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Senate Ignores Bush Veto Threat, Approves Extended Jobless Aid |
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The more than 200,000 workers a month who run out of unemployment insurance (UI) benefits before finding new jobs may get a helping hand. Today, the U.S. Senate, by a surprising 75-22 veto-proof vote, approved a measure to extend UI benefits for the long-term jobless.
The vote was on an amendment to a supplemental spending bill to fund the war in Iraq. President Bush has repeatedly said he would veto the bill if it includes a UI extension.
Said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney before the vote:
Extending unemployment benefits is the right thing and the responsible thing to do, and now is the time. Working families are footing the bill for the war. The least Congress can do is give them the help they need in these tough times.
Some 3.5 million unemployed workers will lose jobless benefits this year. The legislation would have provided an additional 13 weeks of UI benefits for jobless workers in every state and an additional 13 weeks to those in states with high unemployment rates (more than 6 percent).
A Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report said the added benefits would provide a quick stimulus to the flagging economy:
[E]xtending unemployment benefits is one of the most cost-effective and fast-acting forms of economic stimulus because workers who have lost their paychecks have little choice but to spend these benefits quickly.
Said Sweeney:
The extension would also provide a badly needed boost to the economy, putting money in people’s pockets to spend on basic necessities for their families.
Along with the UI extension, the vote approved several other domestic provisions in the amendment, including blocking Bush administration restrictions on Medicaid that would cut funds to states by $20 billion, money to improve the levees around New Orleans, heating subsidies and aid to rural schools.
The Senate will vote on several other amendments to the bill today and then send it back to the House. The U.S. House passed a war funding bill last week that included a UI extension and Bush reiterated his threat to veto the bill if help for the jobless was included. Today’s Senate vote was far more than needed to override a veto, if it holds up. However the 256-166 House vote is more than 30 votes short of the two-thirds needed for an override.
Earlier this year, the AFL-CIO urged Congress to include a UI extension in an economic stimulus package, but it was dropped from the legislation after Bush said he would veto the bill if it included an extension.
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Does anyone remember the debates with Pero, Busch Sr., and Clinton? How Pero let them both know on National TV how they could get Pero’s support? Busch did not listen but President Clinton heard him loud and clear. It is just a simple analogy how Washington does not listen!
Does anyone remember what our enemy proclaimed when they declared War? The goal was to bankrupt the USA. Do you think Washington paid any attention or even heard what they said was their mission.
I am tired of gutless Politian’s bowing their knees to the Oil Country’s, lobbyist, and deep pockets at our cost. Does anyone else feel like they are getting raped when they buy gasoline? We know that our representatives in Washington D.C. do not. They use a public servant fuel card that we are paying for, too.
I want legislation to regulate what they can charge at the pump. We restore gas at the pump to $1.25 a gallon and we will restore the arteries that make America Work. The hell with the Shell, EXON, Mobil and OPEC. Put a switch at the pump of who you want the purchase to come from. The new Government owned and operated refineries at $1.25gal or $4.00gal to the ones using our news channels to manipulate the price unilaterally and raping every single American while making everything skyrocket from trucking fuel cost. What’s worse is our government is currently condoning it, stating free enterprise. It is not OK for any commodity to hold us hostage and legislation needs to be written and passed immediately so it never can happen again. Who are they going to sell it to if we do not buy it? It is time to tell OPEC what we are going to pay for it. No more than $50 a barrel. China is not running a shortage and I am willing to bet they do not pay as much as they are charging us.
The tail is wagging the dog here. The price per barrel went up only after they saw what the consumer was paying for it at the pump. They wanted their share. Yes, Mr. President we are fighting a war unlike we ever fought before but while you got us in IRAQ, our enemy is kicking our ass on our own soil. The problem is we are not doing anything to fix it.
Now, I would like to see how strong the Unions in America are and pull together to get legislation with multiple bills passed for socialized refinery. To make it fair, give a choice at the pump. This will reshape America and set us free and independent once more. Let’s see if any of our Presidential candidates have the guts to endorse it… It is time to end the war on our soil!
1. The US government engages into refinery of fuel.
2. The US Government limits the price per barrel that can be paid or charged by any oil country.
3. The US government sets a price of $1.25gal that can be charged to the consumer period. It would not be much different than regulations on your power bill.