arthur@huffingtonpost.com | HuffPost Reporting First Posted: 10- 2-10 12:06 PM | Updated: 10- 2-10 12:13 PM
Hundreds of labor activists staged a pre-rally for the unemployed at RFK Stadium ahead of the One Nation Working Together event at the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday.
"We believe the jobless are the swing vote in this election," said organizer Rick Sloan, who is a spokesman for the International Association of Machinists and creator of the Union of Unemployed website. "We've got to convince them who their tormentors are."
Their tormentors: Republicans in Congress who have spent much of the year obstructing unemployment benefits and other spending bills designed to help the economy.
The IAM set up a huge video screen that played an outrage-soaked video with a choice soundbite from Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) talking about extending unemployment benefits.
"We should not be giving cash to people who basically are just gonna blow it on drugs," Hatch said.
"They won't even toss us a lifeline unless we pee in a cup," intoned the narrator. The crowd -- hundreds of labor activists sprinkled with layoff victims, many wearing T-shirts that said "Hire US, America" -- booed lustily.
"I'll tell you what, Mr. Hatch," said Edrie Irvine of Silver Spring, Md. "I'll pee right after you do!"
The Republicans like to talk about class warfare, but making an unemployed person take a urinalyses test to draw unemployment benefits is over the top. Many workers are required to take a urinalysis to get a job and can be fired if they are on drugs at work.
The unemployed need to get off of their kiesters and vote Democratic if they want unemployment benefits to continue. Besides the obvious morality of helping people who are destitute. a Moody's Economics study showed the programs like unemployment insurance and food stamps are far more stimulative to the economy than tax cuts.
source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/02/labor-activists-stage-pre_n_747987.html
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"We believe the jobless are the swing vote in this election," said organizer Rick Sloan, who is a spokesman for the International Association of Machinists and creator of the Union of Unemployed website. "We've got to convince them who their tormentors are."
Their tormentors: Republicans in Congress who have spent much of the year obstructing unemployment benefits and other spending bills designed to help the economy.
The IAM set up a huge video screen that played an outrage-soaked video with a choice soundbite from Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) talking about extending unemployment benefits.
"We should not be giving cash to people who basically are just gonna blow it on drugs," Hatch said.
"They won't even toss us a lifeline unless we pee in a cup," intoned the narrator. The crowd -- hundreds of labor activists sprinkled with layoff victims, many wearing T-shirts that said "Hire US, America" -- booed lustily.
"I'll tell you what, Mr. Hatch," said Edrie Irvine of Silver Spring, Md. "I'll pee right after you do!"
The Republicans like to talk about class warfare, but making an unemployed person take a urinalyses test to draw unemployment benefits is over the top. Many workers are required to take a urinalysis to get a job and can be fired if they are on drugs at work.
The unemployed need to get off of their kiesters and vote Democratic if they want unemployment benefits to continue. Besides the obvious morality of helping people who are destitute. a Moody's Economics study showed the programs like unemployment insurance and food stamps are far more stimulative to the economy than tax cuts.
source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/02/labor-activists-stage-pre_n_747987.html
Subscribe to the Rightardia feed: feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/IGiu
Netcraft rank: 8363
http://toolbar.netcraft.com/site_report?u rl=http://rightardia.blogspot.com
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