It’s zero hour for the 99-ers, with unemployment benefits set to expire today. If, like most Americans, you think that this is a bad thing, and you'd like to do something about it, meet me below the fold.
As part of this lame duck session, Senate Democrats haveintroduced a bill to extend benefits for an additional year, but in spite of the popularity of the idea, the bill’s passage is not by any means assured.
In the meantime, as this political theater plays out, the lives of the two million people who stand to lose benefits immediately (with more to follow every week), as well as those of their loved ones, hang in the balance as rents, mortgages, as bills for heating oil and other necessities come due, as families run out of food, and the holiday season approaches.
The shame of this, at a time when serious consideration is being given to keeping in place, tax exemption for trust fund babies, and tax cuts for the richest of the rich, is sickening. That this shame has not been hung around the neck of every Republican, and every Democrat who stands in the way of passing the extension; the fact that the names of those miscreants are not household words, and that the upcoming expiration is not the chief topic of every watercooler conversation in America; is as pure an example of political malpractice as there ever was.
As a commenter to this excellent diary pointed out, we’re talking about unemployment insurance here; not a handout. We’ve all paid “premiums”, for this, all of our working lives. To their credit, Americans understand this, and their great credit, and regardless of their self-described ideology or party ID, they show overwhelming support (2 to 1) for extending unemployment benefits. It’s axiomatic that putting money in the pockets of the people who need it most, and are therefore sure to spend it, stimulates the economy. Morally, economically, and even politically, passage of the bill would be win-win-win.
So given these facts, why are we yet again, seeing a huge disparity between what that American people want – regardless of political ideology – and what the party in power can deliver? Though I can – and have – argued about them ad nauseum, the reasons matter less to me than do the possible solutions. I think that there’s an opportunity for us to help fellow citizens, and, frankly, ourselves even as the party seems to be failing us yet again.
Mass civil disobedience at the unemployment offices of the most hard-hit areas seems to be in order. Not to rile or intimidate the good people who staff those offices, and who are unfortunately fiscally hamstrung by the DC Dem’s political malpractice. But rather to call attention to the largely unheralded fiscal and moral disaster that will ensue from allowing the benefits to lapse.
For those fortunate few who are not personally affected by unemployment, it’s time to say “Ich bin ein 99-er” and to demand that their tax dollars premiums be put to the use for which they were intended.
In this very small way, on this single, but important issue, by demanding representation for in exchange for our taxes, we might begin to take back our democracy.
I honestly believe that can shame this lame duck Congress into doing the right thing. God help us if this is left in the republicans' filthy, greedy hands. I seem to be long on ideas, but short on ways to implement them. Can you help? I’m talking to you, moveon, and you, OFA. How can we quickly bring to this issue the attention that it deserves?
Your thoughts?
Update:
SB 3706 would provide for 20 additional weeks of benefits for 99-ers in eligible states.
you might also want to sign the afl-cio's pettion, here.