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The United States of America is broke and cannot afford the legislation.
Kentucky's Bunning again blocks jobless benefits
By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press Writer Andrew Taylor, Associated Press Writer – 49 mins ago
WASHINGTON – Sen. Jim Bunning on Tuesday again blocked the Senate from extending unemployment benefits and health insurance subsidies for the jobless.
The Kentucky Republican objected Tuesday to a request by Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a fellow Republican, to pass a 30-day extension of jobless benefits and other expired measures. The measure would also extend highway programs and prevent a big cut in Medicare payments to doctors.
Bunning has been single-handedly blocking the stopgap legislation since Thursday, to the increasing discomfort of Republicans like Collins. Collins said 500 people from her state would lose their unemployment benefits this week, while doctors will soon have to absorb a 21 percent cuts in their Medicare reimbursements.
"This issue is so important to senators on both sides of the aisle," Collins said.
Frustrated Democrats have been lobbing attacks at Bunning and his fellow Republicans for days. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., implored Bunning to relent and allow a vote.
But Democrats are also reaping political gains by attacking Bunning and his fellow Republicans. All three major cable news networks carried Tuesday's proceedings live, and two other members of the Democratic leadership, Charles Schumer of New York and Patty Murray of Washington, came to the floor to attack Republicans for blocking the legislation.
"Today we have a clear cut example to show the American people just what's wrong with Washington, D.C.," Murray said. "That is because today one single Republican senator is standing in the way of the unemployment benefits of 400,000 Americans."
Bunning said again Tuesday that he opposed the extension because it would add $10 billion to the budget deficit, and he attacked Democrats for abandoning promises to pay for legislation instead of contributing to a budget deficits projected to hit almost $1.6 trillion this year. Bunning proposes to pay for the extension with unspent money from last year's massive economic recovery package, but Reid objected.
Democrats want to pass the measure with the unanimous permission of all senators, a common tactic to speed non-controversial measures through the notoriously balky Senate. Otherwise it could take almost a week to slog through the procedural steps required to take up the measure and defeat Bunning's filibuster.
Bunning is retiring from the Senate at the end of the current session, which gives fellow party members little leverage to try to force him to change his mind. Bunning has been feuding with his home state colleague, GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, who privately urged him to retire rather than risk losing the seat to Democrats.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_budget...R1Y2t5c2J1bg--
The United States of America is broke and cannot afford the legislation.
This is Repug party obstructionism, not just Bunning.
Bunning isn't running again, so he can't be punished for this crap.
The Repugs got clobbered electorally after the they obstructed and shutdown Clinton's govt.
I'm sure the Repugs have put Bunning up to this obstruction, while hiding and putting out the spin that Bunning is his own man, not really a litmus-tested badass Repug, always going his own way, the Repugs won't get clobbered for screwing over unemployed.
Another Repug asshole this week said unemployment pay keeps people from finding work, ignoring the fact that there are 6 seekers for every job offered, and that foreclosures and bankdruptcies are now being driven by people with solid credit but no jobs. So they'd rather be foreclosed and bankrupt rather than employed? GMAFB
The Repugs are truly repugnant cretins, with the country's and Americans' interest well behind their own nasty politicking, obstructionist bull .
^^ yeah all the money that gets wasted on b.s. but the out of workers cannot get the money from a system they paid into.
Its not welfare.
On the other hand, the ones who goe to the food stamp, welfare, etc offices and lies thru their teeth get rewarded.
If he keeps this up for a few more weeks maybe the mexicans will go back across the border.
Illegals ones of course.
why don't they just find a way to pay for it? It seems logical to me.
Because KY is redneck state plus he's not running for re election. The GOP is not going to lose KY so they have nothing to lose when thery deny deadbeats their unemployment benefits.
No, I mean he stated that he would vote for it as long as they found a way to pay for it. Why don't they do that. Basically he is saying switch from At&t to cricket for the cell plan, cancel the DVR, and start buying hill country fair, so this can get paid for instead of "put it on the card."
Props to him (although the "Senator's elevator" bit was obscene).
If I don't have any money, I can't buy - no matter how good that is, or how much I might need it. No money = No money.
If there were 278 more like him we wouldn't have a, what? $12,000,000,000,000 debt.
Crap. I just realized that I am in agreeance with a lot of unsavory (to me) people. Not necessarily you 101a (I don't specifically remember anything where I thought badly of you), but I bet that the talking heads on TV and Radio that I have supreme dissatisfaction for, have the same opinion as I do.
Can we see his record on expendatures he did approve?
Exactly. Naturally the response to any legislator attempting to enforce any kind of fiscal discipline, however minute, in DC, is to brand them a "re " and a "redneck."
Perhaps if there were more such re s and rednecks on both sides of the aisle in DC we wouldn't be staring into the gigantic debt abyss that we are now.
Instead, most Americans are content to shout "repug", "lib ", "re " etc...at each other and pretend that they have contributed something to their country.
Yep.
The Dems dared the GOP to help them pass PAYGO rules in January. Now, Sen. Bunning gets pilloried for upholding them. You can argue backward from the result if you like, but the principle is there.
Apparently, PAYGO is more ornamental than sincere.
Why not, Mr. Reid?
What was the final tally on Bush-Chaney War cost?
Off all the waste that goes on in DC, you're down with lets stop UI payments.
How about stopping a bunch of the other b.s. wasted tax dollars, not *taking a stand* on UI people.
Let me guess. Kentucky has a lot of unem tobacco workers since slowly but surely the b.s. that is tobacco is losing strength? Or have they conned and bribed enough 3rd world countries into buying their so profits remain the same? Course those smokes must be made over there, right?
A flawed man who does the right thing doesn't make that thing any less right. It's not political grandstanding, he isn't running. Plus if someone showed you the expendatures you asked for, it still wouldn't be satisfying since they were done before the PayGo rules were reenacted, which is part of his justification for this refusal to approve.
Wrong. I'd love to see Bunnings yes votes on expendatures irregardless of PayGo.
Including any sneaky earmaked money he brought into KY.
Even if he voted for those measures that you are talking about, I condone him for "flip-flopping" on the issue of debt and not "staying the course." i.e. stepping back, assessing that what is happening isn't working, and (with the help of a recently passed PayGo rule), decided that this wasn't the correct path.What was the final tally on Bush-Chaney War cost?
Off all the waste that goes on in DC, you're down with lets stop UI payments.
How about stopping a bunch of the other b.s. wasted tax dollars, not *taking a stand* on UI people.
Let me guess. Kentucky has a lot of unem tobacco workers since slowly but surely the b.s. that is tobacco is losing strength? Or have they conned and bribed enough 3rd world countries into buying their so profits remain the same? Course those smokes must be made over there, right?
What was the final tally on Bush-Chaney War cost?
Off all the waste that goes on in DC, you're down with lets stop UI payments.
How about stopping a bunch of the other b.s. wasted tax dollars, not *taking a stand* on UI people.
Let me guess. Kentucky has a lot of unem tobacco workers since slowly but surely the b.s. that is tobacco is losing strength? Or have they conned and bribed enough 3rd world countries into buying their so profits remain the same? Course those smokes must be made over there, right?
Yawn. The debt and deficit have been a bipartisan accomplishment. And naturally that response was straight out of the brain dead left wing partisan playbook. I'd cut the military by a half, at least, so you'll have to change your tact there.
Cool, go ahead and look at them. Doesn't make his decision on this any less correct. That we need to pay for it.
Oh, and earmarks aren't sneaky they are in plain back and white. They aren't sneaky, just stupid.
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines." - Emerson
I was once cavalier and irresponsible with my money; had I continued being that way, I couldn't enjoy the fruits of being prudent for over a decade now.
People can change; if it is for the better, it is always welcomed.
... or right-wing partisan playbook, whatever, same response no matter what letter is after their name and before their state.
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