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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMillions of Americans Are Headed Off A Cliff As I Write This
For 1.7 million Americans that had their unemployment benefits expire on 12/28/13, this next week is going to be nightmare that will take many years to play out. For many tens of thousands of these people at least, they will miss the rent payment on the 1st of the month. For others, it will be only one mortgage payment missed if they are lucky. Many tens of thousands of people will wake up and find their cars missing because they have been repossessed. For others, the gas, water and electricity will start getting shutoff one by one. Because of missed payments or repossessions, these people are now faced with much lower credit scores allowing every financial institution to charge a much higher interest on any purchase made on credit for years to come. Many will have their cell phones shut off and be left with no phone if they gave up their land line. What kind of an impression will that make on potential employers?
The lack of action in Congress is causing millions of Americans, many of them veterans, to experience intense worry and stress on how to feed, clothe and house their families.
Stories will begin popping up soon of people whose lives and families have been ripped apart by the lack of action in Congress on extending the UI benefits.
Skittles
(152,964 posts)Rex
(65,616 posts)CFLDem
(2,083 posts)Millions of Americans' incomes are funded the the MIC-Security state complex.
In fact I'd wager we'd go into another Great Recession if we drastically reduced defense spending like many propose.
That's why we're always at war. Really a shark should be our mascot instead of an eagle since we'll die if we stop swimming for prey.
sendero
(28,552 posts)... there is some truth to that. But there is no reason we could not employ all those people building roads, bridges and other infrastructure instead. Then we'd have something to show for it besides dead and maimed bodies and ill will.
It's ridiculous how out dated our infrastructure is. If we are truly a prosperous nation, then we should be able to have guns AND butter.
warrant46
(2,205 posts)But we have to keep it going for the 1% and their Corporations
Especially to build 6 more 40 Billion $$$$ aircraft carriers
CFLDem
(2,083 posts)let alone six of them?
According to CNN 17,800 good union jobs are directly involved, which when extrapolated to include suppliers and other support roles, could easily be over a million people.
Plus you get some great scientific and engineering technology with it.
So while most of the profit may end up at the top, 100% of everyday people's rent and bills depend on it.
bvar22
(39,909 posts)....State of the Art, World Class, High Speed Rail Transportation System for the United States,
using ONLY parts manufactured in the USA.
THEN, after the Hundreds of Billions are spent,
we would ALL have something useful to show for our money
besides ruined Veterans to use as props for applause lines in pretty speeches.
CFLDem
(2,083 posts)But high speed rail doesn't extort the globe into propping up American interests.
Which is what is needed first to obtain the funding for infrastructure here at home.
warrant46
(2,205 posts)Union Operating Engineers are some of the best paid union workers.
They are involved in building schools, hospitals, highways, bridges and all types of structures that benefit society and people as a whole.
Union Carpenters, Electricians, Welders and Plumbers build all kinds of beneficial structures for the common good.
Many Many More of these Tradeswomen and Tradesmen would be paid to rebuild the public Good in America rather than a few more toys for a few generals and admirals to parade around the world to show OFF their and america's perceived testosterone.
6 More aircraft carriers are not in the interest of the Public Good-- hell they are worthless against 19 nut jobs with box cutters.
17,800 good union jobs could be used JUST to repair the interstate highway system-- But it won't happen as long as Chicken Hawks like Cheney, Bush and their ilk are in power.
CFLDem
(2,083 posts)but won't happen unless we have a strong military to secure economic resources that bring in money for civil projects.
Other countries don't stay out of our way or purchase our debt out of altruism.
It'd be nice if they did but that just isn't reality.
warrant46
(2,205 posts)I do however postulate that you and I will never agree on what should constitute a "strong military".
As a member of ours for 8 1/2 years and 3 combat tours I have seen all sides of the military.
The waste, corruption and senselessness of some actions are overwhelming. In my opinion the military needs to be cut back dramatically. That will probably never happen.
However there are 50 million people on food stamps. Poverty, ultimately will rot this country from within, unless something else is done with our treasure, other than waste it on being the world's policeman.
I guess to be realistic I am willing to agree that the next 8 years will be paramount for the future
CFLDem
(2,083 posts)That's why we're democrats and not Repukes.
Skittles
(152,964 posts)Rex
(65,616 posts)We are way past the point of being merely despondent.
hdayejr
(24 posts)So, you know these guys will get back in, later this year. Maybe we can finally prove "Republican voter fraud"? Let's try and bust the party to pieces!
FarCenter
(19,429 posts)But it is an almost meaningless word, since there is no solidarity among "Americans".
truedelphi
(32,324 posts)Whereas back in the fifties and sixties, the words "middle class" were used in SOTUS, if he uses those words today, the only people who can relate are those making $ 125K to 600K a year. After all, they are the only group who have few if any worries about next month's mortgage or rent payments, or where there money for health insurance will come from, or where their grocery money will come from.
For many of the rest of us, the words "middle class" only serve to remind us of what we used to be. So the choice of "Americans" is a good choice.
The rest of us are all scrambling, and are barely lower class. Better to be reminded of what we still are, that is: "American" than of what we used to be.
sendero
(28,552 posts)... that many if not most people who are below "middle class" in income think of themselves as middle class. But I get your point, the middle class is vanishing and being replaced by the poor.
truedelphi
(32,324 posts)70% of Americans consider themselves to be in the top 5% !!
Then we wonder why so many fall for Republicans saying the upper income bracket should not be heavily taxed.
Demo_Chris
(6,234 posts)I have no problem with salary based unemployment benefits being temporary, that's only fair, but when those benefits expire we need something to replace it. Did Obama ask for this in his SOTU address?
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)Demo_Chris
(6,234 posts)Scuba
(53,475 posts)okaawhatever
(9,453 posts)Insurance that would say, kick in after so many months of unemployment above a certain percentage like 8-9?
Demo_Chris
(6,234 posts)If we can do permanent war, why not that?
okaawhatever
(9,453 posts)That's one of the things I like about unemployment insurance instead of a program at the federal level. As long as people are paying premiums, the government can only hurt it so much when a Repub is in office.
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)I thought unemployment went for 99 weeks. Why are they stopping it so early?
okaawhatever
(9,453 posts)economy. We'[ve had high unemployment for years. If there was a catastrophic unemployment maybe it could pay until the unemployment rates went down.
dotymed
(5,610 posts)You are 100% correct.
Senator Bernie Sanders is our only (non-violent) hope.
840high
(17,196 posts)KoKo
(84,711 posts)zeemike
(18,998 posts)If you are a real estate investor you can snap up some foreclosed houses real cheap, and then rent them out at high rates...and it will be a boom time for credit companies.
Aren't they the ones that count?
Fearless
(18,421 posts)RoverSuswade
(641 posts)Get voters to the polls this November. Vote the fucking republicans out of office. Get super-majorities in the House & Senate. Just imagine what legislation could be passed in 2015 in a bat of an eyelash.
Fearless
(18,421 posts)We can't sit back and wait for it to come to us.
RoverSuswade
(641 posts)and kick some ass!
Fearless
(18,421 posts)If not, how can we make him do that?
That's the mindset I'm talking about. We all sit here a lot and talk about what we want to happen, but no one seems to have a way to get what we want done right now. People (not you) are very quick to say how our ideas can't or won't work. Then let's figure out some that will and do them. Now.
RoverSuswade
(641 posts)Obama's a lover not a fighter. The real problem is Congressional leadership. Pelosi and Hoyer are moot. Schumer and Durbin are wishy-washy. The GOP is hardass and ruthless and the minority in the Senate has controlled everything since Scott Brown's election. The situation is most unfortunate. So that's why I feel it all hinges on Nov 2014. What irritates me to no end are the talk shows stirring the pot about "who's going to run for President in 2016." Who wins doesn't matter if the pubs control Congress.
BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)REPUKES. REPUKES. REPUKES.
And their propaganda machines.
Let's be clear.
caledesi
(11,903 posts)Amonester
(11,541 posts)The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Please include your e-mail address
Phone Numbers
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
ASAP (USING CAPS IN THE HEADLINE)
and also, to each and every congresscritter
Sad part is, will any of them even just open it and read it?
Or, any of their staff just throw it in the dust bin?
Skidmore
(37,364 posts)It is the fine "makers" of the business community (Chamber of Commerce, big banks and finance, corporate owners) who have set the rules for acceptable business practices--one of which involves purchasing legislators and colluding to squeeze profit out of any place they can and by any means they can devise.
ProSense
(116,464 posts)"For 1.7 million Americans that had their unemployment benefits expire on 12/28/13, this next week is going to be nightmare that will take many years to play out. "
...TPP is preventing Congress from acting.
There was almost no attention given to this issue in mid December.
More than one million people set to lose unemployment benefits.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024169579
Ad targets Republicans over 1.3 million Americans on the brink of losing unemployment aid
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024231250
Bernie Sanders: Supporting the Unemployed (updated)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024240453
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/full-text-of-obamas-2014-state-of-the-union-address/2014/01/28/e0c93358-887f-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_print.html
by Laura Clawson
Senate Republicans once again blocked emergency unemployment aid for Americans unemployed six months or longer. In fact, Senate Republicans filibustered an extension of the jobless benefits into November, and they blocked a three-month extension. After the votes, Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) pointed out that the CBO had estimated that the longer aid extension would create 200,000 jobs.
Republicans continued to whine over procedure in an attempt to distract from the fact that they are standing in the way of unemployment insurance. What they want is to force a lengthy series of votes on poison pill amendments, both slowing the bill's progress and trying to weaken it or pass something unrelated as well as harmful. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid did offer a deal on amendments; it just wasn't the capitulation Republicans sought:
In response to Republican requests that they be allowed votes on their amendments to the bill, Democrats agreed to consider five Democratic and five Republican amendments at a 60-vote threshold, with a catch: That the GOP would consent to a simple majority vote on the underlying bill, which would extend emergency benefits through November.
Republicans swiftly rejected the offer from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who said Republicans were trying to have their cake and eat it too by requiring 60 votes on the underlying legislation while also demanding consideration of their amendments.
Are Republicans filibustering unemployment insurance benefits, or are they not? Reid said on the Senate floor.
They are. And, infuriatingly, on the longer-term extension, they had the support of three Democrats: Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Mark Udall and Michael Bennet of Colorado.
More than 1.3 million Americans, a number growing every week, are desperately in need of this unemployment insurance extension. So is the American economy.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/01/14/1269647/-Republicans-block-two-unemployment-aid-bills
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024328810
Why Is It So Important to Extend Unemployment Insurance? Take A Look At These Four Numbers:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/share/four-numbers-unemployment-insurance
Mr Dixon
(1,185 posts)People this is a new day, you may not be able to see the castle walls but trust they are there, there is a molt filled with the poor and middle class, the rich are getting richer building the walls higher with the help of fools still dreaming to be rich one day. What could go wrong?