Political Quotes

“Madam President, pending before the Senate is the question of whether we are going to extend unemployment compensation to the unemployed across our Nation. It is an issue which recurs in the Senate with some frequency, and it baffles me why we continue to argue over this question. We have 8 million people actively unemployed and another 6 million long-term unemployed people. We know many of them have lost their jobs because of this recession through no fault of their own. If my colleagues have taken the time, as I have, to meet with these people, they know they are in desperate straits. There are approximately 4 or 5 unemployed people in America for every available job. When I sit down and listen to the stories of how they are applying online for job after job after job--a great week for them is if one or two potential employers even follow through with an e-mail of inquiry about their background. It is a frustrating, fearful existence, and it is one that is made no easier by the actions of the Senate. We have been lurching from month to month, creating uncertainty as to whether we are going to send these people a check to live on--a basic unemployment benefit check of some $300 a week. Consider how any of us could survive, and even some with families, with that meager amount of money. The argument is made on the other side of the aisle by many that when you give people $300 a week--$1,200 a month--it just makes them lazy and they stop looking for jobs.…”