Joe Miller Says Unemployment Benefits Are Unconstitutional

[TomCADem]

Source: Huffington Post

In an interview today with "Fox News Sunday," Alaska GOP Senate nominee Joe Miller had trouble explaining how he would help the 43.6 million Americans in poverty, even as host Chris Wallace repeatedly pressed him for more than conservative talking points.

Wallace asked Miller about his assertion in August on CBS's "Face the Nation" that unemployment benefits are unconstitutional, noting that without them, many more Americans would be in poverty. "What would you do for them?" asked Wallace.

Miller, however, struggled to come up with an answer, and instead shifted to talking points about reducing the size of the federal government. Wallace repeatedly pressed him on the issue, without ever receiving an actual response:

MILLER: I think the question is what is the role of the federal government? Right now we've grown the federal government into such a size we have, I think we have, what -- in absolute terms now, $13.4 trillion in debt. If you look at the future unfunded obligation, a lot of those are the entitlement programs, by some estimates $130 trillion. That is unsustainable. That's just the facts. And I think Americans recognize that those are the facts. The exciting thing is Americans are looking for answers. Alaskans are looking for answers. Here in Alaska, 40 percent of our economy in Alaska is somewhat derived from the federal government. If we continue say things have to continue the way they are, the expansion from the government which is unconstitutional in many ways is the future, it's a dead-end road. Particularly for this state, because of the impending bankruptcy --

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/19/joe-miller-alaska-poverty-unemployment-unconstitutional_n_730710.html

[CurtEastPoint]

1. Here's a message for Mr. Miller:

[laylah]

14. + a gazillion! nt-

[Xipe Totec]

2. You know what else is unconstitutional? Airplanes

space travel

a vaccine for polio.

car ownership.

None of these things are in the constitution.

That does not make them illegal.

They are simply not in the constitution.

[nyy1998]

23. You forgot to add cute puppies and snuggies

Although the last one should be banned

[BigAnth]

25. What!!!! Ban Snuggies?!?!? Only when they pry it from my cold, dead hands!!!!!

[MurrayDelph]

26. What about Snuggies FOR puppies?

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4Buev2eybnY/SnbnuM9EraI/AAAAAAAAFqw/uNuq7ho7co4/s400/snuggie+dog.jpg

[Ken Burch]

3. And here's where you can send any loose change you have to STOP this whack-job:

http://www.scottmcadams.org/

[dkf]

4. Obviously the answer is "nothing".

[Drale]

5. Conservatives are unconstitutional

the constitution was written to be adaptive and progressive, everything Conservatives are against.

[sakabatou]

6. Hey Joe Blow

When you're unemployed and can't get work, what are you gonna do?

[JDPriestly]

19. "Let them eat cake." That's his motto.

[Arctic Dave]

7. Joe the idiot and his band of knuckleheads think the US govt owning land

is unconstitutional also. These guys are dumb beyond belief.

I wish somehow a book of Alaskan history would make to their idiot's clubhouse so they could read up on how Alaska and the Federal Government are looooong time homeys.

[doc03]

8. How are they unconstitutional? Your employer pays into the fund

for each hour you work, like SS and workmans comp it is an insurance program not socialism.

[JDPriestly]

20. You are correct, doc03.

The Constitution gives to Congress the power to tax and spend, and that is what gives it the authority to fund unemployment insurance. This guy is ignorant about the Constitution.

[unblock]

9. one wonders what they think the founders had in mind when they wrote "promote the general welfare"

[Alcibiades]

10. A standing army is unconstitutional

Inherently tyrannical. Read a goddamn book, conservatives: the founding fathers would have found a permanent war footing to be deeply unAmerican. They didn't trust the government with the power to lodge troops in private homes, and certainly wouldn't have trusted giving the military the power to torture, let alone nukes.

[Book Lover]

13. Took the words *right out* of my mouth

You can't go much further against the Founders' intentions than having a standing army, let alone the 200+ global military bases our taxes support.

[SoapBox]

11. Ever been on unemployment Mr. Miller? Huh? I'm waiting....

For those of us that have been on unemployment...it was the life line
that kept things afloat...for a while.

Miller...you're an idiot.

Why do you and your T.HaterBaggerCircus clowns, hate America and Americans?

[TheDebbieDee]

12. Why can't the "Haves" see that unemployment and other social

programs prevent the "Have-nots" from storming their palaces and eating their children?

[Kweli4Real]

15. I wonder ...

how many Alaskans have really thought about what a Miller victory would really mean for Alaska? Here's a hint ...

"Here in Alaska, 40 percent of our economy in Alaska is somewhat derived from the federal government ..."

Miller is running on a platform of smaller, if any, federal government at all. Alaska ... you elect Miller, say goodbye to 40% of your state revenue.

[47of74]

16. Dear Mr. Miller;

Here is my response to your shit;

[eyewall]

17. Why is this pixelated

flipping me and everyone off becoming so prevalent? I haven't noticed if it's always you 47of74, this may be a "smiley" anyone can add to their post? I didn't pay attention who was doing it but I've seen this several times. I feel like saying something. I don't think we should have to read the fine print to see who it's intended for. Whenever I see something like that I see someone flipping me off, flipping off the site's readership. I know I could expect that it's not aimed at us but...

In the late sixties a band called Moby Grape had a couple songs I was interested in so I went to the store to get the album. On the cover one of the band had his middle finger extended, obviously thought it was cool, and the record company let it go thinking people like me would think it's cool. I saw a guy in a photo flipping me off. I did not buy the album. There was plenty of great music around then and they really weren't that good anyway.

Just my opinion, do what you want but I thought you might like to hear my take on it.

and yes, Joe Miller is a douchebag.

[Cherchez la Femme]

24. I must be missing something, but

how is this directed against you?

Sorry, but you not endorsing or liking 'flipping the bird' hardly delegitimizes it

It is a quick, non-verbal precis which explains ones general regard of any certain thing;
and such type of hand-signals seem to be pretty much universal within the human condition.

Sure, while you have every right to not approve of it, everyone else has the option of approving/adopting it too
--just sayin' :shrug:

[countmyvote4real]

18. He's a real idiot's idiot.

[COLGATE4]

22. The problem is that this idiot isn't an idiot - he's a well-educated

articulate Rethug who puts a good face on a stupid argument. Low information voters typically despise politicians who are better educated than they are, but at the same time (cognative dissonance) they will trumpet to the skies that a Yale educated lawyer sure knows what's unconstitutional - just watch the talk shows. We need to take this bozo seriously, not just write him off as another Sharon Angle or Jan Brewer.

[Blacksheep214]

21. I don't get it.

The Teabaggers want the population to be pissed off, yet they support all these pissed off people to be armed. Armed in public at that.

Guess what happens if I am wearing a gun in a bar and I get drunk when some asshole starts spouting this nonsense?

If I'm at the end of my rope I could end up at the end of a rope for losing it.

THINK!

Are you helping?

[Scurrilous]

27. K & R

:thumbsup: