 weeks ! Prior to that job I had also been out of work due to this freaking reccession ! Prior to that and for years I always worked full time !
Now Im going to lose everything because our ecomony is under water and we are called lazy ! Im 48 I dont even get replies to resumes ! WTF are we suppose to do ???
No Hope
I know the feeling. I am 46 and I don’t bet replies to resumes or applications either one and then they have the balls to call the unemployed lazy and that we make more on unemployment than working. When I got laid off it December 2009 I lost roughly a thousand dollars of income every month. The unemployment just barely covers my living expenses there is nothing left over. The politicians need to get their heads out of their butts and realize that if the unemployed start losing everything they have that it is going to put this country in worse trouble economically than what that extension would expand the deficit.
I finally got a job!!!!! But I lost my benefits on June 6th and havent gotten a payment in over a month now. Luckily my landlord gave me an extension on my rent, but it will cost me an extra 50, everything is about to be shut off, I owe out a few hundred in loans and I have no gas/bus money to get to work. Hopefully I will be able to find some way to get back and forth because I don’t start for a week and it usually takes about three weeks to get your first check. We need this extension, even those of us who are lucky enough to have found some employment. BTW I am going from 16.35 an hour at my last job to $12 an hour and likely I will only get 20-30 hours the first month. It is a struggle out there people, we are not lazy. Please even if your not unemployed call your senator and demand his support to extend. The US has never not extended in such a high UE period, please email, call and hold your senators accountable for the well being of the working class!
These unemployment extensions have outdone their welcome! How long will people get free money while the rest of us are working 1 or 2 jobs and watching others getting free money handed to them? Or is it free for the employed? I am not heartless, but the buck has to stop sometime!
LMD- Why don’t you QUIT one of your 2 jobs and let someone someone who is currently unemployed have a chance at it? And it’s not “free money,” in order to be eligible you have to have been laid off- from a JOB- where you’ve paid TAXES!!!
Maybe you should put your energy into being grateful for what you have instead of begrudging those whose lives have been put on hold. People who have to borrow gas money to get to interviews, and money to put their nice clothes in the laundry because their benefits were suddenly cut off, even though they haven’t reached their 99th week yet.
I hate to wish ill will on others, but it’s precisely people like you that I hope will have to experience what I’ve been through so you will think before you post crap like this.
Hey LMD,
If your lucky enough to have 1 real job that you can support your family on, or better yet 2 jobs that you can support your family on in this economy, you should be grateful and on your knees thanking God. When I was receiving an unemployment benefit, it was roughly 1/5 of what I was making when I was working. Oh and by the way, what happened to all the money that I paid into unemployment over the past 34 years, when I was working?
For someone to say that the people who are still unemployed are just plain lazy and should be drug tested is absolutely idiotic. Granted, there always have been people who abuse the system, but the majority of people, myself included, who are still unemployed would go to work tomorrow, if they could find a job.
Oh, and one more thing, if anybody out there really believes that the national unemployment rate actually fell to 9.5% from 9.7% in June, I’ve got some swampland in Florida I’d like to sell you. The only reason the number went down is because over 1 1/2 million people dropped out of the system because our elected public servants refused to extend benefits. The real national unemployment rate is well over 10%, if you count the under employed its closer to 18%. In my state, the unemployment rate is almost 11%. These are the highest unemployment rates since the great depression.
The Republicans didn’t have a problem signing bills that handed out 100′s of billions of dollars to bail out the banks in 2008 or spending 100′s of billions of dollars for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past 9 years, but when it comes to a 33 billion dollar unemployment extension, they’re suddenly fiscally responsible.
There are middle class American families on the verge of losing everything they’ve worked for. The Republicans are much dumber politically than the Democrats. If the Republicans were smart, they would pass the extension and then watch the unemployment rate jump from 9.5% back above 10%. because by the time they pass this, over 2,000,000 people would have to be added back into the system.
Then they could watch the Democrats and the Obama Administration squirm as they try to spin the numbers while the November elections approach. But they’re too stupid to see that.
There are real solutions to solve the current problems in this country, but instead of developing and executing a plan to put America back on top, the Democrats and Republicans would rather point fingers and blame each other and do nothing to actually help this country. They’re like 2 naughty little children playing with matches. When the house catches on fire, their only concern is to blame each other for starting it. They’re too spoiled, spiteful and stupid, to go get a bucket of water TOGETHER and put out the fire.
The only way out of this is to elect men and women who have actually had successful real life experience in solving problems in business, economics and national security. They’re out there, but the reason they won’t run is because they know what it takes to be successful. Politicians, politics, and politically correctness cannot fix this country. Only real solutions and real people who are willing to put their egos, agendas, and differences aside for the greater good of this country can. I say vote every single incumbent out in November. They’re all useless.
I propose that everyone who is unemployed Tweet @BarackObama today! Within the next 24 hours, let’s see how many tweets we can get for him to sign an executive order. That is our only hope I believe, and it is smaller than small. A couple of hundred tweets in 24 hours wont be noticed, but a few thousand might turn a head or 2! It is monday, July 12th, and yet another politician, a governor no less, is playing politics for his own gain with peoples lives!(HE wants Byrds seat)…we MUST make our voices heard while we still can…before we lose our phones and internet access…or come November there will be millions of people living in Tent cities just as they did in the Great Depression, and STILL the politicians will deny there is a problem. Even if you have tweeted the president before, tweet him again, today, before the sun goes down on July 13th!
Yes,DC must restore benefits.
Make Plan B
But also ppl can cancel cable, stop smoking,
use public transit more, etc.
Plan B. States (struggling to pay bonds, pensions etc)
will prob. provide u.emp. benefits in
‘kind’ = a reduced check or no check but]
a tent or space in an empty building + gov. cheese.
I have a family of 5 and worked in construction and now have exhauted all funds available. Even down sized to one vehicle just to help with everyday cost. I wake up everyday, go online and look at every site available just to see that there still are no JOBS and no EXTENSIONS. I feel like if nothing is done crime rates are going to rise, what other choice are WE left with!!!!!! SOMEONE NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING FAST.