Unemployment

Earlier today, House republicans refused to extend the payroll tax cut for 160 million working Americans.  Included in the Senate version of the bill, which they rejected, was an extension of unemployment benefits, but with the failure of the House to pass the bill, these jobless workers - 33,400 in Missouri alone - will receive no extension come January 1.

With all the doom and gloom in the economy and the fact that the holiday season is upon us, you'd think our elected officials in Washington would take every opportunity to work to solve the economic crisis our nation is currently enduring.

But no.  Rep. Todd Akin prefers to see this as an opportunity to continue his baseless attacks on workers:

Akin also said he wants to sit down with the Senate to continue pressing for the House-drawn provision that would allow states to perform drug tests as a condition for receiving unemployment.

"We don't really want our unemployment benefits going for drugs because people on drugs aren't easily employed," he said.

A certain someone is certainly achin' for some answers in Wildwood these days.  After saying, "people have to have an incentive to try and find a job, and when those benefits expire, there's a whole lot more pressure to really find something," it seems that Rep. Todd Akin is in need of some facts with regards to unemployment benefits.

Let's cut to the chase, if unemployment benefits aren't extended, Missouri's communities will lose over $8 million every week Congress doesn't pass an extension, further harming the state and local economies.

Additionally, I'm sure that the 33,400 Missourians who are facing a bleak and unthinkable future if Congress fails to act and extend unemployment would like Akin to hear their stories and get the facts.

From ThinkProgress:

A new study from Congress’ Joint Economic Committee (JEC) debunks the prevailing conservative notion that Unemployment Insurance (UI) dissuades people from looking for a job. “On the contrary,” the report finds, “beneficiaries of federal UI benefits have spent more time searching for work than those who were ineligible for UI benefits.” “In fact, since Congress enacted federal unemployment benefits, time spent looking for a job has tripled among the long?term unemployed who are out of work as a result of job loss,” the report adds.

Emphasis added.

This afternoon, at Rep. Todd Akin's office in Ballwin, clergy, community leaders, unemployed constituents and concerned working families held a press conference as well as prayed for the extension of unemployment insurance.

“Without unemployment insurance, I wouldn’t be able to keep food on the table or a roof over my family’s head,” said Dorothy Phillips, a long-term jobless worker trying to find work, “and it worries me to think about what would happen to Missouri if Congress doesn’t act now to help struggling families.”

Akin's insensetive and tone-deaf comments in the past regarding Unemployment Insurance, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid have led to a large nuber of citizens and organizations asking for meetings with the congressman over the last year, even holding town halls and inviting Akin to attend as well as visiting Akin's own office. This event was to ask Rep. Akin to support the extension ot unemployment benefits.  If the extension isn't approved, 33,400 Missourians will lose their benefits in January and thousands more will lose benefits as their unemployment runs out.  The impact on these workers' families, support networks as well as the Missouri economy is one that could be avoided if Rep. Akin would speak up for his constituents instead of consistently voting to protect the wealthiest 1% from paying their fair share.

Across the country, two million working Americans will lose their benefits, including 33,400 Missourians in January, and 6 million in all of 2012 if an extension is not approved.

Unsurprisingly, Akin wasn't able to attend the meeting, but we can only guess that if he'd been there, he would have told his own constituents that he is in favor of privatizing Social Security and Medicare, and is opposed to any extension of Unemployment, saying, "I think there's a certain point where people have to have an incentive to try and find a job, and when those benefits expire, there's a whole lot more pressure to really find something."

Akin should be supporting the programs that his constituents depend on to survive, but unfortanately, his refusal to listen and his contiued radical statements surprise no one.

UDPATE: 

False alarm. Sen. Jim Lembke and his three feckless followers had no intention of standing down and allowing the Missouri legislature to accept federal benefits to help the people who have had the hardest time in the job market.

Word was earlier today that the gang of four was ready to make a deal. Turns out it was just more grandstanding. Their “deal” was that Gov. Jay Nixon would have to find $3 worth of cuts for every $1 the benefits would cost.

Sure. Nixon should cut state services more deeply than he’s already had to, hurt more Missourians, probably lay off state employees and add to the unemployment rate — all of that so Lembke and company can back out of the jam they’ve gotten themselves into and declare victory. Don’t think so...

Breaking news from the Associated Press: "Sen. Jim Lembke told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he will end his filibuster against the reauthorization of the benefits that expired for about 10,000 Missouri residents on Saturday. But he says he will instead try to block the state from spending as much as much as $400 million of federal stimulus act money on such things as home energy efficiency programs for low-income residents and a study about high-speed rail service."

Image credit: Associated Press

This weekend in the Joplin Globe:

While the state, with its 9.4 percent unemployment rate (for almost two years), struggles with how to create more jobs, about 34,000 unemployed Missourians will see benefits shrink and feel the pinch of joblessness much more sharply.

And that $105 million, part of a 2009 federal stimulus act, won’t go to other states. According to an Associated Press report, it will just sit there, locked away in a safe, instead of helping Missourians make ends meet.

Our frustration isn’t political, because this isn’t a Republican or Democratic issue. The measure passed the Republican-led House with a 123-14 vote, and had the support of Gov. Jay Nixon...

In Sen. Will Kraus' (R-Lee's Summit) brand new newsletter to his constituents, he completely forgot to mention that he's been an active (if unpersuasive) supporter of Sen. Jim Lembke's (R-Lemay) filibuster to block extended unemployment benefits.   He talks about the state budget process that is about to begin in the Senate, how much he loves to see visitors and how to host a foreign exchange student -- but there isn't a peep about the filibuster.   He didn't mention the filibuster in last week's newsletter either.  Or the one before that.

Wha' happened to the big talk about sending [misguided] messages to Washington? 

The state Senate adjourned early today to make time for baseball -- without passing legislation with overwhelming bipartisan support to accept extended unemployment money from the federal government.   Senate President Pro Tem Rob Mayer promises that he's meeting today with Sen. Jim Lembke today "to make some suggestions to him...so we could free this money up today to get it to those who are unemployed," but I have a hard time believing that much will come from that conversation.  

Here's what the Star's Barb Shelly wrote about the continued insanity:

Shortly before 11:30 a.m., the Missouri Senate adjourned so that lawmakers can attend the Cardinals and Royals opening games, if they so choose. “Drive safely and have a great weekend,” the leader told members as the august body called it a day.

It won’t be a great weekend for the thousands of Missourians described below. They will now lose their unemployment benefits because four senators filibustered a bill accepting federal money, and senate leaders chose not to stop them. Shameful...

Rep. Barney Fisher (R-Richards), a man rarely acused of being a hippie librul, adds his name to the list of Republican leaders in the General Assembly who are unimpressed with the Jim Lembke-led filibuster that jeopardizes extended unemployment money for struggling families.

Lembke and three other Republican senators have stymied the bill by threatening to filibuster it. But most Republicans in the GOP-dominated Legislature support it. The House passed the bill easily, on a vote of 123-14 on Feb. 1.

Its sponsor, Rep. Barney Fisher, R-Nevada, said that while he understands Lembke's point, he also understands the needs of those who are out of work.

"Political philosophical standpoints make great discussions but they don't put food on the table," he said.

He noted that the state accepts millions in federal dollars for education, health care, highways and other projects, but senators aren't suggesting those funds be returned.

"I would admire them if they had the courage of their convictions and filed bills to send back every federal dollar, but to just do this is inappropriate," Fisher said.

KMOX hack Mark Reardon was all a-twitter this morning about the Post-Dispatch's editorial (excerpted below) criticizing Sens. Jim Lembke, Brian Nieves, Will Kraus and Rob Schaaf for their dumb and mean-spirited filibuster to block Missouri from accepting already-allocated extended unemployment money.  Reardon was specifically upset about the line in the editorial, "Money spent on unemployment benefits is one of the best economic stimulus projects that exists."

In chronological order:

The Post-Dispatch can defend their own work -- the ensuing conversation between Tony Messenger and Reardon can be read here -- but I think it's worth emphasizing that the only place where the stimulative effects of unemployment spending is controversial is in the right-wing media universe. 

Ask a Nobel laureate,  former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve, director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office or person actually trained as an economist, and they'll tell you that unemployment insurance does more than keep struggling families afloat -- it helps the economy because almost all of that money goes right out the door into the economy. 

The Post-Dispatch weighs in on the still-dumb filibuster from Sens. Jim Lembke, Brian Nieves, Rob Schaaf and Will Kraus that still hasn't gone away:

For the past month, against the will of an overwhelming majority of lawmakers, including the Republican leaders in the Senate, they have been refusing to make a technical change in state law to allow $105 million in federal funds to flow to the chronically unemployed.

Messrs. Lembke and Nieves and fellow conspirators Rob Schaaf of St. Joseph and Will Kraus of Lee’s Summit say they want to send a message to Washington that federal spending must be controlled. Their stunt would do no such thing.

It would, however, hurt the Missouri economy while causing unnecessary pain and suffering to workers left reeling from a lasting recession that has caused unemployment to hover around 9 percent for nearly two years...

Let’s explain it one more time: Rejecting federal money doesn’t mean it doesn’t get spent. It just gets spent elsewhere. Money spent on unemployment benefits is one of the best economic stimulus projects that exists. If there’s one thing economists agree on, it’s that when the unemployed get money, they spend it.

Most of it, we would surmise, goes to food to feed their families...

Sen. Will Kraus (R-Lee's Summit) appeared with KTRS' McGraw Milhaven earlier today to talk about his support for the filibuster spearheaded by Sens. Jim Lembke (R-Lemay) and Brian Nieves (R-Freedom Bunker).  If successful, their filibuster will block the acceptance of our own federal tax dollars to fill holes in the state education budget and provide for extended unemployment benefits.  

As everyone from Speaker Steve Tilley to President Pro Tem Rob Mayer have advised their colleagues, this absurd stunt will do nothing to reduce federal debt or deficits.   Nieves has tried to suggest otherwise, but today Kraus acknowledged the fact that the federal dollars have already been allocated and will not go back into a magic bank account if he, Lembke and Nieves and successful.  

MCGRAW:  This money you're rejecting... from the federal government. That's not going to go back to pay off the deficit, that's just going to go to another state for jobless claims and for education.  You understand that?

KRAUS: I do.

MCGRAW: And even though it's -- some will call it pork, some will call it whatever, you would rather not do it and have some other state get those tax dollars...

KRAUS:  We need to start sending messages to Washington that they need to be more responsible...

Listen:

Yikes.

The best blowhards don't need facts

Please update your files:  Reasonable persons, GOP President Pro Tem Rob Mayer, Senate Majority Leader Tom Dempsey, Sen. David Pearce, birther House Floor Leader Tim Jones and New Black Panther Party associate Steve Tilley think the filibuster by Sens. Jim Lembke, Brian Nieves and Rob Schaaf is dumb.   Joined by Sens. Will Kraus and Chuck Purgason, Lembke, Nieves and Schaaf want Missouri to reject federal money for extended unemployment payments.  But, as you know, this is dumb. 

Other Republicans — including leaders in both the House and Senate — said that while reducing the federal deficit is laudable, the plan is flawed because Missouri's share of the federal money would simply be rerouted to other states.

Any returned money "is not going to go back to pay off people who have notes in China," said House Speaker Steve Tilley, R-Perryville. "It's going to be absorbed."

...Majority Leader Tim Jones, R-Eureka, said Missourians pay taxes to the federal government, so the state deserves its share of the federal pie.

"The talking points you're hearing sort of miss the point and the reality," Jones said. "This is money coming back to us as a state to spend wisely as we see fit."

When the tea party's choice to lead the Senate, the Speaker of the House, an unapologetic birther and the New Black Panthers all say you're out to lunch...

Great stuff from the Tribune's Hank Waters today: 

Supporters of the Missouri bill accepting the grant promise to bring it up again for passage before the April 2 deadline for receiving the funds. Lembke and Purgason promise to filibuster to the end. A few quixotic souls will cheer them on, but most of us will wish they would sit down. It’s fine to worry about federal deficits, but this protest won’t do a thing about it and will deprive many Missourians of minimal help they need at a tough time.

Later, sometime after April 2, we can resume the philosophical debate about unemployment benefits. Right now we have a short-term situation.

"About nine percent of our education money is from Washington…Should we turn down education dollars?  I have a veterans home back home.  Should we turn down VA dollars?  The logic just doesn’t make sense to me."

Sen. David Pearce (R-Warrensburg) on the mean-spirited and misguided filibuster by Jim Lembke (R-Lemay)

UPDATE: I missed this additional bit of brilliance from Lembke in the Star's story about yesterday's debate, helpfully flagged by The Pitch: 

“People need to get off their backsides and get a job. Maybe they’ll have to get two jobs or three jobs to make ends meet, but they need to quit stealing from their neighbors.”

--------------------------

Sens. Jim Lembke(R-Lemay), Brian Nieves (R-Freedom Bunker) and Rob Schaaf (R-St. Joseph) are once again engaging in silly debate in which they wonder if Missouri should not accept federal appropriations in the hope that their move will somehow reduce federal debts and deficits.  First, they tried it with money for schools and teachers.  Crazy Eddie Martin joined in.  The Senate and House budget chairs told them they were acting like fools (I'm paraphrasing) and after some bluster and big talk, they all sat down. 

Now, they're trying it with unemployment compensation.  Just like with the education money, the federal unemployment money will go to other states if Missouri doesn't use it.   But for the purposes of this asinine debate, Lembke and Nieves must pretend they don't understand these basic facts. 

Fox2's Charles Jaco interviewed Rep. Todd Akin last week about his vote to end long-term unemployment benefits -- ostensibly because he's concerned about the deficit -- while fighting to cut taxes for the wealthiest of the wealthy.   Picking up at the 3:15 mark:

JACO: So what do you tell her and other people whose extended benefits run out?  Ms. Payne says she's sixty, she's been interveiwing for job after job after job. There's six to eight applicants per job.  And you klnow, the statistics show that about forty five percent of the people who are unemployed are over the age of forty five, and we know employers aren't hiring them. What she might say, I'm all about fiscal austerity, but what do you say to people like that whose benefits are going to be cut off in these hard economic times and suddenly their out $850 a month, which is not much to you and me, but it's everything to her.  What do you tell them?

AKIN: Well, the point of the matter is that you can't tell 'em anything, can you Charles?   I'm mean, they're -- the amount of suffering, the amount of pressure, the stress, the difficulty we've created by doing these things has created a tremendous amount of pain.  And I'm aware of that.  I'm in my sixties too.  These are people, we all grew up together.  So what can you say to them?  Well, you can't really say anything for those individual situations.

What a dope.  Here's an idea for something Akin could say: "I'll vote to extend unemployment benefits because it will have a direct impact in the lives of my constituents and in the economy at large, and it would be pretty audacious for me to stick it the poor while exacerbating long-term federal deficits with tax cuts for the very wealthy, wouldn't it?" 

The first two minutes of this clip is a review of a story Fox 2 ran earlier last week, and the Akin interview begins at around the two minute mark. Watch the whole thing here:

Fox2Now reports that "around four million Americans, including anywhere from 35,000 to 40,000 in Missouri, will lose their extended unemployment benefits as of December 1st" because House Republicans blocked a measure to provide the crucial money.

h/t St. Louis Activist Hub

Because Republicans really care about struggling families, Republicans blocked legislation yesterday to extend unemployment insurance for three more months.  Representatives Todd Akin, Roy Blunt, Jo Ann Emerson, Sam Graves and Blaine Luetkemeyer all voted against the extension. 

Just ridiculous. Families are struggling to make ends meet, but Roy Blunt decides to play politics.

It sure is odd how Blunt -- a man "for whom fiscal discipline is not a top priority" -- had no problem running up deficits with tax cuts for the wealthy when Republicans were in charge. He also never felt compelled to pay for an expansion of Medicare Part D benefits when he was in the GOP leadership, legislation which "U.S. Comptroller General David Walker has called "the most fiscally irresponsible piece of legislation since the 1960s." 

But now, Blunt says an extension of unemployment benefits is unaffordable. 

Politico: "The Senate has cleared the way for passage of a $34 billion unemployment benefits package on a 60-40 vote. The bill had been stalled for months due to a Republican filibuster."