Thursday, December 1, 2011
Politics Ramsey's 'Tough Love' Jobs Plan Jeopardized in Washington
Posted by Jeff Woods on Thu, Dec 1, 2011 at 1:33 PM
You see, extending benefits undercuts Ramsey's own jobs plan. That's right, with the economy in the dumps and unemployment running at nearly 10 percent in Tennessee, Ramsey finally has produced a jobs plan. It's beautiful in its simplicity. He wants to make it harder for workers to collect unemployment benefits. That’s because, according to Ramsey, jobless people are slackers on the dole. If you take away their benefits—the magnificent weekly sum of $234 on average—then they will, by God, get a job.
“When does it become a benefit and when does it become a lifestyle?” Ramsey asked about the unemployment compensation system. “There are jobs out there. ... It may not be the job you want, but there are jobs out there.”
Sen. Stacey Campfield is calling for drug testing workers as a condition for unemployment benefits.
"If we’re going to give out benefits, we should give them to people who are not sitting home getting stoned all day but who are actually out trying to find work,” Campfield tells Pith.
It's all part of a grand scheme by the state's businesses to scale back the unemployment insurance program. They're fed up with paying the premiums so they'd like to cut the maximum weeks of benefits and generally force workers to jump through more hoops for their checks.
Ramsey thinks it was a mistake for the state to go along with the last extension. You'll recall that happened only at the 11th hour of the last legislative session, and it took the intervention of certain more moderate Republicans who recognized their party was about to cement its image as a gang of cold-hearted skinflints if they let benefits cut off.
But this time it's Republicans in Washington—not Democrats— who are extending the benefits. So Ramsey's in a tight spot now. What will he do? Will he acquiesce to the party's squishes again and go along? Or will he draw a line in the sand and stand tall with the businesses that pay for GOP election campaigns?
Comments (9)
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Because, of course, you can live really high on the hog for $234 a week. I'd like to see that pompous ass try it.
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Can Ramsey even read? If so, then he would be able to read in Tennessee's unemployment law that you have to be available for work and looking for work in order to continue to qualify for unemployment benefits.
He'll go along with Washington. They are just like the Borg. They don't put up with any shenanigans, it's lock-step or they destroy you. Ever notice they all have the same haircut? It's the same haircut as every Southern Baptist preacher you've ever seen.
Why isn't TNGA Senator Stacey Campfield calling for mandatory drug (and alcohol) testing for candidates seeking election and re-election to the Tennessee General Assembly?
Perhaps the Tennessee General Assembly should even go just a little further and install breathalyzers at all of the TNGA members' floor desks and (perhaps I am being redundant here) require that they all blow before they cast their official votes on pending legislation. After all, incumbent politicians within the Tennessee General Assembly are merely repeat offenders...
Perhaps the amount per diem paid out to members of the Tennessee General Assembly should be carefully indexed to the average amount paid out to claimants seeking Tennessee unemployment compensation (with the big difference here being is that the only unemployed and semi-employed "bums" that lobbyists invite out for free meals are the elected members of the Tennessee General Assembly).
@SmoothyBobo "He'll go along with Washington. They are just like the Borg. They don't put up with any shenanigans, it's lock-step or they destroy you. Ever notice they all have the same haircut? It's the same haircut as every Southern Baptist preacher you've ever seen."
Stiff as a bowl brush...and just as useful.
A certain percentage of unemployment actually reduces inflation by reducing pressure on the jobs market. This logically requires that we keep those unemployed people alive so they can keep searching for jobs.
Of course, this is doctrinally unsound for the polyester suit crowd.
