Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Orlando, Eustis, Ocala), sternly chided Republicans on the House Floor on Monday night for continuing to block the passage of the extension of unemployment benefits for over 2.5 million Americans, including hundreds of thousands of Floridians.
Recalling that his grandfather during the 1930s and the Great Depression, spent many years of his life rummaging through dumpsters looking for things to sell to support his family of seven, Grayson opined that the Republicans would wish those days to return.
“And that, my friends, is the America that the Republicans are trying to revive: the America of desperate straits and, for them, cheap labor”, Grayson said. “The America where people have nothing, hope for nothing, and are desperate to live to the next day. That is what the Republicans are trying to resurrect by blocking unemployment insurance day after day, week after week, and now month after month.”
Grayson pointed out that the Republicans failure to pass an extension of the unemployment benefits bill was tantamount to keeping food out of the mouths of children.
“Now I know what the Republicans are thinking. They’re thinking “Why don’t they (the unemployed) just sell some stock? If they’re in really dire straits, maybe they can take some of their art collection and send it off to the auctioneer. And if they’re in deep, deep trouble, maybe these unemployed can sell one of their yachts”, Grayson said.
Pointing out that ordinary people do not have these assets to turn to in difficult economic times, Grayson said that ninety-nine percent of America actually has to work for a living.
“That’s why we need this bill to pass. Because of the ninety-nine percent of America that deals with reality every day”, Grayson said. “The people who will lose their home if this bill doesn’t pass. The people who will be living in their cars if this doesn’t pass. That’s why we need this to pass.”
Grayson added:
“And I will say this to the Republicans who have blocked this bill now for months and kept foods out of the months of children. I will say to them now: May God have mercy on your souls.”
The 2010 Unemployment Extension Benefits Bill is expected to pass the Senate on Tuesday afternoon with the swearing-in of Carte Goodwin, who will temporarily replace the late Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia. Goodwin should give the Democrats the 60th vote to break the Republican filibuster, ongoing for several months, which blocked the extension of unemployment benefits for millions of Americans.
I think the congressman says it all. Thank him and God for speaking up.
I truly hope with all my being this bill is passed today. I fear the worse but hope for the best.
Folks never never ever forget what these senators have done to you and if it is passed don’t let November come and go without your voice. Vote them out every last one of them. You deserve a better gov”t than you are getting. If this is not passed today the senate will go on recess Aug 6th for a whole month and I don’t want to even think what people will do. I am pretty sure they will but we have been here before.
Grayson may have a few rough edges for the Washington career politicians, but he is a breathe of fresh air and just what Congress needs right now. The Republicans have punched, or tried to punch out every piece of legislation the Democrats have stood before them, it’s time for Dems to start punching back.