I was at a 'thing' yesterday, or perhaps a better term to describe it would be a birthday party. The birthday boy was one year old, which tells a lot about the ages of the people in attendance - MOSTLY NOT ONE YEARS OLD.
I have known the grandparents, the home we were having the party in, for about 20 years. The grandmother worked for Mervyns for a long time. She started out one day a week in gift wrap and ended up closing out registers at night. In any case, when Mervyns closed, she went on unemployment. She has been on unemployment for over a year, and with the fiasco called Congress, on break, no emergency funding was allocated and 1.3 million people lose benefits.
Unemployment was like social security (go back to Roosevelt's statements on its purpose) - it was not intended as a permanent and sole economic source. This grandmother I know never had a desire to go back to work. She only started working at Mervyns for a few extra dollars. Their mortgage is suspended by Proposition 13 and they remain in the same home. Their mortgage would be at most a couple hundred dollars a month, and for a home with a pool, it isn't bad.
However, I had to hear about the 'mean old Republicans' ... with one thoughtful comment 'if they have enough money for war they have enough money for unemployment' - referencing Republicans and war. I am at a loss. In less than six months, according to the Wall Street Journal, a host of new taxes will be thrown at us, those who earn very little all the way up the ladder to the super rich, all 12 of them. Yet these people were more concerned about what ius happening now, unaware of taxes, unaware of virtually everything. Their son, since I have known him, has spent more time unemployed, or simply not working (which is distinguished from being unemployed by the time not working equal to or greater than one year) - and fails to pay his bills very often or at all, went on and on and on about how the Republicans were cruel and hypocritical.
Perhaps a little reality:
Democrats have been painting Republicans as unsympathetic to the long-term unemployed who will be unable to collect benefits, but Democratic leaders have rejected several offers by the GOP to vote for the bill if at least some of it is paid for.
"My concern is that the Democrats are more interested in having this issue to demagogue for political gamesmanship than they are in simply passing the benefits extension," said Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, who offered a deal that was rejected by Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
Democratic leaders were quick to attack Republicans for opposing the benefits, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., calling their opposition "just cruel" and "contrary to what our country is about."
Republicans, meanwhile, stood firm in their argument that extending benefits should not add to the deficit.
Voinovich told Reid he would vote for extending benefits if at least half of the extension could be paid for with unused money from the $787 billion stimulus package.
"I came to the table with a fair compromise, and the ball is in their court," said Voinovich, whose state suffers from a 10.7 percent unemployment rate.
The House passed a sixth-month extension on Thursday, but the Senate was long gone by then, having shut down early so that the late Sen. Robert Byrd's body could lie in repose in the chamber. Any future action by the Senate will have to wait until lawmakers return on July 12.
obama and taxes
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