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It's All About Vote Buying: Unemployment Benefits Extension Not About Helping Unemployed
American Thinker ^ | 01/12/2014 | Warren Beatty

Posted on 01/12/2014 7:07:45 AM PST by SeekAndFind

Last month, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said:

"Economists agree that unemployment benefits remain one of the best ways to grow the economy in a very immediate way."

Pelosi continued, "[It's an] ...essential lifeline that millions of Americans and their families depend on..." and "about the 1.3 million Americans who will lose the federal unemployment compensation on December 28 -- right in the middle of the holidays," and "...1.9 million more Americans will lose their state benefits in the first half of next year."

Pelosi said that "economists agree," but I could not find where Pelosi identified those economists, nor could I find their concurring research. Pelosi again quotes "phantom" economists, and not one word about it from the MSM. Perhaps Pelosi should read the Washington Post article that states, "Economic theory does, indeed, suggest that overly lengthy or generous unemployment compensation discourages work...[.]"

In the "not one word" department, the article continues, "We're more skeptical of Democratic claims that extending unemployment benefits would stimulate recipients' spending and thus boost economic growth."

The article concludes with this: "Ultimately, the best answer to long-term joblessness is restoring rapid economic growth, a subject to which Congress must turn as soon as the unemployment benefits fight is over."

Economic growth is something the Obama administration and Democrats have not been able to achieve. Pelosi should expand her economic horizons.

Surprising? From Pelosi and Democrats, hardly. What is surprising is what is currently going on with U.S. Senate Republicans. The vote to continue debate about extending unemployment benefits was expected for the Democrat-controlled senate. But six Republicans sided with Democrats and voted against limiting debate, thus keeping the issue alive. The vote was 60-37. The six Republicans who joined the Democrats were:

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 113th; benefits; bho44; dependency; unemployment; votes

1 posted on 01/12/2014 7:07:45 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

If the entitlement army could win in 2012 with 8% unemployment, $4 gas, surging food prices, and trillion dollar deficits, why change a good thing?


2 posted on 01/12/2014 7:08:58 AM PST by nascarnation (I'm hiring Jack Palladino to investigate Baraq's golf scores.)
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To: nascarnation

Why not dump the unemployment extension, and offer a hire-the-unemployed bonus to any company? Say $4,000 to any company that hires a guy who’s been out of work for longer than twelve months, and you only get the bonus twelve months later. We’d probably generate a lot of interest, and just limit the program to twelve months.

Course, it’d make the unemployment rate change drastically....which no Republican would dare like. And it’d get rid of the long-term status of unemployment pay....which no Democrat would like.


3 posted on 01/12/2014 7:13:34 AM PST by pepsionice
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To: pepsionice

Great idea. But as you mention, it has flaws that may be politically unwanted.


4 posted on 01/12/2014 7:16:09 AM PST by nascarnation (I'm hiring Jack Palladino to investigate Baraq's golf scores.)
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To: nascarnation

If you subsidize dependency you get more dependency.


5 posted on 01/12/2014 7:17:57 AM PST by littleharbour ("All men having power ought to be distrusted to a certain degree. ~ James Madison)
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To: littleharbour

Yes the entitlement army scored a stunning victory in 2012.
Why change the battle plan now?


6 posted on 01/12/2014 7:19:19 AM PST by nascarnation (I'm hiring Jack Palladino to investigate Baraq's golf scores.)
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To: SeekAndFind

The congress is biased on most issues, especially this one. They vote on their own needs and feelings rather then the needs, wants and feelings of their citizens. This and many other issues should be a nation wide citizens vote. That is the only way to make it fair. It should also be illegal to go out and wrangle up voters the way the dems do. People who are eligible and want to vote will find the time to register and to vote they don’t need the anyone to herd them to the voting booth.


7 posted on 01/12/2014 7:25:16 AM PST by This I Wonder32460
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To: littleharbour
Back in the '60s era my father, and other carpenters' union members would select just the right jobs to work on, to be laid off when they had accumulated just enough weeks to get unemployment.

Then they would stay on unemployment until it ran out before taking another job.

Basically 26 weeks of "vacation" every year.

Part of this would happen no matter if they purposely did it or not as, in northern climates, the construction trades are mostly seasonal anyway.

One friend would spend his time off trapping, hunting and fishing, as did many others.

My father would get the winter wood in, then pretty much goof off.

8 posted on 01/12/2014 7:31:24 AM PST by Mogger (Independence, better fuel economy and performance with American made synthetic oil.)
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To: SeekAndFind
Democrats want to turn the unemployment insurance program into another welfare program.
The real purpose of an extended benefit cutoff date is to help cover up all the people put out of work by the "Oconomy".

The nation needs jobs, not back-door democrat welfare programs.
Almost every democrat proposal is designed to get more people addicted to sucking on the government teat for a living.

Obama promised the $900 billion stimulus money would be spent on "shovel-ready" jobs to rebuild the nation's infrastructure.
Remember when he said it would be used on roads, bridges, the electric power grid, etc.?

Instead it turned into vapor, disappearing into the pockets of his democrat cronies and support groups.

Then Obama admitted he had been lying all along - that he knew there were no "shovel-ready" jobs at all.

He really is a compulsive liar.


9 posted on 01/12/2014 7:36:17 AM PST by Iron Munro (Orwell: There are some ideas so absurd that only an intellectual could believe them.)
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To: SeekAndFind

FINALLY someone hitting on the real issue. The issue is NOT voter fraud which is extremely minimal. That is a canard to keep our eyes of the real issue. The issue is election fraud and vote buying. THAT is what is going to kill us.


10 posted on 01/12/2014 7:59:20 AM PST by RIghtwardHo
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To: SeekAndFind

Obama’s misery index increases Jimmy Carter chuckles.


11 posted on 01/12/2014 8:20:14 AM PST by Vaduz
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To: pepsionice

That would be stamped “Corporate Welfare” by the Rats. Paul Ryan would kill it in the House.


12 posted on 01/12/2014 8:27:57 AM PST by Cyber Liberty (H.L. Mencken: "The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.")
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To: SeekAndFind

Warren Beatty,the old skirt chasing pinko wrote this?


13 posted on 01/12/2014 8:36:11 AM PST by Paddyboy (Roma Omnia Vincit)
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To: pepsionice

problem is, look at what it really costs to hire someone
$4000 not even close esp with obamacare kicking in

You can only hire if you expect to cover expenses and come out ahead- unless you are a government


14 posted on 01/12/2014 8:45:06 AM PST by silverleaf (Age takes a toll: Please have exact change)
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To: SeekAndFind

Steve is working. Paul is not. The government takes $100 from Steve to give to Paul. Steve has one hundred fewer dollars to use for his family, but has Paul had a net gain of $100? If not, where did the money go?


15 posted on 01/12/2014 8:52:37 AM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: blueunicorn6

Actually they are taking $60 from Steve, creating $40 of Baraqqi/Bernanke/Yellen bogusbux and giving $100 to Paul

Steve’s grandchildren will get the note for the $40.


16 posted on 01/12/2014 8:58:50 AM PST by nascarnation (I'm hiring Jack Palladino to investigate Baraq's golf scores.)
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To: Paddyboy
Warren Beatty,the old skirt chasing pinko wrote this?

If you read the article till the end, the author's brief bio is posted thusly:

Dr. Warren Beatty (not the liberal actor) earned a Ph.D. in quantitative management and statistics from Florida State University. He was a (very conservative) professor of quantitative management specializing in using statistics to assist/support decision-making. He has been a consultant to many small businesses and is now retired. Dr. Beatty is a veteran who served in the U.S. Army for 22 years. He blogs at rwno.limewebs.com.
17 posted on 01/12/2014 10:56:10 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: littleharbour

States borrow the money from the Dept. of Labor who borrows it from the U.S. Dept. of the Treasury who borrows it from the Federal Reserve who prints it up on fresh new paper...WHOOPEE!


18 posted on 01/12/2014 8:44:38 PM PST by TurboZamboni (Marx smelled bad and lived with his parents .)
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