Millions of unemployed Americans will be breathing a sigh of relief this week. The House just voted overwhelmingly to extend unemployment benefits for an additional 13 weeks to people in 27 states where unemployment rates top 8.5%, among them Illinois.
The roll call is here.
ILLINOIS
Democrats — Bean, Y; Costello, Y; Davis, Y; Foster, Y; Gutierrez, X; Halvorson, Y; Hare, Y; Jackson, X; Lipinski, Y; Quigley, Y; Rush, X; Schakowsky, Y.
Republicans — Biggert, Y; Johnson, Y; Kirk, X; Manzullo, Y; Roskam, NO; Schock, Y; Shimkus, Y.
NOTICE ANYTHING UNUSUAL?? Yeah, me neither! Yet again, Creepy Pete Roskam votes against the interests of his district. Not only that, he is the ONLY member of the IL GOP House delegation to vote against it. If you check out the link, you'll also notice that some of the most conservative members of the House voted FOR the extension. Among them the ENTIRE Indiana GOP delegation and the infamous anti-immigrant crusader, Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin.
I'm from that neighborhood. I've spent the better part of my 31 years in that neighborhood. I know an awful lot of people there and A LOT of them are out of work and in a very tough spot.
SHAME on you, Pete Roskam. You've really outdone yourself this time.
3 comments:
Like your music.
I would have voted no as well. Unemployment is a program that should be opt-in only. I have never collected a dime of it nor would I. Go wait tables, take a sales job or bang a cash register if you lose your job. I have done all of those things before. Many unemployed are seasonal workers coasting on the work of the rest of us while they wait out the winter.
Anonymous, we obviously disagree. Unemployment is a necessary safety net, and a minimal one at that. If you've never filed for unemployment, you may be unaware that it's a fraction of someone's previous income. It's not a lot of money.
Like you, I've done many different jobs to make ends meet when times have been tough. Waiting tables, retail, office temping, hairstyling, childcare, you name it. But I'm not sure if I would have been able to keep my head above water if I hadn't had supplemental income from unemployment. Most people actually do work while collecting unemployment.
I guess we should all just pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and do it alone, right? If the Republicans had their way...
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