Millions Waiting for One More Vote
More than 2 million long-term jobless workers have had their unemployment benefits cut off since the beginning of June, when Congress failed to pass an extension of the federal programs. Prior to the July 4th weekend, an extension of those unemployment insurance programs passed the House, but came up one vote short in the Senate.
Maine’s two Republican Senators, Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, broke with the Republican filibuster and voted to allow the bill to come up for a simple majority floor vote. But Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson has been the lone Democrat to stubbornly back the Republican filibuster. And every other Republican Senator has continued to help block the unemployment extension.
With the passing of West Virginia Democrat Robert Byrd, Senate Democrats and millions of Americans have been waiting for a temporary replacement to be named to take Senator Byrd’s seat. That person would be expected to provide the crucial 60th vote to overcome the filibuster.
Well, the wait for that one-more-vote will, reportedly, soon be over.
From the Washington Independent:
West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin (D) is now expected to name a replacement for late Sen. Robert Byrd (D) by 5 p.m. Friday.
NBC News’ Kelly O’Donnell reports:
Aides say Manchin will call the Legislature into special session to consider the legislation starting noon Thursday, July 15. The governor is expected to make an appointment, to fill the senate seat temporarily, by 5 p.m. this Friday.
An aide to the governor says, “This bill would merely clarify the state code so that there is no question that we could have a special primary and special general election.”
And from USA Today:
West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin will announce an interim replacement for the late Sen. Robert Byrd on Friday and will call the Legislature into a special session to clarify the state’s election law, his office announced today.
Manchin, a Democrat, did not say who he would name to replace Byrd, who died June 28. The timing of the appointment may be less critical for Senate Democrats, who are now prepared to move forward on a sweeping Wall Street regulation bill before Byrd’s seat is filled.
So, the Senate will likely take up the Wall Street reform bill this week, and wait for Byrd’s replacement before bringing the unemployment extension back to the floor next week. By then, thanks to the Republican-led filibuster, an estimated 2.5 million long-term jobless workers will have had their benefits cut off — while waiting for that one-more-vote.
Tags: filibuster, jobless benefits extentsion, unemployment
Well lets hope for the best but we still must i repeat must support the 99 ers they need help. Also remember the republicans come november to bad mcconnel isn’t up for reelection we should impeach him.We must also request shorter terms and limits so we have new fresh ideas not the same old rich guys in our great senate that does not have 1 person to represent the middle class why do we elect only rich jerks that have no idea what everyone else is going thru I SAY THROW ALL THE BUMBS OUT OF THE SENATE AND CONGRESS AND START FRESH.We should shove firehoses in the halls of congress and give the place what it has been asking for A GIANT ENEMA.
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The thing about term limits is, it sounds like a good idea but in practice tends to give lobbyists more power.
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Perhaps the senators and reps need to learn how to live on minimum wage. All gov workers including the govenor, should make 7.25 then tell us how it feel. We the people are the ones footing their wages. If they are not here for us, why should we vote for them. Surely out of the millions starving and waiting, there should be some repukes out there ready to stop being loyal to a conservative cause that got the bank rolling, wall street rolling, homeowners rolling, how about the 50+ that no one will hire.
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So far neither the Congress nor the President has taken up the issue of age discrimination. Ultimately, people have to get back into jobs. When will lawmakers and policymakers realize that employers are not hiring people over 50 voluntarily. Some of the stories of poverty among people in their early 60s are appalling. What older workers need: (1) New Deal jobs people can sign up for without having to wait until being hosen by an employer, and not just menial jobs – older workers have skills and significant higher education. The ability to create one’s own work projects would also help. (2) Quotas on the hiring of persons ove 50 and over 60 and over 70. Make quotas a precondition for a company to receive federal contracts or federal purchasing. (3) Allow persons age 50-64 to enroll in Medicare voluntarily and to opt out of employer health insurance in favor of Medicare. This would eliminate the main roadblock to small businesses hiring older workers – the fear of their insurance premiums.
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I recently met a woman in her early sixties who lived for a year in a house she rented that was foreclosed. The water and the heat were shut off. A friend had to bring her a jug of water every day. People brought her firewood for the fireplace because the utilities were shut off. Now she lives on a friend’s couch with nothing. This is a woman who had been a housewife and mother. Her husband left and she got essentially nothing in the divorce. So here is a decent person who played by the rules all of her life and this is the poverty people are living in at the age of 60. She can’t find a job anywhere.
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I was waiting for the bus one day and got into a conversation with a woman in her early sixties, still a few years too young for Social Security. She was laid off as a state worker after 23 years. She had a serious illness. Her husband also had a serious illness, was getting meager veterans’ benefits. They are still in their home but fear losing it. Again, here are people who worked all of their lives, can’t get jobs, can;t get enough disability to live on. What does our society expect people to do at the age of 60? And lawmakers and policymakers are completely ignoring this.
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“Do you have what it takes? Are you the rock star we’re looking for? If we randomly call 3 people who’ve worked with you (and we will), will they all say you were one of the top 5 people they’ve ever worked with? ”
“Please be advised that the University does check references as part of the employment process, and selection committee members may choose to contact work references during the search process other than those listed in your application.”
Years ago people used to worry about the issue of privacy with respect to government intrusion. But what about employer intrusion? The above excerpts from real employment ads show how the McCartyism of the 1950s and the Communistic fear mongering in Soviet Russia are being paralleled in the climate of blacklisting and aspersions present in the job market and employers’ hiring process. What are lawmakers and policmakers going to do about this? Unregulated, laissez faire hiring is destroying the fabric of the middle class.
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Here is a new worry, a health issue on your credit report. I could not figure out why with my experience and education I was not getting hired. So hearing that more employers were checking credit reports I looked at mine. There in a red box was the word ‘cancer’. No wonder!!! What happened to no previous conditions or the Hippa Law? I am 60, it says with cancer. I have applied for over 500 jobs all within my abilities, taken workshops, upgraded my skills, even colored my hair to be what the young bosses want. NO NO NO, that is what I got. So call me lazy, that I love to live on little so I can hang out and do drugs. How dare you.
I am listing every no vote on paper. I will shame every Repuke I know, most wont even say they are repukes anymore for fear of being smacked. What will we call the day we run the elite out our government? Time to clean house. Its you bastards who were asleep on the job that let things get this bad. Dont blame obama, just dont believe him either. Our day will come.
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