Yes, the Republicans do have a plan for reducing unemployment:
One of the things I really like about Ed Stein’s comics is that he has a blog where he comments on them. His comments on this one are better than anything I could add:
I’ve been accused of blindly blaming the Republican Party for too many things. But this is one even my most conservative friends agree on. Both parties have always agreed to extend unemployment benefits during recessions. It makes economic sense, and it’s the most humane thing government can do when its citizens are economically stressed. First of all, the money goes immediately into circulation–it gets spent, both alleviating the pain of the unemployed, and acting as an economic stimulus to the broader economy. This Republican Party, though, either can’t understand the benefits, or more likely, is quite willing to inflict untold pain on the people of this country if it sees an electoral benefit. The economy will get worse, Obama will be blamed, and the Republicans will reap the gains in November. Never mind the suffering. The cynicism is staggering, and shameful.
Some of the rhetoric is beyond belief. The new talking point is that extending unemployment benefits will only discourage people rom looking for jobs. Oh, we lazy Americans. Fifteen million of us thrown out of work since the recession began, and we just don’t want to go back on the job because of those cushy benefits. Unemployment is our fault. And there are all those high-paying jobs out there just going begging because Obama is too generous with our tax money. Give me a break!
I too hope that you will remember when you go to vote.
2 Comments
You mean receiving half your regular pay isn’t a huge incentive to not look for work so you can catch up on your soaps and Sportscenter?
It seems the Republicans’ logic here is predicated on a just-world hypothesis,….combined with an increasing reliance on tv as an information source over actually going into your community and talking with your unemployed neighbors. What really bothers me is there’s a hint of truth to their logic, but they’re unable or unwilling to see they’re blowing it wildly out of proportion. Reminds me of the Cadillac-driving welfare queens that Reagan popularized.
Not to be pedantic, but the cartoon is incorrect in implying that the unemployment rate and/or the definition of the unemployed has anything to do with receiving unemployment checks. The unemployment rate is calculated monthly based on a household survey where they call a sample of people and classify them as unemployed, employed, or not in the labor force. Unemployment checks are weekly claims data that the federal government receives for unemployment insurance, which is a useful predictor of what the unemployment rate will be but has nothing directly to do with it. There are tons of people counted as unemployed who’re not receiving unemployment insurance and some vice versa as well.
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