This morning, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) said that Congress’ priority right now should be spending money to shore up government jobs.
“It’s very clear that private-sector jobs have been doing just fine,” Reid said on the Senate floor. “It’s the public-sector jobs where we’ve lost huge numbers, and that’s what this legislation is all about.”
The legislation Reid is referring to is a piece of President Obama’s jobs bill that would spend $35 billion to stimulate the public sector and, in Reid’s words, “put hundreds of thousands of people back to work teaching children, have more police patrolling our streets, firefighters fighting our fires, doing the rescue work that they do so well.” It would be paid for by raising taxes on “millionaires and billionaires.”
Unfortunately for Reid, there is bipartisan opposition to the bill, and despite the urgency that some Democrats have expressed, the Senate is unlikely to vote on the bill until next month. Vice President Biden will visit the Capitol today to rally support for the legislation, and presumably to deliver some edifying remarks, such as these from yesterday, in which he essentially accused opponents of the bill of having no sympathy for rape victims.
Well, Nevada voted him back into office because they was scared of Sharon Angle for some reason...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSo, beyond Nevada being stupid, what is your point?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSharon Angle was a raisin short of a complete fruitcake.
Hey GOP, next time put up quality candidates!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIllinois is bankrupt. They can't pay their bills and use the vendor's money as a de facto loan. I'm sure they've had to lay off teachers and firefighters and police - but this would be at the local level. Should not the state of Illinois be responsible for funding those positions if their localities get in trouble? The only thing is they can't, because they are bankrupt and are incapable of fixing their finances.
Other states, like Virginia and Idaho and Utah and Wisconsin have made the hard decisions on what to fund and how. These states are not bankrupt. Yes, there have been layoffs but things are stabilizing.
Now this POS Reid, the scion of the dem party, would have you believe that Idaho, Virginia, Utah and Wisconsin should have their children's and grandchildren's money be mortgaged to keep firefighters and police and teachers hired in Illinois. These are purely LOCAL functions, yet somehow it is the feds responsibility to fund Illinois' profligate and bankrupt ways? Certainly there must be some dem senators who can't be that stupid as to go along with this limpwristed, knife in the back, corrupt, disingenuous, craven rat.
Yes, Sharron Angle would have been just horrible.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHard to say what would have happened in Angle had been elected.
I think Sharron Angle being Senator from Nevada would have been better for the country.
On the other hand, it's hard to imagine anyone being better for Republican prospects than Harry "I write the GOP's commercials" Reid.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMaybe so, but where ARE the ads that write themselves? In a lockbox at GOP headquarters?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseOne huge question for our society in the next few decades is: to what extent should relatively responsible states help those which have been irresponsible and profligate? I personally feel no obligation to help out California, New York and Illinois. (And they're just the most obvious ones. Many more will follow.) It's especially galling when employees in the public sector unions have it much better than most everyone else in society. Why should a file clerk for a state government get a better deal than a file clerk for a private company? And when you consider that most public sector unions have become in essence money laundering agencies for the Democratic Party--tax monies go in to payroll, union dues come out and go to the Dem's campaign funds--I really don't see how our society will escape the fate of Greece. I hope I'm wrong.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse[Forget] government jobs and the people that hold them.
It is simply impossible to screw over government employees to the degree they deserve. We can certainly try, though.
Harry Reid is such a sad clown, he makes me miss Daschle.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseObama should adopt this as the slogan for his re-election campaign: "The Private Sector Is Doing Just Fine!"
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHarry Reid is a walking toothache, but in his legendary stupidity, he unintentionally points out how worthless he and his party are.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abusewhat!!!???!!!! Has this jack*ss even been back to his home state of Nevada? Has he walked down the streets of tucson where it seems half a dozen longstanding business are shuttering their doors every day? "Private sector is doing ok?"
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseGood Lord. Someone slap him to wake him up.
I thought Tucson was in Arizona?
That said, Las Vegas and Reno aren't doing much better.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI had always heard "there can only be one" and I always assumed the one with weapons grade stupidity was Biden.
We now have a new challenger to the throne.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseDo we need more firefighters?
Fires in major cities like Boston are down about 40% since the 80's. Better buildings and materials have assured this trend isn't going to change.
In Boston they send complete fire engines to routine car accidents as well as health "emergency" calls. Why? They need to create "runs" that can be implied as a firefighter need. Think about the last major fire in your area. Can you even recall one? The fact is both the frequency and severity of fires is falling yet the manpower and the deployment of emergency personnel and equipment is virtually unchanged. They actually create public risk by unnecessarily or inappropriately racing around the city in huge trucks.
Its a bit like the post office; still trying to handle a demand that has been eviscerated by technology yet doing nothing to accommodate both reality and the future.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseLook for the union label on this ridiculousness.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI wonder if the Senator from Nevada some mornings takes a long look in the mirror before shaving and says, "You know, sometimes I don't believe what you say either."
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWill no one rid me of this meddlesome senator?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMr. Reid is no Becket.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRemember this the next time someone insists that the only way out of national debt is higher taxes.
Yesterday we got a glimpse at Congressman Paul's trillion dollar spending cuts. that would have a material impact on the unemployment numbers and I'm just fine with that.
If so called civil servants are getting laid off I can only say "fine, let's do more!" the emotional appeal of the Democrats will try to make Americans think that it is only first responders on the block. The Democrats won't mention the staff at the Lost Electricity Reclamation Bureau (firesign at their finest) whose role in our lives cannot be fathomed.
Sure we need some firefighters and law enforcement officers. We don't assistant secretaries of whatever for the northern midwest region. We don't need conferences in the American Virgin Islands to discuss the size an olive must be for it to be collosal instead of jumbo. we'll get by just fine.
In my opinion the Republicans face a huge credibility problem right now. Many Americans are asking for fundamental change in DC. The change would result in less power in DC. Will the Republican politicians really do that? I haven't been impressed thus far.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseJaw-droppingly oblivious.
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