Subscribe to Common Dreams News Updates
Progressive Community
The press releases posted here have been submitted by
America's Progressive Community
For further information or to comment on this press release, please contact the organization directly.
Most Popular This Week
Today's Top News
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
CONTACT: AFL-CIO Media Outreach Department 202-637-5018. |
Statement by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on Senator Jim Bunning's Blocking of HR 4691
WASHINGTON - March 2 - Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) is turning out to be a one-man wrecking crew. In his determined campaign to end jobless benefits for 1.2 million unemployed workers, he has also managed to cause the furlough of 2,000 transportation workers and halt construction on 41 economic recovery projects in 17 states. Who says a single senator can't make a difference?
Last Friday Senator Bunning single-handily blocked a vote on a House bill (H.R. 4691) that would have provided a short-term extension of the federal highway bill. Because authorization for the highway bill has expired, highway trust fund money cannot be collected or spent, and employees at the Transportation Department whose salaries are paid out of the trust fund have to be furloughed.
Yesterday Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that 2,000 employees are being furloughed, primarily at the Federal Highway Administration (FHA), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, some portions of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and some portions of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA).
The lapse of highway bill authorization means construction workers will be sent home from job sites because federal inspectors must be furloughed. Secretary LaHood also released a list of 41 federal lands construction projects in 17 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands that will be halted because federal inspectors are being pulled off the job. Halting these projects will make it harder for local economies, businesses, and working families to recover from the worst recession since the Great Depression.
There is simply no excuse for Senator Bunning holding these 2,000 furloughed workers hostage. Or for his holding construction workers at 41 projects across the country hostage. Or for his holding 1.2 million jobless workers hostage.
Senator Bunning embodies everything that is wrong with the U.S. Senate today: the ability of individual small-minded, selfish politicians to single-handedly prevent the majority from helping people who need help and solving our country's problems.
9 Comments so far
Show AllSo we have spent all this money on Homeland Security to protect us from terrorists! How much are we going to spend to protect us from our own conservative Senators like Bunning. This is a Senator who has no qualms about starving Americans to death or killing them by denying healthcare. If I look up the word terrorist will I now find a picture of Bunning beside the definition?
Perhaps Bunning needs to retire or be retired so he can reminisce about his baseball career. Baseball is probably the only thing this blockhead could ever do right!
I have always said that the REAL terrorists in this country are the guys in $2,000 business suits! The real war on terror begins against the corporate monster that has destroyed our electoral system, our economy, our Constitution, our freedom and yes even our churches!
The legislation should be paid for as required by paygo!
There should be some accountability as to the spending the Government is doing, or we all will be out of work!
John Kole, you do not understand money, and are being played by those who control it. The controllers, however, love that you think that way. It keeps the 'help' beaten down and docile.
Money is created out of thin air. It must expand due to the efforts/work of people, or we would still be working with a Colonial amount of money, which is obviously not the case.
For instance, US Financial Bankster Hedge Funds have a debt of $1.5 QUADRILLION dollars ($1,500 TRILLION or $1.5 MILLION BILLION) according to the Bank of International Settlements. The Federal Reserve, a private bank owned by banksters, has issued over $22 Trillion to bank holding corporations just in the last year. And it has also intervened to prop up the stock market.
And the 'markets' do not worry or complain about this. But somehow the Conservatives are all worried about the deficit of the US Government (hey, not the Defense part- or the giveaway to the banks part). And that is only because of their rabidly right-wing IDEOLOGY, and nothing else.
We really all work for the government/society. It is the way that society is structured that matters. And the rich want you to think exactly thoughts like "government spending is out of control" - so that government can do NOTHING to help anyone, that it is powerless.
But really, Government Socialism For The Rich Alone is the Hidden Agenda.
And if you don't believe this, look at government action on War and on Finance. Immediate, immense, drastic. So you would think efforts to help people could get this kind of action? It should, but it doesn't... on purpose. There are those in government who will not help and will in fact prevent helping. So paygo is poop.
Money is nothing: or rather it is only what social value is placed on it, due to an entire scoiety's production.
Insaneator Bunning doesn't deserve to represent the people. He should be fired or silenced over ethics violations, violations against the American people. Yet another politician who is an Abuser, a fascist, surely as if he gave you a knockout punch. How much stress will this cause and result in heart attacks, high blood pressure or other diseases caused by the #1 stress--not being able to support your family.
The President could issue an Executive Order or a state of emergency to override this man who sold his soul to the devil. FDR put a military commander in charge of the economy to get jobs going again. He met with every corporation and developed hiring and salary standards. If FDR could do it, so could Obama. But, FDR knew those wealthy, selfish people since he was one of them. He wasn't a bilderberg/council foreign relations puppet and said he would rather be hated by fascist corporations/banks and welcomed their wrath due to their heartless, corrupt ways.
Another abuse, another inaction by the dems, another sign that they hate the people and only love the wealthy. The President can do anything he wants as Bush did. Why doesn't he shut this devil down?
We must remember that WW2 was a war against fascism and nazism--fascism is just around the corner if the people don't organize. In the progressive era, late 1890s to 1905 there were 1,400 strikes going at one time which got us the 8 hr. day. What has happened to us -- we need to seek some of our forefathers strength and fortitude. Old man Rockintheheadfeller and other fatcats sent in troops and shot and killed men, women and children to break the strikes (Ludlow massacre). There was a lot of death and blood to give us not only the 8-hr day, but got children out of factories, etc. Their legacy held until the 1970s. Then, inch by quiet inch, they took away our rights and here we are. We need unions, unions and more unions to protect us otherwise its each man for himself against the giant corporations. Only the unions and strikes will get their attention. People do have the power
The Senators who voted for Nafta and went along with Slick Willie aka Bill Clinton in what ended up the outsourcing of our industrial base to China and other coutnries. Here is the lineup, who voted for Nafta, Ted Kennedy, Kerry, Dodd, Lieberman. The damage these people have done to this country is impossible to explain as it is so bad. It has brought on a major Depression and the Obamabots are afraid to mention it.
These people are or were worse than Terrorists. We get our turn in the next election.
The Senators who voted for Nafta and went along with Slick Willie aka Bill Clinton in what ended up the outsourcing of our industrial base to China and other coutnries. Here is the lineup, who voted for Nafta, Ted Kennedy, Kerry, Dodd, Lieberman. The damage these people have done to this country is impossible to explain as it is so bad. It has brought on a major Depression and the Obamabots are afraid to mention it.
These people are or were worse than Terrorists. We get our turn in the next election.
At least Sandra has some brains. This entire country is built on fascist principles that will not long endure. Our unions have gained enough power in the last two decades that finally our dreams of eliminating poverty and exploitation are coming true. Ten years ago I couldn't say it openly, but the Marxist principles of wage slavery and the rise the the Proletariat about to be played out. Praise Marx for his wisdom and for his establishment of our trade union philosophy and soon to be, style of governing. Workers of the World Unite!