Republican to Non-Voter if UE benefits not extended (unemployment, insurance, programs)

[Jay F]

I am a Republican who favors extension of unemployment benefits. I have two reasons, one of them you never hear anyone talk about. My more conventional reason for supporting extension is that contrary to the propaganda the job market remains terrible. There are too many people competing for too few jobs. Until or unless this ever changes UE benefits should be extended.

My unconventional reason for supporting the extension is that it is one of the only safety net programs that is not aimed exclusively at unwed mothers and their kids. Almost the entire welfare state targets (and encourages) unwed mothers. A woman who has illegitimate children will be heavily rewarded with programs such as TANF, Medicaid, food stamps, Section 8, WIC and a whole lot more. She will be given generous tax credits and is very likely to be in the 47% who pay no federal income tax. Many have never paid into the system and have only taken. This explains why a record high 43% of births are out of wedlock today...having (what we used to call) bastard children pays better and offers more security than many jobs.

Unemployment insurance on the other hand is for all workers who lost their job through no fault of their own. A childless man is just as eligible as a woman who had 4 kids with 4 different baby daddies...amazing! Plus the childless man (and woman for that matter) was most likely to pay into the system to begin with. They have been paying taxes to support the welfare state yet they have no saftey net themselves.

Also consider that near 100% of welfare moms vote Democrat yet Republicans don't dare cut their welfare programs. Yet Reps will cut (or not extend) a program that benefits some of their voters.

I disagree with Dems on a whole host of issues so I will not become a Democrat. Yet I am also very willing not to vote for Reps over this issue. So it looks like I could end up disengaging myself from politics completely and become a non-voter. I would be an unusual non-voter since I have been following politics all my life. Even as a child I had a preference for political discussions over typical childhood fun and games. This week will most likely determine my political (or non-political) fate.

[texdav]

Basically you are not likely to be voting as by senate rules it must be paid for thru other cuts.With unemployment nearing 6.5% a lot of things are going to disappear. Many will be shifting from unemployment to welfare type programs meant for those with no jobs.

[Jay F]

Originally Posted by texdav

Basically you are not likely to be voting as by senate rules it must be paid for thru other cuts.With unemployment nearing 6.5% a lot of things are going to disappear. Many will be shifting from unemployment to welfare type programs meant for those with no jobs.

I'm sure you understand that 6.5% figure (I thought it was 6.7%) is manipulated. It only includes those collecting unemployment insurance. If you run out of benefits or don't collect unemployment for any reason you are not included as unemployed even if you are jobless.

You mention other welfare programs. That was the point of my post. Many on UE don't qualify for other welfare programs, in particular the childless (or those with grown children). I suppose the one program they could qualify for (and is exploding in popularity) is disability.