Senator Jim Bunning and Federal Debt
Senator Jim Bunning has now apparently raised his block against extending unemployment benefits. His stated motivation was to impose fiscal pay-as-you-go discipline by saying “Tough Shit” to Americans. But in May 2007 Sen Jim Bunning voted for $120 billion for the war in Iraq. He’s comfortable going into debt for war against a country that didn’t attack us (Iraq), but not for US citizens who’ve lost their jobs due to financiers. Financiers that are already bailed out.
There’s also plenty of spin going on to attempt to make sense of Bunning’s effort. Michelle Malkin’s saying that he just wanted everyone on the record for example. Others have said that unemployement benefits cause people to NOT look for jobs. The first is clearly overkill. The second is ridiculous for anyone who’s been laid off. Frankly unemployment benefits won’t replace any reasonable salary.