Former congressman Ernest Istook, The Heritage Foundation's latest hit man, played Hardball with Michael Smerconish tonight, taking his turn at spinning the usual GOP yarns on the state of the economy and weaving from them some damned fine solutions for stimulation and job creation.
Ernie says that cutting off unemployment benefits is the right thing to do, before people become dependent on getting gov'mint handouts, and besides that, we just can't keep doing this forever. And if there aren't jobs out there right now, there could be. Dammit.
Ernie says giving tax breaks to everyone--including that one or two percent who own it all already--is the right thing to do because that's the way you get the economy rolling. (This economy, the Obama economy, that is, and not that economy, the Bush economy. You fool.)
Ernie says there are two trillion dollars just sitting there waiting to be paid to willing and able workers if only the gov'mint would stop scaring those potential employers by threatening higher taxes and re-regulating the deregulations.
Ernie says nobody's gonna hire under those circumstances. And Ernie ought to know because Ernie used to be in congress and now he's a "Distinguished Fellow" at the Heritage Foundation. Add to that the fact that Ernie is a Republican and you can take those words to the bank. (But don't expect to get anything back for them. The banks aren't giving out money. They're scared, too, poor 'lil guys.)
Trillions of dollars for millions of jobs are out there, available, Ernie says, but small business employers are afraid to hire for fear it might cost them too much and they might run afoul of a couple of dozen obscure regulations and then really bad things might happen. So they're sitting on their businesses, not wanting to expand, not willing to spend a dime to make a dollar because. . .
because. . .
they're afraid this current government might possibly come up with some pro-socialist, anti-business funny business.
Well, hogwash, poppycock, and besides that, bullshit. Those people don't even make good liars. (Poor Rep. Gregory Meeks tried so hard to refute. I salute the refute, honestly I do, but he might as well have saved his breath. Lalalalalalala. They can't HEAR you!)
Ryan Chittum looked at the coverage of the unemployment benefits extension over at Columbia Journalism Review today, using real facts and real figures. It's just one of a dozen dozen responsible refutations of the Istook and Friends idiocy above, but they might as well be ant hills on a mountain for all the attention they get.
It's a crazy world out there. I guess you heard the Republicans won the House. . .
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Rise up, voices! Speak truth to power. Bark orders to justice. Sing praises to the good. Beg alms for the poor.
Showing posts with label unemployment benefits. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unemployment benefits. Show all posts
Friday, November 19, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Get this straight, Corporate Pimps: There ARE NO JOBS!
How many times does this have to be repeated: There are 15 million unemployed in this country, with 6.8 million chronically unemployed.
Most of them spend their days looking for work. When they hear about the possibility of jobs, they'll stand in long lines just waiting for a chance at an interview. They would rather stand in line for a job than stand in line for an unemployment check, but the check is a lifeline when there are no jobs.
Most of them have families who are suffering because there are no jobs.
Most of them had good jobs before the Republicans and turn-coat Democrats took up the phony cry about good wages killing us all and turned the entire country over to Big Business, who in turn thanked us all for bending over and kissing their asses by sending our jobs to corrupt slave wage countries.
They rub salt in the wounds by expecting us to buy those sweatshop goods at whatever price they tag them. They're cheaply made and cheap to produce--facts not in the least reflected in the dazzlingly audacious price tags. Talk about chutzpah.
They scream bloody murder because people aren't buying enough but they'll kill every chance American workers might have to earn enough to pay for their pirated booty. (Again with the chutzpah.)
And now the final slap in the face: The Republicans in the Senate (and one Democrat, Ben Nelson) voted against an unemployment benefits extension. Two reasons, according to them: They don't want to add to the enormous deficit they created in the first place, and they don't want to be giving unemployment checks to people who would otherwise have to be out finding a job.
What hogwash.
Never mind that there are at least five people clamoring for every available job, including those jobs that only old people and teenagers used to take: Fast food flippers, car washers, Walmart greeters. . .what's next? Shoe shiners and apple sellers?
The real reason--as perverse and cold-blooded as it can get--is that the Republicans don't want the Democrats to have any kind of an edge that might win them the majority again in November. The bastards are fighting for their political lives and using the already miserable and downtrodden as pawns
So let's say the Republicans win back the majority in November. (A likely prospect, given the baffling inattention of their followers and the woeful inability of the Democrats to fight against our domestic enemies.) What will they do to improve the lives of all our displaced American workers? What kinds of jobs will they create? Will the poor get richer and the rich get poorer? Will all our troubles be over? Will happy little bluebirds fly?
* La
** La la
*** La la la. . .
I'm waiting. . .
Ramona
Most of them spend their days looking for work. When they hear about the possibility of jobs, they'll stand in long lines just waiting for a chance at an interview. They would rather stand in line for a job than stand in line for an unemployment check, but the check is a lifeline when there are no jobs.
Most of them have families who are suffering because there are no jobs.
Most of them had good jobs before the Republicans and turn-coat Democrats took up the phony cry about good wages killing us all and turned the entire country over to Big Business, who in turn thanked us all for bending over and kissing their asses by sending our jobs to corrupt slave wage countries.
They rub salt in the wounds by expecting us to buy those sweatshop goods at whatever price they tag them. They're cheaply made and cheap to produce--facts not in the least reflected in the dazzlingly audacious price tags. Talk about chutzpah.
They scream bloody murder because people aren't buying enough but they'll kill every chance American workers might have to earn enough to pay for their pirated booty. (Again with the chutzpah.)
And now the final slap in the face: The Republicans in the Senate (and one Democrat, Ben Nelson) voted against an unemployment benefits extension. Two reasons, according to them: They don't want to add to the enormous deficit they created in the first place, and they don't want to be giving unemployment checks to people who would otherwise have to be out finding a job.
What hogwash.
Never mind that there are at least five people clamoring for every available job, including those jobs that only old people and teenagers used to take: Fast food flippers, car washers, Walmart greeters. . .what's next? Shoe shiners and apple sellers?
The real reason--as perverse and cold-blooded as it can get--is that the Republicans don't want the Democrats to have any kind of an edge that might win them the majority again in November. The bastards are fighting for their political lives and using the already miserable and downtrodden as pawns
So let's say the Republicans win back the majority in November. (A likely prospect, given the baffling inattention of their followers and the woeful inability of the Democrats to fight against our domestic enemies.) What will they do to improve the lives of all our displaced American workers? What kinds of jobs will they create? Will the poor get richer and the rich get poorer? Will all our troubles be over? Will happy little bluebirds fly?
* La
** La la
*** La la la. . .
I'm waiting. . .
Ramona
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