Jobs

Republicans Block Unemployment Benefits Again

This time in the House:

WASHINGTON — With Republicans citing concerns about the growing national debt, the House rejected a bill Tuesday to extend unemployment benefits for people who have been out of work for long stretches.

The House, however, is expected to vote on the bill again as early as Wednesday.

I can't recall another example of the minority party deliberately sabotaging an economic recovery like this. They're blocking jobs-creation legislation, and they're blocking unemployment benefits for the people who have lost their jobs. They're dooming the economic recovery to be sucked under by the jobless issue.

And there appears to be nothing the president or the Democrats can do about it. Nothing. Not until the conservadems stop enabling the Republicans -- not until they stop being duped by the astroturf shrieking of the tea party anti-spending zealots. Congress is balking at any new spending because the screechers have spooked them into believing that people give a flying eff about the deficit.

As I've written before, if I were to list the top 100 things I worry about on a daily basis, the deficit wouldn't make the cut. Not even close. At least in the near term, while unemployment remains a problem and the economic recovery hangs in the balance, the deficit is way, way, way low on the priority list.