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mickeymLone Senator Blocks Unemployment Benefits extensions.
He's one of Kentucky's senators, a fucking Republican (of course).
Starting Monday, the jobless will no longer be able to apply for federal unemployment benefits or the COBRA health insurance subsidy.
With the Senate not in a position to vote on the extensions until next Tuesday at the earliest, senators and their staffs scrambled to determine the practical implication of letting the programs lapse -- even if for just a few days.
In addition to funding unemployment insurance and the COBRA health insurance program for people who have lost their jobs, the bill would have prevented a scheduled 21 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors.
Senator Bunning,
I've just been reading an article on CNN.com that tells me you are the lone senator blocking unemployment benefit extensions. I want to tell you how deeply saddened and offended I am to hear this. I am currently on unemployment. I was laid off from Louisville Metro Government last August, after three years of employment with them. I am a single parent -- four years ago my husband of 16 years decided he no longer wanted to be married -- and I have a 15 yr old son who falls within the autism spectrum. I have asthma and thyroid problems, and am pre-diabetic. I am also 42 yrs old, so my competition for the jobs out there is even higher, because companies tend to look for more younger, better educated people to hire.
I need to be able to draw unemployment benefits while looking for another job. I need to be able to get the COBRA subsidy because I cannot be without health insurance. As my elected official, you should be doing all you can to assist those of us affected by the economy, not blocking efforts.
I know it cannot be easy, trying to find funding to cover so many things when the economy is bad everywhere. But for many of us -- myself included -- right now, unemployment insurance is all that stands between us and being homeless. I don't like having to rely on unemployment; I don't like being unemployed. No one asked if I was okay with having my job eliminated due to budgetary issues. I want to work, and I am looking for work, but until then I NEED the assistance; I need for the unemployment benefits to be available.
I understand that there will be no benefits available now, until next Tuesday. I was supposed to file for my next benefits check on March 4th. I don't know how this is going to affect me, or how it's going to affect my COBRA, or paying my rent for the month. I hope you take the time to think about what you're doing, preventing this funding from going through -- and I hope you're never in a position like the one I'm in, where you're dependent upon your elected public officials to help you out, only to find out they're not.
Sincerely,
Kim Gasper
The way I understand the issue, the majority of the senators want to pass the extensions as an emergency measure. Bunning doesn't oppose the extensions as such, but wants Congress to provide upfront the $10billion the program(s) will cost, rather than "offset" them.
It's a Kentucky senator holding things back, but this affects EVERYONE currently drawing unemployment benefits or applying for COBRA. I strongly recommend contacting your local representatives (you can google your individual state + senator to get contact information) to try and get this issue resolved. The CNN article says that nothing will go forward now until "next Tuesday", and it's hard to tell if they mean next, as in this coming Tuesday (March 2nd) or the Tuesday after that. I really hope it's the 2nd, but doubt my luck is going to run that way.
This weekend has just been fucking spiffy, both in personal issues and in the events affecting people on a more global scale.
He's one of Kentucky's senators, a fucking Republican (of course).
Starting Monday, the jobless will no longer be able to apply for federal unemployment benefits or the COBRA health insurance subsidy.
With the Senate not in a position to vote on the extensions until next Tuesday at the earliest, senators and their staffs scrambled to determine the practical implication of letting the programs lapse -- even if for just a few days.
In addition to funding unemployment insurance and the COBRA health insurance program for people who have lost their jobs, the bill would have prevented a scheduled 21 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors.
Senator Bunning,
I've just been reading an article on CNN.com that tells me you are the lone senator blocking unemployment benefit extensions. I want to tell you how deeply saddened and offended I am to hear this. I am currently on unemployment. I was laid off from Louisville Metro Government last August, after three years of employment with them. I am a single parent -- four years ago my husband of 16 years decided he no longer wanted to be married -- and I have a 15 yr old son who falls within the autism spectrum. I have asthma and thyroid problems, and am pre-diabetic. I am also 42 yrs old, so my competition for the jobs out there is even higher, because companies tend to look for more younger, better educated people to hire.
I need to be able to draw unemployment benefits while looking for another job. I need to be able to get the COBRA subsidy because I cannot be without health insurance. As my elected official, you should be doing all you can to assist those of us affected by the economy, not blocking efforts.
I know it cannot be easy, trying to find funding to cover so many things when the economy is bad everywhere. But for many of us -- myself included -- right now, unemployment insurance is all that stands between us and being homeless. I don't like having to rely on unemployment; I don't like being unemployed. No one asked if I was okay with having my job eliminated due to budgetary issues. I want to work, and I am looking for work, but until then I NEED the assistance; I need for the unemployment benefits to be available.
I understand that there will be no benefits available now, until next Tuesday. I was supposed to file for my next benefits check on March 4th. I don't know how this is going to affect me, or how it's going to affect my COBRA, or paying my rent for the month. I hope you take the time to think about what you're doing, preventing this funding from going through -- and I hope you're never in a position like the one I'm in, where you're dependent upon your elected public officials to help you out, only to find out they're not.
Sincerely,
Kim Gasper
The way I understand the issue, the majority of the senators want to pass the extensions as an emergency measure. Bunning doesn't oppose the extensions as such, but wants Congress to provide upfront the $10billion the program(s) will cost, rather than "offset" them.
It's a Kentucky senator holding things back, but this affects EVERYONE currently drawing unemployment benefits or applying for COBRA. I strongly recommend contacting your local representatives (you can google your individual state + senator to get contact information) to try and get this issue resolved. The CNN article says that nothing will go forward now until "next Tuesday", and it's hard to tell if they mean next, as in this coming Tuesday (March 2nd) or the Tuesday after that. I really hope it's the 2nd, but doubt my luck is going to run that way.
This weekend has just been fucking spiffy, both in personal issues and in the events affecting people on a more global scale.
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no subject
Date: 2010-02-28 03:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-28 03:42 am (UTC)I swear to god, it feels like I claw my way up from one yawning chasm, only to have another one open up right under my feet. I know I have an emergency option of going to live with my dad -- but that would mean relocating to Michigan, where there are fewer jobs even than in Kentucky, plus the town my dad lives in is drug central (right on the route dealers take between Chicago and Detroit). Plus all of Matthew's doctors are down HERE...
I'm doing a lot of deep-breathing right now, telling myself one thing at a time. And I wonder why I can't sleep, some nights.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-28 04:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-28 03:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-28 04:05 am (UTC)I hope, so much, that this gets sorted out. *hugs*
no subject
Date: 2010-02-28 07:06 am (UTC)*hugs you hard*
no subject
Date: 2010-02-28 08:27 am (UTC)Lovely letter, babe.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-28 10:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-28 03:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-28 05:45 pm (UTC)I'm sorry, hun.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-28 07:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-28 07:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-28 10:53 pm (UTC)Your letter is awesome.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-01 08:56 pm (UTC)