Economy
Unfunded Jobless Benefits: Democrats Face "PayGo" Jim Bunning Up at Bat
Published March 2, 2010, 7:24 pm, CST
by Diane W. Collins
dcollins@marketingweb.com
Sen. Jim Bunning, (R) Kentucky last Friday stood up for real fiscal responsibility by requiring the Senate to pay for the $10B unemployment benefits extension they intended to pass. Bunning's objection blocked passing the extension which violated the Pay Go rules the Senate had passed two weeks earlier. According to Democrats, Bunning's block put hundreds of thousands of families in jeopardy as their unemployment benefits expired.
Since last Friday, Bunning has been a punching bag for every Democrat standing in front of a camera. Sen. John Cronyn (R) Texas was one of the first to stand with Sen. Bunning on the Senate floor stating the Senator was not refusing to extend unemployment benefits, he simply was refusing to pass the legislation without paying for it. (Finally, someone in Congress has his head on straight.) As Democrats continued to create the fantasy of responsibility while they spent, spent, spent...Bunning had had enough.
A few moments ago, Sen. Bunning was up at bat.He stood on the Senate floor "giving as good as he got" and offering a compromise amendment that would allow for the passage and allocation of funds to pay for the extension. Democrats who had enjoyed painting Bunning as the hard, cold, cruel Republican actually objected to the amendment saying Bunning could have offered it last week and called for passing the extension without amendment. >
This place is getting crazy. It appears Democrats are not as concerned about the unemployed as they pretend to be. Sen. Dick Durbin (D), Illinois who objected to Sen. Bunning's amendment, berated Sen. Bunning for the presumed devastating effect he had personally wrought on the lives of the less fortunate... yet Sen. Durbin refused to end the dilemma and accept the compromise.
Finally, after a deal was reached between Democratic leadership and Sen. Jim Bunning (R) Kentucky, the Senate voted 78-19 on a short term extension of government programs including extending jobless benefits and health care. All Bunning wanted was for Congress to do what it was telling the people it was doing... being fiscally responsible. Seems the Democrats will use anything and everything to weave their illusions and continue their spending. When does this checkbook run out of checks?
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