Clueless in Kentucky

[babylonsister]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/27/opinion/27sat3.html

Clueless in Kentucky

Published: February 26, 2010


Kentucky has lost about 60,000 jobs since the end of 2008. In December, its unemployment rate stood at 10.7 percent, the highest since 1983. So what exactly is going on in the minds of Kentucky’s two Republican senators, Mitch McConnell and Jim Bunning?

This week, Mr. Bunning single-handedly shot down a one-month extension of unemployment benefits, along with a federal subsidy for the unemployed to maintain health coverage. Two weeks earlier, Mr. McConnell, the minority leader, objected to a one-week extension to give senators time to draft a longer-term package.

It should be a no-brainer to extend unemployment insurance when around 1 out of every 10 workers is unemployed. Standard unemployment benefits end at 26 weeks, yet 6.3 million workers have been out of work for more than 27 weeks. Congress has provided a series of extensions, and without another one, 400,000 people will lose their benefits in a matter of weeks.

Senator Bunning once cared about the unemployed. When the benefit was due to expire in November, he joined a unanimous vote to extend it until the end of February. “Kentucky has been hit hard by the current economic downturn,” he said at the time. It still is, but Mr. Bunning refused to consider the extension unless it was paid for with funds from the fiscal stimulus plan. For years, Mr. Bunning didn’t seem to have a problem with blowing up the deficit for the Iraq war and tax cuts. Now he’s a deficit hawk when it comes to average Americans.

Maybe he’s preoccupied. At one point during a debate on the issue Thursday night, he complained about missing the Kentucky-South Carolina basketball game.

Democrats must now defeat Republican attempts to lace the benefits extension with things like protecting the rich from the estate tax. To avoid a repeat of this nonsense every few weeks, unemployment benefits should be extended until the end of the year. Perhaps by Monday somebody can educate Senators Bunning and McConnell about Kentucky’s unemployment rate.

[TheCowsCameHome]

1. Can you imagine having two totally worthless senators? I can't.

Kentucky voters, what is wrong with you?

[kentuck]

2. It goes back to Lincoln...

They voted for Eisenhower 'cause Lincoln won the war...

[ThomWV]

3. My BIL and SIL moved there from Oklahoma - they think its fine

And my wife wonders why I don't attend her family events.

[hobbit709]

4. We got two totally useless ones here in TX.

[Loki]

13. Useless doesn't even come close

as a descriptive adjective for Cornhole and Kay Bailey Barbie. They don't have enough IQ points to rub together to get them out of single digits. My only wish is that come November is we will have a Democratic Governor in Austin. Just read somewhere else on DU this morning, a quote from a man in Texas regarding the teabaggers, "don't forget what you do with a used teabag, you throw it away." Love it :evilgrin:

[n2doc]

14. And the ones here in GA are so useless they might as well not exist

In one sense, the their senators are doing something, if only for their rich and wingnut followers. Here in GA one can go many months without hearing that our senators have done anything.

[dgibby]

6. I can, but then, I live in SC. n/t

[Tom_Foolery]

7. I live in Kentucky...

and we have useless politicians on both sides.

[Hoosme]

8. Voters

Please don't think that all people from Kentucky are stupid, there are just enough to keep
putting these fools back in. My daddy would roll over in his grave if he thought that I had voted
for one of these fools.

[TheCowsCameHome]

10. Welcome to DU

:hi:

[WatchWhatISay]

12. Are any of the larger cities liberal leaning?

I visited Lexington last year and will go there again in May. I thought I heard that it was a liberal leaning city?

[tnlurker]

11. Yes I live in TN

Alexander and Corker. Both worthless.

[Last_Stand]

15. Yes...Arizona here...n/t

[midnight]

5. Hard to understand why these millionaires can't extend a little help. However,

they are probably going to give another bailout to the banks instead....

[sandyj999]

9. My local news channel just published his e-mail and

I "shared" my thoughts with him. Didn't share like I really wanted to but I do have some class and won't get into the ditch with him. Does he realize he has messed up DOT also? A hateful man to put it nicely. I feel so badly for people with families that are being cut off.

[Scurrilous]

16. FU Bunning:

No. 2 Kentucky Falls to No. 19 Tennessee

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/sports/ncaabasketball/28hoops.html