The Despair Of The 99ers

[Rajiv]

The Despair Of The 99ers

Hundreds of thousands of long-term unemployed people across the country are watching in despair as Congress limps toward a reauthorization of jobless aid programs that won't even help them.

They are the 99ers, people who have exhausted the maximum 99 weeks of unemployment benefits available in some states. They're a new animal, as Congress extended the number of weeks available to the laid-off in response to this recession, and their ranks will swell to a million this year. The House will vote on a bill today to preserve the four "tiers" that make up those 99 weeks, set to expire on June 1, through November. The Senate has already left town for its Memorial Day recess; the program will briefly lapse before the senators return to give their approval.

The National Employment Law Project, the foremost professional lobbying force in favor of extending unemployment benefits, is fighting just to maintain the existing tiers. Some 99ers have launched their own grassroots lobbying campaigns from outside the Beltway. One woman started a petition demanding a "Tier V," which was delivered to Washington last week. And one layoff victim started a coalition of his peers, called AFTLU: Advocacy for the Long Term Unemployed.

Few members of Congress have said they support adding more weeks of benefits to begin with, but on Thursday House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) delivered one of the most definitive statements shutting the door on a fifth tier. When a reporter asked Pelosi if Congress would give the long-term unemployed more weeks of benefits, she said, "No. This bill will go until the end of November, at that time we'll take up something, but not between now and then."

That statement didn't go over well with 99ers, who devour all news related to unemployment benefits online.

"I can not believe it - I cannot believe that she actually smirked as she was talking about it,"
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"Dear God I dont know what I am going to do - I have just one more week of benefits, and a little in the bank. There are not enough jobs plus my age is not helping. I'm just so afraid for all of us - afraid for this country. Why won't someone help up."

[Master Shake]

Re: The Despair Of The 99ers

The Despair Of The 99ers

Maybe George Soros or The Tides Foundation can help them out? Or (gasp), their families or church/synagogue/mosque?

[don]

Re: The Despair Of The 99ers

Or March on Washington...as a start.

[Rajiv]

Re: The Despair Of The 99ers

Maybe George Soros or The Tides Foundation can help them out? Or (gasp), their families or church/synagogue/mosque?

Do you live on the same planet as I do?

Charitable Contributions Decline as Economic Crisis Continues

As USA Today puts it in the title of an article about the effect of the economic crisis on charitable giving, "It's a hard time to be a charity." In a nutshell, government and private contributions to charitable organizations are decreasing while demand for their services is on the rise. From the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders to local food banks and homeless shelters, charities are feeling the impact of the economic downturn.

Drop in Contributions

Many charitable organizations depend upon contributions to support their charitable activities. Sources of support include: corporate donations and sponsorships; giving by individuals; federal and state government grants; and grants from private foundations. Because of the widespread impact of the current crisis, support from all these sources has decreased or dried up altogether.

Things are much worse for charities over a year later!

[Master Shake]

Re: The Despair Of The 99ers

Do you live on the same planet as I do?

Charitable Contributions Decline as Economic Crisis Continues



Things are much worse for charities over a year later!

Time for the Lear Jet socialists and the Gramsci-ized Foundations to start actually helping people rather than funding groups that seek to destabilize the country and culture and promote world government.

[Serge_Tomiko]

Re: The Despair Of The 99ers

Time for the Lear Jet socialists and the Gramsci-ized Foundations to start actually helping people rather than funding groups that seek to destabilize the country and culture and promote world government.

Maybe it's time for these organizations to be destabilized. Certainly, their members should be made aware that their nefarious activities are being noted by more than a few responsible citizens, and that their deeds will not be forgotten.

[Aetius Romulous]

Re: The Despair Of The 99ers

There are some Americans who can turn a simple french-fry into a battle of ideologies.

That humans suffer matters little when there are grand, pointless ideologies at stake. This is the "burn the village in order to save it" syndrome. Unfortunately for millions of innocent Americans, their fate is tied to this inane battle of wills.

[chr5648]

Re: The Despair Of The 99ers

Time for the Lear Jet socialists and the Gramsci-ized Foundations to start actually helping people rather than funding groups that seek to destabilize the country and culture and promote world government.

One of the few people who understand what the heck is going on.

http://www.zerohedge.com/article/mik...r-road-serfdom - great little summary for those who want to be in the know

[Minion]

Re: The Despair Of The 99ers

This is all very terrible.

It's finally clear to me the folly of capital mis allocation, when we have all this food, energy, raw material, labor, and capital, yet no work.

It is written in a certain Book that "if a man does not work, let him not eat"

Get these jobless people on the farms. Pay them with food.

[Rajiv]

Re: The Despair Of The 99ers

This is all very terrible.
It is written in a certain Book that "if a man does not work, let him not eat"

That certain book also says

Mt. 25:31-46. "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on His left.

Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.'

Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite you in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'

And the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'

Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.'

Then they themselves will also answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?'

Then He will answer them, saying, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

[chr5648]

Re: The Despair Of The 99ers

That certain book also says

The question now is should a government that is centralized do this feeding and clothing, or should we in society do it out of the goodness of our hearts without government but, through our own charity?

I doubt there is anyone here who does not want to help these people out, but is the government the way we should do this? In my opinion when you look at the evidence and history of the governments ability to feed and cloth it is abysmal. Not to mention the abuse by the elites and abuse by the so called 'welfare queens' and perpetually unemployed.


PS. I think the government actually did do something it created the first perpetual motion device (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History...otion_machines) perpetual unemployment, hahaha

[Minion]

Re: The Despair Of The 99ers

That certain book also says

We're about to touch off a non-economic debate.

Yes is is difficult to reconcile what appear to be contradictions in that Book, although careful study will find that it interprets itself. Put another way, if everyone needed a handout, would that describe a healthy society? Does the Eternal Creator do anything in vain?

Charity to get the fallen back on their feet is indeed good. Unemployment handouts to keep them dependent is not. Even the apostles worked for wages when they preached the Gospel.

Short term vs. long term applies to spirituality, just like economics.

*edit*

Recall that when a certain Man fed 5000 people, it only happened one time. Ditto for water into wine. The point was spiritual food was being offered, which never expires. To get it, one must believe but also repent of sin. "And the LORD said - cursed is the ground for your sake. you will toil under the sun". Would One of infinite wisdom do this in error? We must work to live. Taking up the cause of the widowed, maimed, blind, and fatherless is not to be interpreted as simply giving them money. It means taking up their cause..... i.e. compassion for their plight, to feel what they feel and endure what they endure. Not for and end, but for the sake of picking them up. Recall the parable of the good samaritan for more info on this concept.

Your thoughts?

[Rajiv]

Re: The Despair Of The 99ers

What has been your personal attitude when you see a homeless person or an out of work person with a sign? What do you do? Do you label them "Welfare Queen" and "perpetually unemployed" or do you put your hand out and help them?

If you label them, then you are definitely among the goats.

For the book also says

Proverbs 25:21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;

So the injunction to help is to do so without precondition. Government in my mind is nothing but an arm of the community as a whole.

So I am quite justified in making may statement

[Rajiv]

Re: The Despair Of The 99ers

Your thoughts?

Christ's injunction that I quoted was at final judgement, and was very clear in what was said - " As you shall do to the least of them, so shall you do unto me" and that is what separates the sheep from the goats. There are no preconditions, no if, else or buts!

[jiimbergin]

Re: The Despair Of The 99ers

Originally Posted by Minion
This is all very terrible.
It is written in a certain Book that "if a man does not work, let him not eat"

That quote is Paul talking about Church Members who were being lazy and not contributing to the Church community. 2 Thessalonians 3:10

jim