Tom Corbett, Attorney General of Pennsylvania.
He claims the unemployed are deliberately
not taking jobs so they can continue to collect benefits.
Yes, you heard that right.
Tom Corbett, Pennsylvania's Republican candidate for governor,
claims "the jobs are there," but that many people are purposely remaining unemployed
to collect benefits.
yea, right!
More after the fold....
After watching Chris Hayes tonight (filling in for Rachel) on TRMS
I did a five minute channel surf, and stopped for a moment on the local
Philly FoxNews channel.
The lead story was about the awful "duck" boat accident that claimed
the lives of two foreign tourists. A sad tragedy here in Philly....
...suddenly though, something caught my attention...
there, at the bottom, scrolling along, was something like:
Tom Corbett says jobs are there but unemployed not taking them. Local businesses told him they have openings but unemployed would rather wait until their benefits run out before taking jobs.
Now, that's not a direct quote from the scroll
it's the best I could remember, and considering I waited until the scroll
came around several more times, I think it's pretty close.
But, in 2-1/2 seconds, teh trusty Google led me to this link:
"The jobs are there. But if we keep extending unemployment, people are just going to sit there ... I’ve literally had construction companies tell me, I can’t get people to come back to work until...they say, 'I’ll come back to work when unemployment runs out.'"
nice.
For those who may not know,Tom Corbett is running for Governor of Pennsylvania.
It goes without saying, Mr. Corbett is a heartless bastard Republican.
Corbett was giving a radio interview on Pennsylvania Public Radio
when he made this outlandish claim...
here are soundbites of the Attorney General’s comments.
It should come as no surprise that he didn't name any of those
businesses...you know, the ones that had jobs they couldn't fill.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of May 2010,
Pennsylvania has an unemployment rate of 9.1%
If Tom Corbett was at all concerned about the hardship people in his state are suffering, he might have gotten the names of those companies and offered to help.
Instead, he chooses to follow the Republican playbook.
He chooses to be a heartless bastard!
Well, personally, I've had enough.
And, I'm not the only one who feels this way.
Here are a few of the comments posted after the article:
What an a$$! My husband was laid off from his job 15 months ago. He has searched every single day for new job postings. After an extensive interview process he has finally been offered a position for 40% less. Thankfully I work and we didn't have to pay cobra with the limited UE benefits we receive. We were able to get by during this tough time - but it’s been VERY hard. What would Corbett prefer we do, turn in the keys to our house and starve our children? My husband is far from lazy. He is educated, ambitious and a man of honor. If Corbitt really cares about any of his constituents, he better get his staff to track these feedbacks and apologize for his comments.
Corbett, what planet are you living on? The vast majority of those of us who have been laid off would gladly take any job that pays the bills and maybe offers some benefits. Unemployment does not allow for the standard of living we had when working, nor does it allow for any savings for the future. I have exhausted my benefits, and I am now dipping into my 401k- and I am still 9 years from retirement age! Tell me where these jobs are.
I will take one of these so called jobs right now Mr Corbett. Where do I apply ?
Please tell me,,I am waiting,,still waiting.....still waiting,,thought so,,,you are BS
This is ridiculous! I have been searching and searching for work for over a year now and have only been on TWO interviews! There are people that are not taking advantage of the situation, but we look bad because of people like him who spew ignorance! Thanks for convincing me to vote out of party in November!
Now, in the spirit of fairness, let me post a few comments that agreed
with our AG:
Eliminate all aid....period. Unemployment, welfare. Let's go back to the days when the fittest survive. The unfit die.
hmmm, with a comment like this:
Apparently you people have not been to an employment or welfare office lately!
Why is everyone in there a minority?
Because they would rather collect unemployment or
or a disability check then get a real job!
And this is exactly what Mr. Corbett is talking about!
sounds like a racist....smells like a racist
must be a racist!
He's correct, there are plenty of jobs out there, and in fact the company I work for has over 160 openings right now. I work for a major company in the LHV with med to high paying jobs.
When I finished high school I started out as a bricklayer, when winter came I was laid off do to the weather. I walked in the unemployment office to file and walked right back out when I saw what was in there, I felt ashamed. I said to myself, I can go get a job at the mall, grocery store or something else to hold me over until I went back to work as a bricklayer or found a new career. I found a new career worked from the bottom to the top and never had to look back.
The more the gov’t extends unemployment the more lazy people will get. Why work when you can sit at home and collect. I hear at work and I hear it from my neighbors. Democrats plan working very well as long as you keep them feeding at the trough the more they are like puppets in your hands. They control you, think for you and tell you what to do. Start taking personal responsibility for yourself, get off your lazy arse and get out there hit the pavement.
That comment caused quite a stir, here is a reply:
Mr. HR:
The tone of your post is extremely offensive and condescending.
It has been our experience that most companies who have positions to fill do not respond to applications--- they just go into a black hole. So yes, it could be that your company has positions, but it could also be that they are too overwhelmed to fill them or handle the volume of applications efficiently.
It could also very well be that if a candidate appears to be overqualified, their application is not taken seriously. My boyfriend's need for a job IS SERIOUS.
So, Mr. HR - If you can say that your company is handling the volume of applications for your fabulous 160 openings of medium to high paying jobs efficiently and effectively-- If you are so willing to tout the growth of the major company you work for in the LV which is so desperate to fill 160 jobs that everyone is too lazy to apply for, then tell us the name of the company....
___________
In case you didn't know, Dan Onorato is the Democrat running against Corbett.
This comment offers a great idea:
wow, crobett is clueless, people will work for more than minimum wage, only jobs out there are minimum wage... Corbett just gave Onorato a great tv commercial
Dan, I hope you're listening.