Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Phillips Rep. Tim Wirgau Thinks Unemployed People Just Don't Want to Work
Posted by Betsy Phillips on Tue, May 24, 2011 at 7:42 AM
I hope y'all didn't miss this little gem on Friday. In a story about extending the unemployment benefits for thousands of our most-screwed Tennesseans, Glen "Let Then Eat Cake" Casada and Tim Wirgau argued against the measure.
Andy Sher, in the Chattanooga Times Free Press, has the relevant quotes.
First from Casada:
But Rep. Glen Casada, R-College Grove, the former House Republican Caucus chairman, spoke against acting, saying that although most of the money comes from the federal government, it affects all taxpayers.“We cannot continue to borrow money to give to people who don’t have a job after 79 weeks,” Casada told the chamber. “I would contend the answer to that is it’s up to individuals to help their family and their friends and neighbors who don’t have a job.”
Apparently Casada doesn't know that individuals who have family, friends and neighbors are taxpayers, but Casada is ... well, Casada. Hard to even get mad at him anymore, really.
But Tim Wirgau is a more interesting case. He says, "We got people who can't find jobs, but we got more people who don't look for jobs because we keep handing them money." Got that? There are, according to Wirgau, people who can't find jobs — that's one group — but there's a larger group of people who don't even bother to look for jobs because they're lolling around counting that sweet unemployment money.
In Wirgau's own district in March, there were 3,420 people out of work. If some of them can't find jobs but "more" of them aren't even bothering to look, that means there are, at the least, 1,711 people in District 75 who just aren't trying hard enough, by Wirgau's own metric. There are jobs; those jackasses just aren't working them.
Here's my question: If what Wirgau says is true — there are all those people who could find jobs, if they'd just look, which would mean there's at least 1,711 open positions in his district, why isn't he setting up some kind of program to tell the people who can't find jobs about them?
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unemployment does not pay out enough money, to pay bills and put 4 dollar a gallon gasoline in the car to go look for a job.............. oh yes that "sweet unemployment money" goes along way in todays economy....your the jerk Mr. Wirgau.
If a bunch of hungry broke rioters decided to guillotine these douche nozzles and display their heads like Macbeth, I wouldn't feel bad at all. We Americans like to label the French as a bunch of pussies, but at least they have the balls to take out the trash. Kick out the jams, motherfucker!
Half of americans aren't even paying taxes. The working half are. Something wrong with giving tax money to peole too lazy/sorry to work for a living. You want unemployment money? Then work for your county to earn it. Pick up trash along the streets, etc. But my goodness, NO!! Liberals want to give them the money to sit at home on their lazy asses watching t.v. all day. This country is doomed.
Why? Is there a WPA at the moment? Because, if there were, I assure you, folks would be lining up to take jobs picking up trash or building replicas of Civil War forts or taking pictures of people or all the things they did during the last WPA. But there's no such program. So, you can't be mad at people for not working jobs that don't exist.
I mean, you can. But you look foolish.
Keep in mind that under Bush II over 5 million manufacturing jobs were sent overseas to keep his corporate masters happy.
A government of the corporations, for the corporations, by the corporations.
The only people who say things like that, about the lazy/sorry no goods who get unemployment money, are the ones who haven't lost their jobs yet. Unemployment insurance is paid for by employers who are taxed on the wages of the people who work for them. If they let someone go through no fault of his/her own, unemployment is paid, ONLY if the person worked for them long enough and had sufficient wages. It is for a very set amount of time, a very small amount of money, and no one who is drawing has been too lazy/sorry to work for very long or they wouldn't have unemployment to draw.
We had, in the 70's a great many jobs of this type, working for the city, county, etc. But unfortunately, they were funded by federal money provided to these "too broke to pay for anything" cities and counties. And yes, people stood in line to get them.
And a good many of these people were actually hired by those same cities and counties and have spent their worklives at these jobs. But now we have this great myth in this country that there are a large number of people partying on your nickel, those huge amounts of taxes you pay in. Then listen to those same people squall when they lose their jobs and need unemployment because they can't find ANYTHING like a job.
So ole Glen "Hey sailor!" Casada (R-Mustang Ranch) thinks everyone who wants a job can find one? Maybe if everyone else will just go hang out on the street corner late at night, underneath the single working street-light and flash their own "Bought and Paid For" tattoos just above their own butt-cracks just like "Hey sailor!" did to get his present job, everyone's problems will be solved.
Hey there, Casada, you sailors' best friend! Tell us more about the world's oldest profession (and I'm talking about your first job, not your current one pimping for flying monkeys in our General Assembly).
Why(?), no. This country is bought and paid for by political whores like Casada.
As for sitting around and watching TV all day, I have just one chorus of advice:
"Blow up your TV, throw away your paper.
Go to the country, build you a home.
Plant a little garden, eat a lot of peaches.
Try an find Jesus on your own ..."
From "Spanish Pipedream (John Prine)
'Nuf said. Now back to the Garden.
Sitting around watching TV all day? I cant afford TV. The internet is my only form of entertainment, and I wouldnt have it if I could afford to put gas in my car to go look for work the old fashioned way, by beating the pavement. Its also the only way I have to look for a job.
Sitting around watching TV??? I cant afford television. The internet is my only form of entertainment and the only way I have to apply for jobs, thanks to almost $4.00 a gallon gasoline. This guy needs to be run out of office on a rail.
Ingleweird
I like to think you are kidding. Robspierre and his merry men took out thousands of innocent people too.
Funny how if a conservative were. even in jest, to suggest a far more modest approach to something like Islamic extremism, the comments here would be filled with all manner of righteous indignation about 'hate speech.'
Pseudonym,
Yes. Everyone pays sales taxes and various other fees. But those mostly go to cover the operations of state and local governments. The money that goes to pay for everything federal comes from income and other taxes.
Now you might also argue that the poor pay Social Security taxes. But that would be disingenuous since SS is an 'insurance' program and the money contributed comes back with interest later in life. Odd how defenders of SS call it 'insurance' when arguing against efforts to reforms like means testing but call it another 'tax' when arguing that low income individuals are overly taxed.
I love how people just throw this talking point around in a way that suggests that the other 50% are literally on welfare, just feeding off the government teat. And that's simply not the case. Some certainly are; but MOST of these people are the part time workers (eg students), the working poor, or people who are even solidly middle class. If you're a part time worker making approx. $8000/ year, your tax rate is what? 10%? So you effectively pay $800/ year in taxes. Or, for example, I have a friend who's a Memphis City School teacher. She probably makes $40,000. Her tax bracket would be 25%. But after you factor in child tax credits, mortgage deductions, etc, what she actually pays ends up being fairly small. I imagine she would strongly disagree with my characterization of her tax bill, but I'm talking in terms of what her taxes mean to total federal revenues collected. And there are tens of millions like her.
And while some say that the rich are somehow cheated by a progressive tax structure, I would argue that the lifestyle and business ventures of a Warren Buffet impacts our infrastructure and our environment much more substantially than my teacher friend could in 100 life times. And, if he ever gets tired of paying such a steep tax bill, I'm certain she would trade places with him without a second's hesitation.
In fact, the richest among us are able to game the system in such a way that many are paying ~17% in federal income taxes. these are indisputable FACTS. But hey, who cares about those?
http://www.frumforum.com/how-the-super-ric…
http://www.freakonomics.com/2008/05/01/tax…
The fact is the rich are making MORE money and paying LESS in taxes (that's actual, effective tax rate, not the top marginal rate) than in any time in modern history. We were told that this would stimulate the economy and create jobs... where are those jobs? Where is the economic benefit?
Attn: fiscal "conservatives" (and please note scare quotes, because the bulk of you are most assuredly NOT conservative) your supply-side house of cards is collapsing. Your own people (Reaganomics architect David Stockman, former Reagan, Ron Paul and Jack Kemp economic adviser Bruce Bartlett) are starting to call you on your BS.
We have run out of money, a concept people like B Phillips just cannot fathom. Most on this board are fiddling while Rome burns, calling for more funding of the arts, music, the list is long plus some for the unemployed. Now, there is the same and others who earnestly believe Bush, the rich, corporations, got us here, that list is long, but at the end of the day the end does approach us.
Rarely, if at all, are gov't workers, teachers, unions, slackers on this board called to task for their fiscal sins. Really never.
So, times are hard and all are going to suffer. BTW, the WPA et al was a product of the depression and little was cured after 10 years of gov't effort. The regulars on the SCENE board must gird their loins and prepare to tough it out. Maybe be difficult, but my guess is you will not have a lot of choice.
"So, times are hard and all are going to suffer"
Yeah, see, everyone IS suffering - except for the millionaires and billionaires who have manged to take our legislative process hostage. We do have a spending problem, and everyone who's not a far left-wing partisan hack acknowledges that. Even our "socialist" president and the vast majority of Democrats have acknowledged it. Unfortunately, after a decade of unpaid for wars and unpaid for tax cuts we also have a revenue problem. And everyone in the room except for the GOP (GroverNorquists' Obtuse Pawns) gets that. Oil companies are making record profits and getting massive government subsidies. The wealthiest among us are paying roughly half the effective tax rate of the middle class, and all you guys can do is snort Rush Limbaugh soundbites and wag your fingers teachers?
are you fucking retarded? serious question.
Does he realize that, under Tennessee's unemployment compensation law, a person receiving unemployment benefits must be both available for work and actively looking for work?
Apparently not.
Funny how that both your mouths are full.....your bills paid.....your entertainment provided by the tax dollars that I paid while working. Not only am I 61, but an ex-felon......being discriminated against is a small problem created by minds, or the lack of, like those of Mr. Casada and Mr. Wirgau. Before long they will be in the lead crying about the ex-felon re-offending.....and his lack of desire to fit into society. The real problem is....you don't want a man or woman to work of they are released from prison.....you would rather that he or she slapped you in the mouth and took your money...than to hire them and let them earn it. Sorry, those that take our tax dollars and health care by the fistful have never known anything about being without. Mr. Wirgau make a fine living in the private sector...yet wants more money to serve in politics. I'm looking for a job Mr. Wirgau.....DO YOU HIRE EX-FELONS....or do you just run your mouth....the first feature needed by a politician. We don't have to worry about Husseins or Bin Ladens....we have political leaders to terrorize the land of the free.
Let Casada try to live on unemployment for a while and see how he likes it. Unemployment is paid for by your employers who you have to work for a period of time to even qualify. They lay off their employees while making record profits. Where is this surge of job creation that is supposed to come from giving the rich a tax break, it ain't happening. All our jobs keep getting sent overseas, then the ones that are left have to keep cutting benefits and wages and nothing is being done to create more jobs.
To one opinion: It would indeed be nice if Tennessee employers, including the TN Flying Monkey Party, would find room in their hearts and on their payrolls for ex-felons. However, in the case of the TN/FMP, it is my understanding that they only hire practicing felons, with preference given to those named RICO.
How many jobs would be available if we sent the undocumented workers home? Eight years ago I asked an undocumented roofer how much he was making and he said "$14 an hour." Oh, wait, that's not enough for American workers, is it?
To gasp: How on earth did you know the roofer was "undocumented"? Did you ask to see his papers? Or were his brown skin and Spanish accent your two and only clues?
Look up H-1 visas some day when you're not too busy showing your true flying monkey colors hidden under that clean white sheet.
Flying monkeys: Can't live with 'em, can't guillotine 'em (at least not yet).
These politicians are morons. I've been unemployed and it had nothing to do with not wanting to work. What planet do these people come from and why do "we" elect them?
To merlin-8 -- Unless, by "we", you mean that you are one of the far-reich Teahadist Dominionists who program our unverifiable voting machines in secret without any election official (R or D) ever being allowed to view the programming, then you're off the hook.
We didn't elected these flying monkeys. The other "we" did.
The real culprit is unions, which started as a force against inhumane working conditions and low wages, but turned into a massive tumor that starved the body of American manufacturing. NAFTA was a stick in the eye to this entitlement mentality. You want $32 an hour to spot weld metal parts? Guess what? Your job is going to Mexico! People need to realize they are now competing on a world stage, against workers with modest expectations, who work hard and don't complain. You shot yourself in the foot, Mr. Blue Collar. The gravy train has run its course.
Let me tell you about Mr. Wirgau. He doesn't have a clue. The reason he got elected was so much money was spent on his race. Certain people with money needed a puppet so they spent a fortune to get him elected. It worked the people fell for their propaganda and now will be paying the price. When he met with the teachers in his district he told them he couldn't help them they supported his opponent. He also referred to children who are mentally disable as retards. Talk about ignorant ! Let me tell you something else about Mr. Wirgau the first time he ran his business was about to go under ( he owns a sign company). Well all that campaign money came in real handy to buy campaign signs. Also his business partner was his treasurer. Then there was a man who was paid pretty good for campaign work who it turned out was an employee of his. This man made money by running. He won't be helping anybody but the people who pull the strings.
"The real culprit is unions, which started as a force against inhumane working conditions and low wages, but turned into a massive tumor that starved the body of American manufacturing."
Well, that's a crock. Everyone wants to blame the union members for desiring a wage that allows them to provide for themselves and their families. But the industrialists who shipped whole industries to other countries to have access to slave wages and obscene profits get a pass, because that's just business. Whatever happened to patriotism and giving something back to the country? I guess unbridled capitalism doesn't have room for it.
Min,
There is blame enough to go around. You are correct that we have been hurt by shipping jobs abroad. And to some extent decisions to export jobs were driven by greed. But if American corporations did not move abroad to take advantage of lower wages, do you think that our competitors would not have done so and used that advantage to win more business here?
While I agree with you about the importance of increasing wages since that helps build a stronger middle class, you forget that there are other aspects of union behavior that hurt competitiveness other than wages. For example, there are restrictive work rules that protect classes of jobs that could be eliminated or revised to increase efficiency. And let us not forget that unions love seniority rules which favor employees on the basis of time in the union rather than quality of work.
My point is that we do need to rebuild American industrial production and increase middle class jobs. There is a place for unions in that process but we cannot act as if unions are perfect or as if what worked for unions in the 30s and 40s is what will work for them today and in the future.
Min whines about the results his preferred party's philosophy and actions have provoked and provided and then invokes patriotism for our country as a need. If hypocrisy and irony were humorous I'd be rolling on the floor. You better get used to it, Min, it's what the future is. And don't forget, we still have the carbon tax to look forward to (liberals keep trying to ram it through) and the inflation from O'bama's stumulus package has began to trickle in. And do you like the hike in insurance we experienced due to O'bama's requirement for the insurance companies to keep a larger reserve? Thanks a lot for that one.
"we cannot act as if unions are perfect"
And I'm not. I just take issue with blaming unions, when the real reason we lost our industrial and manufacturing base is due to choices made entirely by business owners, not by the unions. Everyone acts as though unions impose contracts unilaterally. Nonsense. A bargaining agreement is just that...an agreement between management and the union. That's why you hear stories about union concessions. Those occur as the result of the agreement of the union and management in light of changed circumstances.
