Thu Dec 16, 2010 at 03:37:28 PM EST
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promoted by Rosi
Everyone here recognizes the importance of the social safety net established by the New Deal and Great Society. Unemployment insurance, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid have made a huge difference in the lives of all Americans, but especially our most vulnerable. It's amazing, however, that some don't seem to recognize this simple truth.
Republicans, in fact, have floated a proposal to cut benefits to those out of work in the face of record levels of unemployment. Speaking to the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, Assemblyman Alex DeCroce suggested cutting the $550 per week payment as a way to save money, calling the benefit "too good for these people." He went so far as to insist that unemployed New Jerseyans who receive the assistance have adopted an attitude of "Why go to work?" |
| Barbara Buono :: Misplaced Priorities |
| This attitude is offensive, quite frankly. Yet, sadly, it's also not surprising. Not even two weeks ago, the very same Assemblyman DeCroce told the Wall Street Journal that job creation is "really on the back burner" for the Republican administration. Make no mistake - these aren't gaffes or misstatements; they're declarations of policy. From the assertion that unemployment is a function of out-of-work New Jerseyans' laziness to the establishment of loopholes to cheat laid-off workers from their benefits to the rejection of millions of dollars in federal aid for home weatherization, public transportation and public education reform, a clear pattern has emerged. Governor Christie and his legislative allies are seeking to turn New Jersey into a proving ground for the brand of misguided think tank ideology that boosts the well-off and scapegoats the most vulnerable.
Shared sacrifice has been the stated theme of Governor Christie's first year in office. But the fact remains, in every case where a sacrifice has been made, the lion's share of the burden has been placed on the backs of our working families. This latest scheme to deny unemployment benefits to the long-term jobless is not an incentive to find work - it's a blatant attack from the right on the well-established social safety net we worked so hard to build over the course of the last century.
The gap between the rich and the middle-class in America is growing greater every day, and the Republicans here in New Jersey seem intent on pushing it even wider. The facts speak for themselves. We've lost $400 million of Race To The Top education funding. In the cancellation of the ARC Tunnel, we've lost not only a multi-billion dollar infrastructure project, but also 6,000 immediate construction jobs and upwards of 45,000 future permanent jobs. By denying women access to health care, we lose at least $30 million in Medicaid funding. And now they seek to squeeze struggling workers out of unemployment insurance, both through reductions in benefits and by carving out loopholes for businesses to shirk their responsibilities. Enough is enough.
(Cross posted at Daily Kos) |
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