One senator blocks a bill - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

ASU2003 · 03-02-2010, 10:38 PM

Deal with GOP senator ends one-man blockade - Capitol Hill- msnbc.com

Are the Democrats really this stupid and out of touch? (OK, how many of you thought I would say that)

Quote:

"I hope Senate Democrats tonight vote for their own 'pay fors' and show Americans that they are committed to fiscal discipline. I will be watching them closely and checking off the hypocrites one by one," Bunning said in a statement before the vote on his amendment.

Quote:

The Kentucky senator had said he was concerned that the $10 billion measure's cost was not offset.

Under the agreement, Bunning was permitted to request a vote on an amendment that would have paid for the cost of the package. A procedural motion to take up the amendment failed by a vote of 43-53.

Even though the bill passed, and that can be debated as to if it is a good thing, What are we getting out of it, the unemployed could volunteer or work on other hobbies to receive benefits. And the people who are working wouldn't look at them as lazy, unproductive people anymore. The CCC 'forced' them to in the 30s (what else were they going to do), but that would be too socialist now, however I think having the welfare agency working with non-profits sounds like an interesting idea.

I have to agree with Bunning and the right wing media that the Democrats can't blame the Republicans for spending without paying for things under Bush, if they are going to do it now. Do the Democrats think that no one is watching how they spend money? They need to be innovative and try something else.

dippin · 03-02-2010, 10:49 PM

a temporary increase during a recession is vastly different from the trillions of dollars in unfunded liabilities of medicare part d and other programs passed under Bush.

If there is a time to promote unfunded spending, its during a recession, and if there is a good, reasonable program to spend it on, is on unemployment benefits.

But this whole thing tell me just how bad the dems are at branding and how weak they are: a single republican obstructs a vastly popular measure and still comes out as the reasonable guy...

ASU2003 · 03-02-2010, 11:35 PM

I know the dollar amounts are different (and the senator is being very hypocritical), but the American people are not. The Dems can't go into November saying, we spent a little less than the last guy.

And the recession was last year. The banks and stock market are fine, housing prices aren't tanking and people are spending money. I understand that unemployment benefits allow people to stay in their homes, cloth their kids, and put food on the table, but I think we could do it better.

Derwood · 03-03-2010, 06:16 AM

reports I'm reading this morning are that Bunning ended up looking like the asshole here and that other GOP leaders weren't supporting him because he was costing them political points

Rekna · 03-03-2010, 08:01 AM

Maybe we should just take everyone who exhausts their unemployment benefits outside and give them a bullet to the head (paid for the by the state of course!). That way we lower the unemployment rate and fix the problem. I mean if we are going to be heartless and say screw you to people in hardship then we should make sure to be really heartless.

ps. This was a snark

Now for some seriousness, this bill was a 30 day extension in which the cost is very small relative to what the government spends. The 30 days will hopefully allow congress to work out details of a new better bill. Of course this would require the ability to move on bills without having to defeat a filibuster every 30 minutes.

Derwood · 03-03-2010, 08:18 AM

this letter to the editor was in the local paper this morning:

Quote:

Regarding the Friday Dispatch article, "Ohio has no idea how to pay U.S. back for jobless benefits," the first rule to follow when you find yourself in a deep hole is to stop digging. It is basic economics that if you tax an activity, you tend to get less of it, while if you subsidize an activity, you tend to get more of it.

Unemployment insurance pays workers to be unemployed and funds this with a tax on employment. The natural outcome is fewer jobs and more unemployment. Experience rating only partially offsets the adverse incentives this program creates.

Since we all want more jobs and less unemployment, unemployment compensation is completely counterproductive.

Congress and the states have compounded this folly by extending benefits repeatedly during this recession, so that they now continue up to 99 weeks in most states, including Ohio.

Not surprisingly, the average duration of unemployment is almost 50 percent higher than any other time in the past 60 years. The Ohio fund is already $2 billion in the hole and is expected to grow to $3 billion by year's end.

Unfortunately, Congress compels the states to participate in this program. However, if Nebraska can be exempted from the burden of expanded Medicare, there is no reason that Ohio's congressional delegation shouldn't be able to get us exempted from the burden of expanded unemployment.

J. HUSTON McCULLOCH

Professor of Economics and Finance

Ohio State University

Columbus

talk about conflating causation with correlation. people being on unemployment is killing the job market? why can't people see the benefit of these unemployment benefits keeping people afloat (and going straight back into the economy, btw)?

Rekna · 03-03-2010, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Derwood

this letter to the editor was in the local paper this morning:

talk about conflating causation with correlation. people being on unemployment is killing the job market? why can't people see the benefit of these unemployment benefits keeping people afloat (and going straight back into the economy, btw)?

Yeah I read that and was thinking the whole time that this is some idiot that doesn't understand basic economic principals, the difference between elastic and inelastic demand, and the difference between correlation and causation. Then I got to the bottom and see it is an economics professor at Ohio state. This makes me wonder about the quality of professors at Ohio state.... Another possibility is someone just used his name and he didn't write it.

Derwood · 03-03-2010, 10:14 AM

or he's a professor who has allowed his political ideology to cloud his teaching

03-03-2010, 06:16 AM	#4 (permalink)
Derwood Who You Crappin? Location: Everywhere and Nowhere	reports I'm reading this morning are that Bunning ended up looking like the asshole here and that other GOP leaders weren't supporting him because he was costing them political points __________________ "You can't shoot a country until it becomes a democracy." - Willravel

03-03-2010, 10:14 AM	#8 (permalink)
Derwood Who You Crappin? Location: Everywhere and Nowhere	or he's a professor who has allowed his political ideology to cloud his teaching __________________ "You can't shoot a country until it becomes a democracy." - Willravel

03-02-2010, 10:49 PM	#2 (permalink)
dippin Crazy, indeed Location: the ether	a temporary increase during a recession is vastly different from the trillions of dollars in unfunded liabilities of medicare part d and other programs passed under Bush. If there is a time to promote unfunded spending, its during a recession, and if there is a good, reasonable program to spend it on, is on unemployment benefits. But this whole thing tell me just how bad the dems are at branding and how weak they are: a single republican obstructs a vastly popular measure and still comes out as the reasonable guy...

03-02-2010, 11:35 PM	#3 (permalink)
ASU2003 immoral minority Location: Back in Ohio	I know the dollar amounts are different (and the senator is being very hypocritical), but the American people are not. The Dems can't go into November saying, we spent a little less than the last guy. And the recession was last year. The banks and stock market are fine, housing prices aren't tanking and people are spending money. I understand that unemployment benefits allow people to stay in their homes, cloth their kids, and put food on the table, but I think we could do it better.

03-03-2010, 08:01 AM	#5 (permalink)
Rekna Junkie	Maybe we should just take everyone who exhausts their unemployment benefits outside and give them a bullet to the head (paid for the by the state of course!). That way we lower the unemployment rate and fix the problem. I mean if we are going to be heartless and say screw you to people in hardship then we should make sure to be really heartless. ps. This was a snark Now for some seriousness, this bill was a 30 day extension in which the cost is very small relative to what the government spends. The 30 days will hopefully allow congress to work out details of a new better bill. Of course this would require the ability to move on bills without having to defeat a filibuster every 30 minutes.