The Unemployed 99ers yesterday received strong support from members of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Attempting to breathe life into the idea of a Tier 5 for unemployment extensions for 99ers has been a thankless task for 9 months now, but the stakes are so high for those who have exhausted all UI benefits - we have no choice but to fight for a way to survive until there are jobs for us to support ourselves.
Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) was joined by CBC members Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Donald Payne (N.J.) and Donna Christensen (V.I.) in announcing the CBC's position on the package, which Lee said she made clear at House Democrats' meeting on Wednesday with Vice President Biden.
"We are simply here to say that we want a fair deal," said Rep. Donald M. Payne (D-N.J.). "You know, there was the New Deal under Roosevelt, and then there was a Fair Deal under Truman. Every new deal is not necessarily fair, and we see this new deal as not necessarily fair."
Per Bobby Scott: “I for one believe that we should let all the tax cuts expire...(but) an overwhelming majority of the caucus is against the President’s proposal, as it currently stands....we do support the 13 month extension of emergency Unemployment benefits, but we all agree we should also extend benefits for the so called 99ers.”
Watch the entire CBC news conference here: http://tinyurl.com/2bpwgd8
All 99ers are urged to contact the Congressional Black Caucus and members of Congress listed below to assist us in our fight for survival via a Tier 5 of UI benefits. They may be the 99ers best and last hope before complete annihilation of our desperate members.
Congressional Black Caucus Telephone: 202-226-9776. Fax: 202-225-9817
Barbara Lee Phone: (202) 225-2661 FAX: (202) 225-9817
Donald M. Payne Phone: (202) 225-3436 FAX: (202) 225-4160
Bobby Scott Phone (202) 225-8351 FAX (202) 225-8354
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) said on the House floor Thursday that any deal to preserve tax cuts for the rich ought to include help for people who have exhausted 99 weeks of benefits and still haven't found work.
President Obama on Monday cut a controversial deal with congressional Republicans to preserve extended unemployment benefits for 13 months in exchange for two years of continued tax breaks for the wealthy.
Jackson Lee said the deal should "further include those who have run up against a brick wall, the '99ers,' as they call them, [who] don't have any more resources but still have mortgages and food to pay for and bills to pay."
Watch Representative Sheila Jackson Lee’s interview on The Ed Show (video below)
All 99ers are encouraged to contact Ms. Jackson and offer our voices to her fight to help the 99ers: On Twitter @JacksonLeeTX18 By phone: 202-225-3816 Fax: 202-225-3317
Comments
I was incredibly pleased and encouraged when I heard her comments last night on the Ed Show!
Congressional Black Caucus Press Conference on Tax Cuts & Unemployment Insurance
(CBC Are Oppose to Bush Tax-Cut) - CSPAN December 10, 2010
Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) said at ( Video Time Frame: 4:00/27:00)
13-Months UI Extension Should Include 99ers. ****DonaLee Faxed CBC House Members DONE!
http://www.c-span.org/Watch/Media/2010/12/10/HP/A/41746/Congressional+Bl...
Here another weblink to another opposition to Bush-Tax Cut:
New Co-Chairs Oppose Tax Break For Wealthy:
http://cpc.grijalva.house.gov/index.cfm?ContentID=658&ParentID=0&...
Weblink to Progressive Caucus Members House and Senate:
(Faxing To The Members Might Help - FAX, PHONE, WEB FORM - ON Congress.Org
(Under Wite Your Lawmaker - Letters To Leaders) -
http://cpc.grijalva.house.gov/index.cfm?ContentID=166&ParentID=0&...
Sorry, If some weblinks don't work for the Congressional Black Caucus -
Just go to the HOME PAGE
http://cpc.grijalva.house.gov/index.cfm?SectionID=1&ParentID=0&S...
For some odd reason some weblinks don't show (or copy) to good. Sometimes it works? Huh?
C-SPAN - Weblink Above Works When Copied n' Pasted In Browser.
New Co-Chairs Oppose Tax Break For Wealthy: (This story is on the HOME PAGE)
Weblink to Progressive Caucus Members House and Senate :
(HOME PAGE - CAUCUS MEMBER - CAUCUS MEMBER LIST)
Woohoo, MORE support! Please write and thank the Congressional Black Caucus members. They're stepping up to the plate for all of the 99ers, and you can't get more awesome than that (unless, of course, Congress finally LISTENS, and we actually GET the benefits)!
I always liked Rep. Jackson Lee! She has such a strong media presence and is one of the most outspoken members of congress. I see this as a major development!
I pray that their request on our behalf do n ot fall on deaf ears!
Good bless them!
If you have not yet sent your letter to senator Bernie Sanders Please do so right now. the lady who organized and is delivering all your letters is making national news. All your letters are being printed and hand delivered to the senator who is then taking them to congress the email adress is DearBernieSanders@gmail.com This is your last chance congress goes home on friday
YES PLEASE Everyone do this!!!!! I have already and several times LOL I have a lot to say on ther subject as you all well know! :-)
To Rep Jackson lee. God Bless you! At least someone in Congress has a heart.
I praise all of the 99er's for their comments and effort. Our represenatives have put all of us into a precarious and very dangerous situation. We have bombarded our legislators with emails, faxes, and phone calls but we are still being ignored except by a few. We have no options left but to organize at the local level a nationwide rally as being proposed at http://www.fromthetrenchesworldreport.com As Bernie Sanders stated yesterday, it's time to take action to get any results. If we do not get included into this tax cut bill then we need to get organized and take action now. I ask that you do the right thing for all Americans by getting involved with this rally. We are out of time and it's our only chance left to be heard.
THANK YOU BERNIE AND MS. JACKSON LEE GOD BLESSYOU
Donalee, thank you for posting this ...I was worried about you since you were quiet all week. As well as being on my way to just giving in and letting them finally get the best of me. I am looking at giving my children to a family member. I will have to split my four children up as no one is able to take them together. Right now we are staying with my uncle, who is also a 99er that is living on the last of his 401k money. I will have to leave here soon and live in my car. I can't ask my children to go through that in this bad Chicago winter. I pray that we all get the extension we need. I will email all weekend until I have to leave my Uncle's home on Monday. God bless you all.
CBC is almost a lone voice calling this tax deal what it is. An eventual "gotcha" game that the Dems will find themselves playing the patsies. Most of the rest, are just nodding right along pretending not to see the elephant on the horizon.
Thanks, Donalee.
We already have the support of Rep Lee and the black caucus. I believe our effort should be put on members whose support we don't have - Jared P{olis of CO, for example, is getting hammered from many of his consituents here in CO....don't know where he stands at this point - he is a multi-millionaire himself, but his constituence is talking back right now.
To take it one step further, I'm not sure that hammering any member of Congress makes a damn bit of difference - we've done it for months and it hasn't hcanged a thing. I think we need to pick an Oprah or someone else to focus our efforts on.
just my opinion
Denver Unemployment Examiner
Thank you for your opinion. The thing is that these members of Congress will know what members we need to influence. Instead of going off and dissipating our efforts by contacting 500 different members of Congress (most deaf ears) the CBC may be able to direct us properly.
When you contact them (CBC) ask them How we can help THEM to help the 99ers !!!!!
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE
Everyone needs to also push to have TIER 4 lowered to 7.5%!!! It's at 8.5% right now. If a Tier 5 is created with a threshold of 7.5%, that means TIER 4 will continue to get skipped over for 10+ states including New York and Texas!! So please encourage them to lower the threshold on Tier 4 also!! If anything they can at least do that!!
Otherwise states with unemployment rates below 8.5% do not qualify and many are really close. If we are going to call people 99ers, they should at least get 99 weeks, MOST are not. Lets start by lowering the TIER 4 threshold to 7.5% so it's not skipped over if a TIER 5 is added!!
On From the Trenches World Report we are starting a new campaign to change our party affiliation to Non-Partisan on Jan 3rd.
Perhaps all this Congressional Black Caucus needsto tell Obama is that he will not get their support in 2012 if he does not extend UI to the 99ers
Thank you, thank you, thank you Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee & the Congressional Black Caucus for speaking up for us. Please don't stop .... we need you!! Maybe you could push for the Tier 5 extension for 26 or 39 weeks, instead of 20 weeks. We all know, including the president, that we are in this economic crisis for years to come. And does he think he can MAKE jobs over night?
Thank god there are at least some Humane beings in congress. God Bless You and Please dont forget about us 99'ers, there are MANY Millions of us hurting and desperatly needing a voice.
Please consider the 99ners in all unemployment votes. We are suffering too
Thank you CBC for your efforts. It is clear to me that Congress as a whole has no regard for people like myself. 61 y/o, African American, with a bachelors in Human Resources/Management and Organizational Development and a Masters in Educational with a focus in Cross-Cultural teaching. Private industry here seem not to want the experience plu education of a person like myself.
I have sent out over 500 online and hard copy resumes for positions I am totally qualified to perform to no avail; this is in addition to submitting applications to hundreds of others I moved from San Leandro (near Ms. Lee's district) in California in October 2008 to Louisville, KY............ Serious mistake. This town is stuck in the 1950's socially as far as wanting educated people with solid work experience in the private, non-profit and both union and non-union environments. Diversity in this town is truly an oxymorinic word and concept.
I am 'sheltered' due to the grace of a friend.. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever be in this situation especially after finishing my graduate degree... Unemployed, no insurance (I am diabetic and hypertensive) and no place to call my own.
Please work on this matter... WE 99'ers need help also at this time.
God Bless your efforts
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