Procrustes Stretched
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- Dec 1, 2008
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thoughts? I put in the links for you.Kentucky Republican Sen. Jim Bunning reportedly flipped the bird at reporters today, but 8,000 New Yorkers are among those who feel he did a lot worse to them.
Bunnings single-handed obstruction of an emergency extension of unemployment benefits last week cost all of those people their checks.
As of yesterday, 8,000 New Yorkers are left without benefits, said Leo Rosales, a spokesman for the state Department of Labor. What it means is, for the days theyre out, there is no money coming in . You can imagine the worry they have right now.
Democrats offered a long-term bill this afternoon that would fix the problem through the end of the year, but unless they can amend it to pay back the lost benefits, that money is gone for good.
Sen. Chuck Schumer said Bunning owes to out-of-work Americans to relent.
Ive gone around the state and met with New Yorkers who had the same jobs for years and years, but lost it and cant find work no matter how hard they look, Schumer said. It is unfair and almost inhumane to cut these fine people off from their benefits.
Thats not the only thing cut off by Bunnings blockage. Also included was an extension of COBRA benefits, and funding for the Department of Transportation, which had to idle 2,000 workers (including in its Albany office). theres also a provision that would have stopped a 21% cut in Medicare payments to doctors.
Through his actions, Sen. Bunning is preventing people from getting unemployment compensation, health care access, transportation projects from going forward, and doctors who provide Medicare services from being paid, said Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen, who runs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
The bill offered today is likely to be debated and amended into next week, so Democrats plan to ask Bunning every day to change his mind. Until he does, theyll hammer him and his Republican colleagues for being out of touch obstructionists.
Jim Bunning Costs 8,000 NYers Checks Today
What a shameless piece of crap. Thoughts?