On this afternoon’s Ed Schultz Radio show, Congressman Jim McDermott made it clear he does not want to invest any of his precious time on the 99ers and instead intends to “continue to work on the Senate to pass the current extension,” stating his reason as “there are unemployed who cannot even get beyond the first 26 weeks, these are not people who got 99 weeks.”
First of all, Congressman, we have had no income in 3 months or more. We are in real crisis directly because you and your out of touch Capitol Hill cronies can’t get anything done that really helps “main street” America. We cannot take jobs that the Congress failed to create and in fact rewarded corporations for outsourcing to begin with. You are what is wrong with America and we will get our letter to the President without you and your pseudo concern for our suffering.
Jim McDermott, I really must ask: can any of you on Capitol Hill add? Here is a real simple equation for you to kick around a little. Because of the greedy banks + Congress deregulating them + the tax breaks you give to big business to outsource our jobs over the past decade = 11 million jobs lost in the past 3 years.
We have created about 500K jobs in the past few months, so that leaves 10.5 million of us without any jobs to take and if you add to the mix the millions of UI benefits exhaustees who have not had any money in 3 months or longer this equals a catastrophe, as our fragile recovery will surely dip back into the depths of recession when millions of Americans are without the means to buy anything.
This is only part of the economic toll on the USA. Without income of any sort, there can be no income tax (because you will not allow the rich to pay their fair share) and thus good luck ever lowering the deficit. This vicious circle of no money to spend only lowers the demand for goods and services thus more folks go out of business, layoff more workers, more homes in foreclosure, less tax revenue for the states and so it keeps spiraling downward.
Dr. McDermott you are a physician by trade with a psychiatric specialty. Forget the "do no harm" thing because you already blew that one, but you of all people should know the damage you create from taking away all hope from people. The simple act of carrying a letter to our President would have given hope to so many of us. You should know the recession related suicide rate in this country has quadrupled in many states and has risen 75% nation wide* in the past 3 years. One can only wonder how many of those who choose that option this week will have you to thank.
You, McDermott and your Washington cronies are an embarrassment to public service. You talk and talk but have no intension of walking the walk. You have condemned us to starvation and homelessness, but we will prevail. We are not going to stop fighting until a real decent human being in Congress who actually walks the walk steps up to help us. Perhaps Sherrod Brown?
But you Mr. McDermott have been exposed for the "man NOT of the people" that you truly are. Please go back to your worthless, impudent subcommittee and hang your head in shame when you realize that you could have so easily helped the desperate unemployed masses by simply carrying a letter to the White House but chose not to waste your time. By refusing to do something so simple, you have failed us miserably and proved beyond doubt that you are nothing more than a "dime a dozen" empty promises politician we cannot count upon for anything of substance. What happened to you or were we wrong about you all along? Never mind, it does not really matter.
In closing let me say that the day is rapidly approaching where Americans will be rioting in the streets like Greece and France have done in recent years. We have far more people in America and I fear it will get very ugly. When it does get to the point where crime is so prevalent and hunger so rampant in this country, I assume all of Capitol Hill will hang their heads, wring their hands and point fingers at the other party, when in fact you will all be to blame for the USA becoming a third world country. Shame on every one of you selfish scoundrels. I only pray we have the sense to vote everyone of you out of office sooner rather than later.
*Source: The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)
Comments
This 111th congress turned its collective backside on American citizens long ago. Providing paltry benefits to jobless Americans should be a simple concept. This congress has to wrap up half of years business in one over-sized package called HR 4213, when all we lowly jobless Americans need is the benefit extension. The extension is just one small microscopic piece of the tremendous bill. I say put the rest of this legislation away and pass the benefit extension by itself. I wish I could hall a 3,000 pound chipper into the center of the capitol building and shred the thousands of pages of useless legislation that is tacked onto this bill, so I can find the one paragraph that I am looking for today. Lets get moving congress, or we will be calling for the abolishment of the 111th congress next.
I realize the wheels of government turn slower. However, I would have to have a precision set of highly accurate and possibly calibrated set of digital micrometers to measure the infinitesimal movement of this useless 5th wheel in the last 2 months!!!!! The lack of action displayed by this congress is disgraceful. They have dishonored themselves, and the American citizens that elected them to office. Its time to cut our losses and more on.
www(dot)thisnation(dot)com/question/040(dot)html
EO
Keep on the Senate! Hammer them with phone calls, faxes and emails! Takes only a few minutes a day.
Add/subtract Senators as needed:
Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D) Fax: 202-224-9750
Sen. Olympia Snowe (R) Fax: 202-224-1946
Sen. Susan Collins (R) Fax: 202-224-2693
Sen. Ben Nelson (D) Fax: (402) 391-4725
ALL Senators phone numbers (take out spaces):
www .theorator.c o m/senate.html
COMPLETE Email and Fax list for ALL Congressmen/women and Senators!
conservativeusa.o r g/mega-cong.htm
Great Article Ladona!! Thanks for having the courage to write an article that calls it like it is! The 99ers are out of time to be polite any longer. Either walk the talk, or don't Congressman Mc Dermott. We even offered to courier the letter for you. You could not be bothered to make a phone call, or lend your support in spirit. This was a very bad move Congressman. Now is the time to do the right thing and correct this not so right move.
2 weeks i will be going to jail because i have lost my ability to pay mye child support.as a bricklayer for the last 30 yrs. were am i supposed to look?no one will even talk to me because i make so much an hour. no work no money.
What letter are you forcing him to deliver? If you are talking about asking President OBama to write an executive order, it's no wonder he won't work with you. President Obama CAN NOT DO THAT!! An Executive order is used to make sure a law is enforced. The President CANNOT make a law with Executive Order...
Excellent! You did a wonderful job,of being our voice.Thank you. Job well done.
LaDona, you have said everything that I wish I could have said. Kudos to you!!!! I have given Congressman McDermott another chance to do the right thing;he once again failed and disappointed me and the millions of good,honest and desperate Americans who stands on principle and integrity. I do not want to believe that Congress is this corrupt,but they continue to turn their heads away from this inhumane holocaust
hmmm...cowards! Easily black-mailable! Mr. Dermott got black-mailed that's why he suddenly abandoned the cause. It takes pretty much to be a real man...I guess, and to not to be afraid to fight for what is right!
McDermott is only looking to placate unemployed workers who need more than 26 weeks, but less than 100. That's not leadership, it's just what McDermott feels he can get Republicans and pretend-to-be Democrats (who are really just liberal Republicans)to agree to.
McDermott isn't interested in helping workers unemployed more than 99 weeks because he is not a leader.
Reply to Knickers: The President can sign an executive order that carries the same weight as any congressional bill signed into law. Presidents have used executive orders in the past with fairly open discretion. Clinton even used an EO to get us into old Yugoslavia, when that country was still on the map.
In addition to reduced spending by people who more recently lost their jobs, there is little to NO spending by people unemployed 6 months to 2 years and longer. McDermott knows that extended UI benefits do much to stimulate the economy, and that a tier 5 will be helpful, but he doesn't want to put money directly into the pockets of people unemployed more than 99 weeks.
The Democrats will devise a plan for people unemployed more than 99 weeks to jump through hoops in order to receive cash benefits, instead of just putting money directly into the pockets of unemployed workers.
Donalee, I hope you forward your article to McDermott.
Since the President has this power to write executive orders, the next obvious question is why do we actually need the congress at all? If the President was really concerned with the plight of American citizens running out of benefits, losing their homes, cars and livelihood, then the man would do what is necessary to help the citizens of America that elected him to office.
The next question is why has the President chosen not to use the power of the pen to resolve this issue??? Congress has certainly taken too long in having to add seemingly countless amendments to a bill that clearly should focus on the benefit extensions alone. We should be calling on the President to act quickly on the issue of extensions, and leave congress to work out all of the ridiculous details that have taken so long to hammer out.
A Tier 5 is a simple, quick way to help our economy and people who are unemployed more than 99 weeks, but McDermott will waste months planning a high-maintenance program to assist the long-term unemployed.
Pelosi said nothing additional will be considered for the long-term unemployed UNTIL NOVEMBER. What's up with November, dear Nancy? Magical month of November? Already planning on making campaign promises in November to help the long-term unemployed? Let them suffer for months, then present a plan to help them in November?
After McDermott spends months devising 'a plan' to help long-temr unemployed, he'll expect gratitude from the unemployed. Well, he should get NONE because wasting months devising 'a plan' that will require high-maintenance COSTS more than implementing a TIER 5 IMMEDIATELY. Our economy worsens each day the unemployed are not spending money.
Since the President has this power to write executive orders, the next obvious question is why do we actually need the congress at all? If the President was really concerned with the plight of American citizens running out of benefits, losing their homes, cars and livelihood, then the man would do what is necessary to help the citizens of America that elected him to office.
The next question is why has the President chosen not to use the power of the pen to resolve this issue??? Congress has certainly taken too long in having to add seemingly countless amendments to a bill that clearly should focus on the benefit extensions alone. We should be calling on the President to act quickly on the issue of extensions, and leave congress to work out all of the ridiculous details that have taken so long to hammer out.
FREE $8,000.00 for you (if you have a job). The 'extenders bill' will extend the time for you to close on a home and recieve $8,000 tax dollars FREE. Bankers, real-estate agents and YOU benefit.
Everyone wants to blame Republicans for leaving the 99ers and the "Unemployed" in general to die. But it is not Republicans that have abandoned us, they were never on our side and never would be. It is their job to represent the Rich and Powerful. What is coming out and should be noted in this November's Election is that WITH a MAJORITY, the Dems have the control to fight and not back down for us. The President could put his weight behind us and force the Dems to get behind this, BUT this is not happening. Only word from the White House has been the deafening kind "Silence". The Dems are the ones who have abandoned us at our hour of need. And the Rebulican Party is doing exactly what it needs to do for the November elections. They can tell the Rich they fought for them and at the same time, with the Dems abandoning the poor, they collect a few swing votes. Well, having my UI run out April 4 and over 50 will turn my back on Dems as well. They sold us out for Tax breaks for the rich.
Why is there no judicial investigation into Employers being able to fire people w/out cause (and calling it a layoff) and immediately hire Unemployed workers just to gain tax incentives. These are not lay offs. These are deliberate and calculated Corporate moves to increase profit at the tax payers expense. Not that I begrudge anyone that has taken a job, but the word on the street is companies are delibrately laying off long time workers (even though the firm is profitable and doing fine) to take advantage of tax credits by then immediatley hiring an Unemployed worker at minimum wage, thereby dumping those that have build their firms to what they are today and their saleries. Not fair! Corporations that do this should be investigated and be made to rehire those they laid off to gain public tax money and acheive a salery dump. Many of these firms have been in the black and are using the American system to pad their bank accounts and we need someone to look into these and other tactics.
A arrangement has been secured with Ed Schultz and his producers last evening to carry our letter to the office of David Axelrod at the White House. Our message will be making it's way to the White House after all, and without the help of Congressman Jim Mc Dermott. Besides, having Ed carry our letter will garner much more TV time.
sigh i don't know how much more i can take, i dont know how much longer i can hang in, im loosing everything,im heading for foreclosure after 15yrs. im tired, scared no money, still no job for 3 months.... im cying all the time...
If he had any decency he would hang more than his head in shame.
DUD is way to nice a word for Mr Mcdermott and the rest of them that got us into this mess!
Jim McDermott's reaction to this American crisis shows he is not a true steward of the the American people or represents at heart the plight of the unemployed American worker or "The 99ers", those five million individuals who cannot find work by no fault of their own for more than 99 weeks and have exhausted all unemployment benefits.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!