Shame on All of You for Hurting the Least of These Again

So, Congress is letting unemployment benefits
expire for
many thousands of Americans just because they cannot work together for
the
public good? And our President cannot even step in and step up to
protect
these most vulnerable citizens during this recession? Shame. Shame
on the whole lot of them.

From MSNBC today:

"Senate
Majority
Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) criticized Republicans Sunday for blocking
unemployment benefits, which will expire Monday while Congress is out of
session," The Hill reports.
Reid
issued a statement saying that Republicans making 'excuses' for
stalling
the benefits package and are hurting the unemployed. 'Families in Nevada
and
across America are struggling to make ends meet, and many are relying on
unemployment insurance and health benefits as they look to find work,'
he said.
'It is inexcusable and irresponsible for Republicans to once again block
the
extension of these benefits. Their excuses ring hollow to American
workers who
lost their jobs through no fault of their own and are trying to put food
on the
table, pay the rent, and take their children to the doctors.'"

The Republicans were angry about the passage of the
lame
health insurance recovery act (also known as healthcare reform bill) so
they
saw fit to block the extension of unemployment benefits in order to
punish the
Democrats. Really? Who got punished? And the Dems are blaming
the Repubs for the ending of the benefits even though they were so busy
getting
out of town for their own spring recess that they left Washington just
complaining about it and not demanding some other way to get the
extension
approved so that millions of people would not suffer. So much for the
Dems really caring about these families.

The President had some pretty important Easter
plans
following the health bill signing celebration, so he couldn't possibly
take a pro-active stand to demand a fix for the lost money, could he?

So, during this most holy of weeks for many, our
government
officials saw fit to take their recess and let the unemployed whose
benefits
were expiring today just suffer.

Do they know what it's like to have that
unemployment
check not arrive? Already much less income than one gets when working,
the benefits are sometimes just enough to prevent folks from qualifying
for
other government help but not enough to really afford payment of all the
bills. Being on unemployment is no picnic but it is better than
nothing.

I recall weeks when those unemployment checks were
the
difference between buying a child's asthma inhaler and not being able to
do so. And I suspect that thousands of families are facing just those
kinds of decisions this week as their benefit checks will not arrive.
Would they like watching their children wheeze and gasp for air? Would
they want their utilities cut off or to see an eviction notice posted on
the
door. The pharmacist and the landlord, the tax collector and the
utility companies don't really give a damn whether the Republicans were
punishing the Democrats by cutting benefits - the bill collectors want
their bills paid. On time. No wiggle room.

Cutting off unemployment benefits during this time
is
causing great harm. It isn't just about not being able to have a
spring holiday or a new iPad, it's about having groceries and a roof
over
one's head. I know we all understand clearly after the healthcare
debate that precious few of our elected officials really believe
healthcare is
a human right for all persons, but now it should be abundantly clear
that they
also have nearly total disregard for the suffering resulting from their
failure
to protect most human rights in this nation.

Cruel and unusual punishment is forbidden by the
Constitution, but not by this Congress and not by this President. I am
angry with them all for not being in the least bit courageous or
creative in
finding a way around and through their differences that did not harm the
people
they are elected to represent. Shame on you all. And may you never
know what it is to have such cruelty thrown your way by people who
pretend they
care. Restore the benefits, by whatever means necessary, before more
people
suffer. Just because you are on recess doesn't mean you can hide
from your responsibilities. The people who elected you sure
can't. Get it done.