Comrade Charlie Wilson bragging about paying people not to work

My comments in red

Dear Friends,

Earlier this week I voted to extend unemployment insurance benefits to those hit hardest by the recession. H.R. 3548, the Unemployment Compensation Act of 2009, will extend unemployment benefits by 13 weeks to workers in high unemployment states (thank you Ted Strickland and Ohio's high taxes....which are used to pay for unemployment.....a little chicken and the egg thing) who are about to run out of benefits. It overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 331-83.

Ohio is currently facing a state average of 10.8% unemployment (641,000 jobless workers) (partially because we continue to pay people not to work, why look for a job?), with over 11,000 jobless workers expected to run out of unemployment at the end of September. In Ohio’s Sixth District, the unemployment rates range from 9.5-16.6% as of August 2009. This extension will ensure that these workers will be able to continue providing for their families. (it also ensures that some of them will not look for work, since they are being paid not to....)

In these tough economic times (because of your spending and Ohio's high taxes), extending unemployment benefits is one of the most efficient and fast-acting ways to stimulate our local economies. (or taking money from those that work and giving it to those that don't) According to Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Economy.com, an independent economic research firm, every $1 spent on unemployment benefits generates $1.63 in new economic demand. (this has got to be the dumbest thing I've heard even Charlie Wilson say. If paying people not to work gives a 163% return on the investment, why not ban jobs altogether and pay everyone not to work!) The families receiving these checks are going out in their communities and paying for groceries, filling their cars up with gas, and buying school supplies.

And one thing I want to note, this bill will not add to the deficit. As a Blue Dog Democrat, this is very important to me. (you've got to be kidding me! after voting for the stimulus bill? He actually claims he's against adding to the deficit?) The bill simply extends the federal unemployment tax, something that has been in place already for over 30 years. (typical talk for a democrat "the bill simply extends the federal unemployment tax" It's simply a tax, you know? By the way, extending a tax means it's a tax increase. Again, taking money from those that work and giving it to those that don't.)

I was proud (we've got the picture, comrade) to vote for this legislation--another crucial step in providing immediate relief and stability to those families struggling to make ends meet and getting our economy back on track.

Sincerely,

Charlie Wilson
Member of Congress
Ohio's Sixth District