We’ll give you Unemployment Benefit ….if you give us spending cuts and tax cuts for high earners…. December 6, 2010
Posted by irishelectionliterature in United States.trackback
This Story caught my eye.
There is some horse trading going on in the US Congress between extending the time period for unemployment benefit versus Spending cuts and Tax cuts for the wealthy.
With the unemployment rate at 9.6 percent, Democrats argue that jobless Americans are suffering due to no fault of their own. State-administered unemployment insurance provides benefits for up to 26 weeks, but the federal government can extend help for up to 99 weeks, and routinely does so during economic hardship. Congress has passed eight such extensions during the current economic downturn, most recently in July, but missed the Tuesday deadline to pass another extension.
Republicans argue that any extension should be offset by spending cuts to avoid adding to the deficit. Democrats call that hypocrisy, since Republicans are insisting on an extension of the Bush tax cuts for wealthy Americans without paying for them at a cost of $700 billion over 10 years….
you really couldn’t make it up.
The Cedar Lounge Revolution 
Welcome to our future if either FF or FG are in power in coalition during the next 10 years. There is a real divide FF and FG agree with the IMF etc. remedy. A Lab. Sf coalition offers, admittably not very socialist, but also not a neo-liberal solution.
Time for the left in the LP to state where they stand.Government with FG means accepting the dictat and no way out.If Gilmore/Burton is serious they will state their bottom line and open the door to a possible coalition with SF. If they supped with FF they can sup with Adams.As for scaring the bourgeoisie, McGuiness has proved a safe pair of hands.
A ULA bloc offers a caution to them when they are thinking of more neo-liberal solutions.
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Burton at the weekend said that Labour would not form a coalition with Sinn Fein because there was need for a stable coalition government and because the hard left and the hard right were becoming opposed to the EU.
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