The subject of unemployment benefit extensions has brought some vibrant and at times contentious debate to the floor of the Oregon state legislature, but you need to take a look at this at-times-painful-to-watch video of Rep. Kim Thatcher (R-Keizer) arguing against extensions.
Thanks to blogger T. A. Barnhart for posting this.
Rep Thatcher hates on the unemployed from t.a. barnhart on Vimeo.
This article appears in Mar 24-30, 2011.
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For a politician, there’s almost nothing about her on her official Legislative website (just her memberships and that she owns companies), nor is there any substance in Wikipedia or Congress.org. There is more information under Project Vote Smart. I would expect that a politician would provide better background information. What Rep. Thatcher failed to mention in her speech is that her companies are paying out in unemployment tax, too. It seems she should have mentioned that as a bias?
Here’s Rep. Brad Witt (D, Clatskanie) has a passionate speech for unemployment benefits you should look at. It provides a nice balance. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpDN_LNIgtU&feature=player_embedded
I support her thoughts. I’d love to see unemployed benefits tied to community service and drug testing. I think there are many people who use these benefits as a way to work avoid. I personally have MANY friends who have WORKED to get fired so they can get these benefits, go to school, and not have to go to a job daily. These same people appear to have a much higher standard of living than our family does, with 2 working parents. I personally think if you are not working, and are asking for benefits, you should be doing something for it. There are many things in our communities that need done. Let’s have those unemployed do them! Good for Kim Thatcher!!
Her language is deceptive. She is acting like the government has done anything to create new jobs, especially here in oregon. which it has not. I like the idea of community service,but you cannot mandate community service for something that people have spent 20+ years in many cases paying into. Drug tests are an invasion or privacy that we have already allowed far too long.
Regarding community service programs: In the past the government has invested in infrastructure programs for highways and dozens of other projects and paid people to do them. They could do the same with railway or a dozen other things this country needs. But they wont because there is no money in it for big business.
We have politicians to blame. We need to get rid of minimum wages so people become employable again. We have a real unemployment rate of around 30% (counting underemployed people and people that have given up on trying to receive unemployment benefits) There is no reason to create more barriers for them to get work. If minimum wages were thrown out, people could much easily find jobs because businesses would be able to legally hire people that currently can not add minimum wage value to their production. Over time, those same people will have a very good chance to learn an on the job skill-set that would warrant higher wages. When that happens, they can demand a raise or go somewhere else to work with their new skill.
On another note, unemployment insurance should be privatized. It has proven to be one of the many roles the our government has proven its incompetence. This would allow those that are “low risk” for loosing their job- (example: a guy that has worked at the same job for 10 years) to pay very low premiums. This would also increase his wages because his employer would no longer be responsible for paying a high unemployment tax to keep him employed.
We need more personal responsibility and less government in almost everything our government is currently involved in.
Let’s extend the “pay for work” situation to all those who are capable of working who receive social welfare payments as well. There’s way too many fat, lazy, good-for-nothing people lying and deceiving their way into receiving government entitlement pay. Slam the door on them and for illegal aliens too.
Winston, I totally agree. But I think we need to extend it far beyond just lazy and fat people. What about old people? A lot of them just sit around, not working and living off government cheese. Don’t they know some of us work for a living and pay taxes so they can drive around in motorhomes and wear high water pants? Give me a break.
I also like your idea of privatized unemployment insurance too. We should have poor people pay way more than people who make six figures by working really, really hard. Maybe they’ll think twice about deciding to be poor when they’re paying a ton for their unemployment insurance.
A lot of good ideas here.
Winston,
I am willing to bet that you are quasi-educated at best. I meet very few college graduates with your attitude. Incidentally, I have met a group of people, in my time as a volunteer, that have your same kind of knee-jerk, lack of conscious thought, reactions to things: convicts. They too have anti-social personally disorder, and making bold, blanket statements that require only uneducated declaration of opinion is on of the things that they are fond of as well. get some help and an education.
“We need to get rid of minimum wages so people become employable again.” This statement is scary. The reason there is a minimum wage is so employers can’t pay you any less. If there were no minimum wage, your job would pay you far less than you make now. Still want NO minimum wage?
if they had a job they were probably drug tested to begin with -retard -thatcher is mad and trying to save her own money on her buss.-and if you are getting unemployment that means you met the requirements to get it and did nothing wrong.drug test her i want to see drug test for all government and state and town office and senate and congress -because they over spend and bankrupt every town and city around -now who are you to talk like you are better than anyone else vote her and every other idiot out next time people who kick good people when they are down need the same treatment -boycott all her businesses
Last week I needed to hire someone for an entry level position in the paint shop. It’s heartbreaking to see people in their fifties, out of work for 18-24 months, desperate for anything, totally inexperienced, pretending that this is just a stepping stone to their chosen ‘career change’…
To anyone who thinks that unemployment benefits are just a form of welfare that discourages people from looking for work–you’re an idiot. Take the time out of your ‘busy’ day and talk to someone on unemplyment–nine times out of ten, this is who you will find. What has our economic system done to our nation’s soul?
I’ve been unemployed for 2 yrs, it makes me sick that this Thatcher lady thinks I don’t want to work.I’ve applied for many jobs. The problem is so has a million other people. For every job I apply for there are 100 people or more applying for the same job. I didn’t want to be unemployed.I lost my unemployment in Nov.2010. I’m one of the 99ers. I think our gov. and some people forget that it was our gov. fault that so many people lost their jobs. I would like that Thatcher lady to live my life for 1 month..then tell me how lazy I am..and what I’m not doing right and to pay my bills.. should I keep going? I thought our gov. was suppose to help the people in need…Oh I forgot..they have jobs..but I guess they forgot who voted them in..So Thatcher go ahead and keep telling the unemployed how bad we are, because I think you might be one of us soon..(UNEMPLOYED)