Reed, Clark hit Bachmann over jobs fairs

What kind of idiot would claim that either the Unemployment Benefits Extension bill or the Helping Families Save their Home Act would CREATE jobs? How about a Turn Off Oprah and Get a Freakin Job Act?

Michele Bachmann is all talk and no representation.
That her constituents elect her for her ambition and not her effectiveness is a perversion of democracy.

Jimmy, in answer to your question… when people have money to buy good & services, whether that money is from unemployment bennies or not, they spend it at local businesses thereby keeping the people who work in those businesses employed. Without the extensions that have been passed, many more businesses would have closed their doors since 2008, when Bush and a deregulated Wall Street ran our economy into the ground.

Extended unemployment encourages the unemployed to NOT get a job. And, to pay them to do nothing, you take money away from working people who got their money by working.

If you don’t understand why one approach is much better for the economy, then I can’t help you other than to appeal to your sense of justice by saying that stealing from working people to give to the non-working people is theft.

Unemployment Insurance is money businesses and employees pay into a pool by working. The pay-out is roughly 60% of your take home pay, of which the unemployed also pay taxes on, not to mention the payments they may make for COBRA health insurance. Could you live on 50% of your income? I’m sure you are aware of the dearth of jobs in the past year and a half, so I’m sure extended unemployment is not the preferred way someone would like to make their living. It is not stealing, it’s insurance.

By paying the unemployed 60% you are assured they won’t take a job working for 60% or even 75% of their previous take home pay.

Two years ago I was unemployed for 3 months. It didn’t even occur to me to draw unemployment. I lived on a savings cushion, worked odd jobs, and strove to find employment. It’s not that hard, as long as government doesn’t jack my taxes leaving less for hard times.

Jimmy,Did you pay taxes on any of those odd jobs you performed for three months,or was it under the table money?

“By paying the unemployed 60% you are assured they won’t take a job working for 60% or even 75% of their previous take home pay.”

Says who? Have you talked to every person collecting it? Unemployment insurance is meant to sustain workers during the period of looking for another job.

“Two years ago I was unemployed for 3 months. It didn’t even occur to me to draw unemployment.”

That’s your problem, because technically, it’s your money that you paid into your employer.

“Did you pay taxes on any of those odd jobs…?” Yes. Not paying one’s taxes is like putting one’s head in a buzzsaw.

“because technically, it’s your money”. No technically it is NOT my money. I wouldn’t have given it to the government in the first place. It was taken from me without my consent and never to be seen again.

“Says who?” If you are getting 60% free and clear would you give it up to wake up early, drive to work, and do whatever 8 hours a day to make the same or even slightly more money? Very very few people would do that. Simple economics.

“No technically it is NOT my money. I wouldn’t have given it to the government in the first place. It was taken from me without my consent and never to be seen again.”

Actually, yes it is. UI is an insurance program. You worked for it, you can claim it if you get laid off. It’s not my problem that you were too high and mighty to file for it.

“If you are getting 60% free and clear would you give it up to wake up early, drive to work, and do whatever 8 hours a day to make the same or even slightly more money? Very very few people would do that. Simple economics.”

Actually, and this is just anectodal evidence, but I have quite a few friends that have been on UI for 6 months and are dying to go back to work, but cannot find anything…even a part-time job. And I think if I lost 40% of my income, I would miss it enough to try and get another job that payed the same as my last.

“you were too high and mighty to file for it”

So you criticize someone for not bellying up the government tit, eh? Not only is self reliance not required, but worthy of scorn in the liberal mindset?

And you’re delusional if you think most folks won’t prefer to collect unemployment rather than get a job paying the same amount.

Jimmy,You still did not answer the question clearly and directly.Did you or did you not pay taxes on those odd jobs for three months?Watch out the IRS is keeping tabs!!

I didn’t criticize you for not filing for UI. If you decided you didn’t need it, that’s fine, but what right do you have criticizing people for exercising their right to collect benefits that they paid in to? Why is it any of your business, anyway? My point about UI, is that it usually isn’t a good way to make a living because it isn’t that much money, but is a stop gap for people who are seeking new employment that pays better. You seem to operate under the delusion that you can divine everyone’s motives. It must be exhausting being you.

UI is a leftist experiment, pays people to not work, just like welfare, like paying farmers to not grow crops, and paying people to not pay their mortgages.

These are ridiculously hopeless ideas; Michelle Bachmann for one knows this and is steadfast in the defense of liberty and pro-economic policies. Her opponents bring up deeply flawed arguments for idiotic policies that will destroy our economy. Sadly, there’s no divining motives, it’s simple high school economics.

Jimmy,Perhaps you should run for congress.You and Michele would command a great deal of attention from the individuals in charge of the nets.