Jobless Angry at Possibility of No Benefits (Perry our poster child)

[sonias]

NY Times 2/26/09
Jobless Angry at Possibility of No Benefits

(snip)
For people like Henry Kight, 59, of Austin, Tex., the possibility that the money might be turned down is a deeply personal issue.

Mr. Kight, who worked for more than three decades as an engineering technician, discovered in September that because of complex state rules, he was not eligible for unemployment insurance after losing a job at a major electronics manufacturer he had landed at the beginning of the year.

Unable to draw jobless benefits, he and his wife have taken on thousands of dollars in credit-card debt to help make ends meet.

(snip)
Mr. Kight and other unemployed workers said they were incensed to learn they were living in one of a handful of states — many of them among the poorest in the nation — that might not provide the expanded benefits.

"It just seems unreasonable," Mr. Kight said, "that when people probably need the help the most, that because of partisan activity, or partisan feelings, against the current new administration, that Perry is willing to sacrifice the lives of so many Texans that have been out of work in the last year."

I know Henry personally and he is a fine upstanding citizen and I'm heartbroken to hear that he's going through this tough time right now.

Damn you Rick Perry! :grr:


Sonia

[my2sense]

1. Yes all the while the tax payers are paying $9,900 a month

for Rick Perry's digs.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/38980402.html

[sonias]

2. Yep Perry is not one of us

He's lived on "our" money for most of his life.

The people who want to strangle government in a bathtub are usually the ones taking the biggest benefits out of it. He'll tell people to pull themselves up by their bootstraps while he bathes in luxury on the taxpayer's dime.

This one is more heartless than Bush if anyone can wrap their head around that.

Sonia

[tbyg52]

7. Bingo. Just another of the "one set of rules for you, another for us" people. nt

[Honeycombe8]

3. Perry hasn't decided for sure to turn the benefits down, has he? Say it ain't so.

As a middle aged woman, if I get laid off, it would take me a looooong time to find another job. I'd take anything I could get, of course, but there's not much of a job market for middle aged people. Why would they hire me, when their job application in box is filled with apps from people half my age?

I would be at risk of becoming homeless, having no husband or children. I have an emergency fund, but it would run out eventually.

[sonias]

4. Contact his office right now

Perry needs to hear from you. He needs to hear from all of us. Even if we're employed now. We need all of the stimulus money set aside for us.

He hasn't officially turned it down but all indications are that he's leaning strongly that way.

Here is his contact page - hit it and let him know your story. Phone calls are best but at the very least use the opinion form. Make sure you select an option on the address button when you submit. They have cleverly made it confusing so most people would just not bother. If you don't select either "street address" or "po box". The form will not submit. But it also doesn't give you an error message.

http://governor.state.tx.us/contact/

"Leave no Texas Stimulus Money Behind!"

Sonia

[Honeycombe8]

5. Thanks so much. Will do. nt

[Honeycombe8]

6. Done! nt

[Baby Snooks]

8. Been there, done that...

The sad thing is this just points out that not everyone is eligible for unemployment. Some haven't "worked" long enough. Others who are "contract workers" are considered "self-employed" and don't qualify at all. And then you have the truly "self-employed" who had their own businesses. To be honest, the Democrats along the way have been as detached from econommic reality as the Republicans although the Democrats have never taken the "just get another job" approach to safety nets. The problem the Republicans don't realize is that at this point there simply are no other jobs. Let alone "another" one.

Whatever Perry does will be determined on the basis of the advantage it gives him in his race for governor. So I guess it depends on how many unemployed Republicans there are. I suspect there are quite a few.

[sonias]

9. Texas jobless fund could need federal bailout

AAS 3/1/09
Texas jobless fund could need federal bailout
Added claims during recession drawing down fund faster than previously projected.

The head of the Texas Workforce Commission said the state might need to seek a federal loan to maintain the unemployment compensation trust fund.

Chairman Tom Pauken said that with more people losing their jobs, a "real deficit" could come by September or October.

The update comes as Texas lawmakers debate expanding unemployment benefits.
(snip)

Texas had 26,071 initial claims for benefits during the week of Feb. 14, compared with 11,226 initial claims for the same period one year ago.

Sonia

[sonias]

10. Lawmakers make plea for unemployment funds

AAS 3/3/09
Lawmakers make plea for unemployment funds

AUSTIN, Texas — Democratic lawmakers asked Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday to accept unemployment money in the federal stimulus package, even though it would mean expanding the program, which he opposes.
(snip)
"Think of (the stimulus money) as a bridge to help Texans get over the troubled waters of this economy," said Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, a possible Democratic contender for governor in 2010.

Perry's office said he hasn't decided whether to accept the funds, a spokeswoman said. He has said repeatedly that he's opposed to using federal rescue money to expand government programs, which the state would eventually have to handle on its own.

"It's unfortunate that today some legislators decided to inject politics into the stimulus discussion," Perry spokeswoman Allison Castle said.

Who is injecting politics into this really, Allison? It's your boss Perry, who is putting his run for Governor ahead of the needs of thousands of Texans who need help. :grr:


Sonia