Bachmann: Pay for Unemployment Benefits, Not Tax Cuts

She is dead on. Cut taxes and create jobs. The President only created Gov. jobs. George, why don’t you report on Shirley Sherrel and why she resigned. Why not report on the New Black Panthers and why the AG dropped a case that way already won?????????

There goes the Republicans and their VooDoo economics again.

I have concerns about your manner of questioning in this interview. It seemed that you wanted a sound bite yes or no answer to your question on paying for tax cuts, but as you know it is a complex question that contains many assumptions. It assumes that the tax cuts have taken away the government’s rightful money, and that the government has been operating with this money, when in fact the government has not had this money for 10 years. The concern about the new bill is about new spending that is not accounted for, not taking away what you already don’t have. I have no problem with tough questioning, but it seems that when you did not get the answer you were looking for you interjected your own opinion into your conclusion of the congresswoman’s response. I would respectfully ask that you reserve your opinions to an editorial or commentary show.

Right, Ms BachMan,
Where is the pro job efforts coming from. Quit talking about the Dems and give us a solution.
You would rather see us starve up here. None of us in MN like you. Please leave the state, go work in the Gulf and make yourself useful.
Your awful record, environmentally and economically is the worst this state has exoperienced. As far as I can see your a Palin TParty cloon clone.

“All these extensions smack of reward for laziness and refusal to find a job.
That’s why my company won’t even hire someone who’s unemployed”
Michael Crook, that has to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. If they’re not looking for jobs, than why is your company refusing to hire them? Who are you refusing? These non-existent people? Seriously? Back here in the real world, people are looking for jobs. If there’s none to be had, how is that the fault of the job seeker?
The leadership of your company should be ashamed of themselves. That is an elitist, wrong-headed policy that makes absolutely no sense. It’s completely contradictory, and shows a complete lack of reason and common sense. “We won’t hire people who are unemployed, so it must their fault that they can’t find jobs.” Plenty of good, honest, hard-working people lost their employment through no fault of their own. I hope your company’s policy turns around to bite them in the future, because they deserve it.
As for Rep. Bachman, what you’re saying is fine and dandy, but what are people supposed to do in the meantime? How many times do we have to try trickle-down reganomics before we realize that it doesn’t work?

Republicans love to do that VooDoo economics they doodoo so well!
Just remember everyone, if you elect a republican president in 2010 get ready to be VooDooed to death.
All for the rich and nothing for the real workers of America.
You’ll be screaming for Obama within days.

Bachmann is a radical right wing nut job from the 6th district in MN. . She is clueless as to what it would take as the following news article describes:
Trouble in the Sixth
Just to the north of the Twin Cities, the 6th district, represented by Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann, had the most foreclosures of any of Minnesota’s eight congressional districts, with an estimated 5,227 in 2008. Her district also had the highest rate of foreclosures as a percentage of households, at 1.80 percent, nearly that of the city of Minneapolis at 1.85 percent.
The situation was similar in 2007, when, according to a Housing Link study, Bachmann’s district had a higher foreclosure rate than the rest of Minnesota and the rest of the country.
But Bachmann’s record in Congress is not one of a representative whose district faces such a crisis. Bachmann hasn’t authored or sponsored any legislation to assist homeowners facing foreclosure, but she has co-sponsored 14 bills to restrict abortions and five to promote Christianity in government.
Bachmann voted against five key foreclosure relief bills, including the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act, which would set standards for mortgages and reduce predatory lending, and the Neighborhood Stabilization Act, which would provide funds for buying and rehabilitating foreclosed properties in affected neighborhoods. She also opposed the Expanding American Homeownership Act, which allows more people to qualify for FHA-backed mortgages, and the Expand and Preserve Home Ownership Through Counseling Act, which aims to improve financial literacy. Bachmann additionally voted against the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, a law signed by President Bush that contained many provisions to assist struggling homeowners and also the only one of the bills to become law.
Before the first four of these measures reached the House floor, Bachmann opposed them in the House Financial Services Committee. She also voted against the FHA Housing Stabilization and Homeownership Rentention Act of 2008, which did not receive a floor vote. The bill would have provided mortgage refinancing assistance to struggling families and expanded FHA loan programs.
Bachmann further offered an amendment to block increased funding for HOPE for Homeowners, a Department of Housing and Urban Development program that helps families facing foreclosure to refinance their mortgages.
When Congress was debating strategies to assist families facing foreclosure, Bachmann called those homeowners “irresponsible.”
“Now, we can debate whether this is the right thing to do as it may seem that you’re rewarding the irresponsible while punishing those who have been playing by the rules,” she said in Febraury. “When President Obama released his plan … to prevent home foreclosures, the point he wanted to get across to everyone watching was that money from folks who have been making their payments on time will not just be handed over to those folks who got in over their heads and bought a house they knew they couldn’t afford.”
Those homes that residents of the 6th district couldn’t afford had a median value of $239,000, according to the 2007 American Community Survey, just above the national median of $229,000. Prices have likely declined considerably since the 2007 survey.
Bachmann’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the foreclosure data or her voting record.

I just want to thank George for the work he does. No matter what one thinks of the ideas of the people he is interviewing, he gets to the heart of the matter and is great at exposing double-talk and questionable reasoning. He is also masterful at moderating multi-participant panels and refuses to allow any discussion to degenerate into a shouting match. George, I miss you on Sunday mornings but know you reach a wider audience on GMA.

I enjoy watching Bachmann. As George states she does give a polished performance. Unfortunately when she states people are wanting to keep more of their money, she of course is stating that people who earn more than 250K per year, as those are the people who would be effected by the tax cuts being rescinded. These are the same people who thrived during the Bush administration and are still thriving during the economic crisis. What she is doing is holding up much needed benefits to those who are out of work. The Republican’s are actually playing games with money that is so vital to so many people, most with families. It is unconscionable to not extend benefits to the Unemployed. Especially when many of them were effected by the decisions of the last administration. The TARP money, cannot be used to extend unemployment benefits, as congress would have to pass a law to use this money for that purpose. This would further delay unemployment benefits from reaching those who need it. I know a few people who are unemployed and have been for a very long time. In Florida, the tourist industry was hit hard, and unemployment is the double digits right now. The people I know would prefer working rather than receiving unemployment benefits (less than minimum wage here). 1,000 dollars a month. Not sure many of us can live off 1,000 dollars a month these days.

Rep Bachman can gladly leave our state. Her Tea Party statements embarass Minnesotans and we would gladly like to see her go. Every time she opens her mouth, I cringe!

Same old stuff. Those with the money want to keep it and to heck with everyone else. The thing they don’t understand is we did the tax cut thing for many years. Those that recieved them were suppose to hire and/or spend money and the rest of us would get/stay employed. What really happened? They got greedy. They didn’t hire because they wanted to hide their money or invest it in real estate to make more. Those without the tax breaks meanwhile picked up higher medical premiums and deductables; spent our meager disposable income investing for retirement because employers didn’t want to cover that; and have lost that because of the way the system allowed the greedy to walk away from the train wreck with their mony and we have even less and with out a job now. In a democracy the majority rule and now the majority have lost to much to go back. They are going to vote for who can help and if the problem isn’t worked out between those with the money and the pull and those of us that don’t own a business, we’re doomed.

I grit my teeth every time I hear someone say “I can’t find a job” when they should really be saying “I can’t find a job that fits my standard of living.”
Raise some chickens and sell the eggs. Pick up aluminum cans. Mow your neighbors grass. Do something!
And if your going to lose your house then maybe you should think about trading it in for a smaller one. I knew a woman that lived in a 2 room house. Not a 2 bedroom, a 2 room. The living room with a kitchen area on one wall and then there was the bath room. That was all she needed and she was happy.
Then if all else fails and assistance is still needed, government issued commodities and housing assistance.

Cut Taxes, Create Jobs????? Are you kidding???
The BUSH TAX CUTS have been ACTIVE from 2001 through Now.
Unemployment during the ENTIRE time of the Bush Tax Cuts from 2001 through 2003 jumped from 4.3% to 6.4%, from 2004 through 2007 fluctuated at 5.4% to 6.1% till the economic bust end of 2007 continuing 2008 rising to 7.2% till stabilizing at 9.5% this year so far.
And for the Economy? Every year since 2001 through 2007 it was a downswing of a roller coaster economy with yearly last quarter financial reports worse than the year before until the ECONOMIC BUST last quarter 2007 continuing 2008 with a slow as molasses recovery.
So what makes everyone think that the BUSH TAX CUTS will fix unemployment or improve the economy when all along it helped destroy the economy while raising unemployment?

Please, quit picking on George. He is desperate for a White House job and the only way he can get it is to slant the news away from the truth and out into the partial information world of politics.
Go George……

am from Indiana and was up till last year a CNC operator at a fabrication shop, 1st of all lets not forget how our lovely government body has repeatedly got this country in debt, constantly sticking their 40mm noses in other peoples backyards and business[yes i understand to a certain point, because what happens there COULD[not will] eventually end up here], and the ignorance of thinking “they”[because now unemployed are now a "them"]can always fix other peoples problems and cant even fix our own here in the states, plus they have allowed the population here to grow beyond the means to gainfully receive employment that you can actually support a family of four on, besides letting american companies to ship jobs to other countries so they can have a cheaper payroll budget whilest leaving american workers empty handed, how about american felons that have cleaned up their act and cant find work simply because they have 1 felony on their record? and mine is 11 year old conviction, ive been off work since Aug ’09 and applied for approx 100 jobs since and not 1 phone call for an interview, that has something to do with the unemployment rate i guarantee it, employers are being way too choosy.

What an embarrassment this shrew is. I wish someone would shove a sock in her george bush kissing mouth, she does NOT speak for the average Minnesotan we think she is CRAracistZY

Michael Crook Posted
All these extensions smack of reward for laziness and refusal to find a job.
That’s why my company won’t even hire someone who’s unemployed.
===================================
You won’t hire the unemployed because they refuse to look for a job? Then how can you refuse to hire someone who’s unemployed, since they never asked you to hire them?

I forgot to say in the previous post that I lost my house, the roof over my head belongs to my 80 year parents. And I might add that I’m from Minnesota and do not nor will I ever support the republicans who have filibusted the employment extension. People and families and children need to eat but let them pass an act to declare funds for disaster victims and homelessness in other countries but they can’t support their own.

Bachman is a total ding dong!
Who’s there?

I’m 60 years old and have over 30 years of experience but have been unemployed for almost two years. I’m hardly lazy as I have worked well over 40 hours a week for 32 years. Well over the hours that many currently employed have put in reading newspapers/books/surfing not doing the job they are being paid to do. I have applied for well over 600 jobs and only had 5 interviews. I’m too experienced to be hired but too young too retire. I’m fortunate as I do have a roof over my head. My unemployment has ended and I have no inclome. I’ve been learning how to live on one income since my husband of 34 years decided he wanted a new life.
I lost my house, the roof over my head belongs to my 80 year parents. And I might add that I’m from Minnesota and do not nor will I ever support the republicans who have filibusted the employment extension. People and families and children need to eat but let them pass an act to declare funds for disaster victims and homelessness in other countries but they can’t support their own. Michele may be out of a job soon too and she can welcome the ranks of the unemployed but oh that’s right she has a spouse she can rely on. I just hope that there are enough votes to stop the republican filibusters and children can be fed.

Amazing, how many people have bought this language “pay for tax cuts for the wealthiesta Americans.” First, the wealthiest Americans are those who provide jobs. In the current situation what will raising taxes do? Add jobs or cause job losses? And “pay for tax cuts” is a language of deceipt. Spending has to paid for, not tax cuts, which is leaving to people what they rightly earned with hard work.

There are really only two ways of reducing the deficit. One is to reduce spending and the other is to raise federal revenue, meaning collect taxes.
Bachmann was to reduce spending (most of which goes to those at the bottom of the ladder) AND cut taxes (which mostly benefits the wealthy). It’s as simple as one plus one equals two, except for Bachmann it’s one plus zero equals two.

Posted by: Robert Maxwell | Jul 20, 2010 1:33:41 PM
There are really only two ways of reducing the deficit. One is to reduce spending and the other is to raise federal revenue, meaning collect taxes.
Bachmann was to reduce spending (most of which goes to those at the bottom of the ladder) AND cut taxes (which mostly benefits the wealthy). It’s as simple as one plus one equals two, except for Bachmann it’s one plus zero equals two.
=====================================
So, government is to provide for people? Now Robert Maxwell, if taxes are raised (to undo the tax cuts is to raise taxes, isn’t it?) what will that do? add jobs or cause job losses? Is that what we want? So, that is the mantra of the left, government is to provide for them!!! Government does not have resources, unless it takes from someone to give to someone else, that is socialism!!!

Bachman is a power hog. She cares nothing for the people. In her quest she is destroying the Republican Party from the inside out which will eventually serve the Democrats. Idiot.

FanDaElis you are right. Steve 1:51 I think I agree with you on GMA.

Samantha you Wrote – I grit my teeth every time I hear someone say “I can’t find a job” when they should really be saying “I can’t find a job that fits my standard of living.”………… That’s easier said than done. I my neighborhood houses have been on the market for 1 or more years. Prices are slashed to the point that the previous homeowners will see no profit at all. If you own a home you are pretty much stuck with it. There is no downsizing if you can’t unload your current residence.

posted by NEW MEXICO NATIVE. I am right there with you buddy. Those that have in Bachmann & Palin’s camp do not care about those that dont. Besides both of these women are dumb as rocks. Palin; “refudiate”. One of those people that try to use big words but screw it up so badly. She is too funny. Hick. lol

We can complain about all the money in the world being spent on creating jobs and unemployment, but the truth of the matter is, no one is hiring. They are taking tax credits from the government, and still not hiring. In 20 years of work history it is the first time ever, that I do not even get a call for interviews. The only people hiring is the federal government. Private sector needs to stop being greddy and start hiring. They are taking advantage of the unemployment extensions and laying people off to save themselves money and have people on the governments payroll one way or another.

Those who need help should get help. Those people who are smug and have jobs would sing a different tune if they were unemployed. Some people seem to have lost all sense of compassion. Everybody is only in it for themselves. We should be ashamed of that kind of selfishness. America has enough resources for us all if we would stop wasting it on foreign aid, foreign wars, and poltical corruption. Shameful.

It is a common sense if you don’t have the money, don’t start with people. Abandoning the lost battle grounds and bring back troops would help save face, improve world standing and pay for a lot of things in the homeland.

Cut the spending. Here are a couple of examples, The FDA has purchased police cars for rural areas, the FDA has a program to provide home loans for rural areas. Neither of these have anything to do with Food and Drugs. If programs like these wre eliminated just think how much we may have available.

Everytime George is on TV, there should be a graphic behind him that reads: “Caution – Democrate Operative in Action”. Oh well – is American Idol or Dancing with the Stars on yet?

Those who have an income of 25000 or more didn’t “earn” all of it. Their money “earned it”. Shouldn’t all the workers that made it possible for them to have that money be treated fairly? How about finding out the percentage of income that is paid in taxes? What per cent is paid on 24 million as compared to 24 thousand?

I really can’t see how you can catagorize tax cuts with unemployment as a pay as you go. Tax cuts are not an entitlement or a government benefit like unemployment. Tax cuts are allowing all working people to keep more of the money they go out every day and earn. No one is giving them anything. I was completely insulted that you even suggested it should go under pay as you go. Our government needs to learn to live with what they have not spend more. Tax cuts are not spending. Figure out where they can cut costs and pay for programs with out increasing our taxes. And the expirations of the tax cuts for everyone is a tax increase for everyone. We the middle class need a break here. If the tax cuts expire it is just another broken promise from a politician.

I think that all of you “bloggers” who are getting “self-righteous” about “socialism soundbites” like the ones Bachman and Palin give out, better find out what the true meaning of the word is. And if you really think this President is a “socialist”…where has your “criticism” of our our system been for the past half century? You sure your problem isn’t racism or bigotry???

I’ve got news: “We are already in a depression.” I had to close my business after 30 years, in 2005. I took every bit of equity out of my home to keep it going, and now my home is worth less than I owe…a lot less. Bush kept telling us that the economy was “good”…he lied. Who is going to bail me out? I lost everything…should I go after Bush? At least some have BP to blame…I can only blame Bush along with all of the others who went under during his presidency of lies. Now, we are being told that things are turning around…slowly. Don’t believe it…we are going down for the last time.

“John in MN”…thank you for “shedding light” on this “unbelievable moron”, Bachmann. What is so hard for me to believe is that we actually have as large a part of the “active” electorate who listen to and believe in people like her, Palin, Angle etc. It goes back to what I blog a lot about (and get criticized for)…the “dumbed down electorate” who unfortunately vite “against themselves” when they support these types of charlatans.

“John in MN”…I wish you luck in getting the “dumbed down electorate” of the ‘right’ to understand your 10:41 post. They live in their little small minded insular communities, associate with the same people for the majority of their life, attend the same “church service” every Sunday – and oh yeah…think they are morally above everyone else and want that part of the equation…legislated. LOL…LOL…

What I have not heard mentioned in this debate about unemployment benefits is this: WE WORKING PEOPLE PAY THE MONEY WHICH FUNDS THESE BENEFITS! Money is deducted from our pay each pay day and is assumed to be in an insurance fund. That’s why it was originally called Unemployment INSURANCE. That was the title from Depression days. Contemporary administrations decided to drop that name so the populace wouldn’t think they deserved a return on the money invested in this insurance. Unfortunately, Social Security levies–of which unemployment bennies are a part—are placed in the General Fund, not in a separate insurance scheme. In other words, our benefits are used to fund wars, give tax breaks to the wealthy, and raises to government officials.
Thereby, the greedy power class destroys capitalism through greed. Capitalism is, of course, the best system for creating wealth, but it also spawns a lot of crooks. No one is sufficiently uninvested in the capitalist system to judge and correct its excesses. The power class is precipitating the class war that will destroy the system completely and bring on a reign of right-wing terror. 300 years for a “republic”. Doesn’t equal Rome but who’s counting? We destroyed more people, places, and things so—everything is everything.

“Brian Schunk:. Try living in Michigan where there are no jobs. People are forced to move out of state to find a decent job” Are you telling us that for ALL for democrat spending and voting democrat in MI, the protection of the unions and with all the jobs saved you have to move?????????

Bachmann is a hypocrite!! She is against extending unemployment benefits (cost 33B) because she says they are not paid for. Yet, she is in favor of extending the Bush Tax cuts which are ALSO NOT paid for and would raise the deficit 3.4 trillion! WHAT A HYPOCRITE!!

I think people on both sides of the debate are clinging to their respective ideology no matter the logic. Where do we take the country when compromise is no longer possible? We only have one country people and this ever-increasing divide will surely fracture it.

“Ray P”…there is one side of the ledger that has “divided” this country in the manner of which you speak. It is known as the “right wing conservatives” and they have practiced this “divide the nation strategy” nigh on 20-25 years. And all they are is “apologists” for the “wealth corpratocracy” that they consciously (their politicians) and sub-consciously (the dumbed down constituents) pander to non-stop. They are part of the “have” members of our society (for the most part) who do not care at all about what has happened to the deterioration of the middle class and the resulting “have nots”. And many of the “have nots” who consistently vote for this “ideaology” do so out of “emotion, rage and ignorance”. And until this arrogant, (sometimes dumbed down constituency) gets a conscious or smarter…the “playing field ” will never get rebalanced.

I am a citizen of Biddeford, Maine. I have watched GMA every day since unemployed, yesterday had to have been the worst interview (if that is what you want to call it). Geroge just handed over the mike and gave it to MB and let her do her thing. What is it with you new reporters? I am embarrassed for you. How can you even allow this to air on TV. George you gave her every chance to air her agenda, and you thanked her for it!!! I am not watching your show a again. I have had it. What to hell do the Republicans have on all of you? Do you have any guts at all? How can you ask questions to her and have her answer, and let her get away with. If this is an example of how your future interview will go….GOOD LUCK…I WONT BE WATCHING YOU!!!!!

I trust our president as well.

what will she think of next, this real enemy of the state?

why does bachmann look so wild-eyed?
Posted by: wendy | Jul 25, 2010 5:03:33 AM
Because she just got away with telling all kinds of lies, thanks to George! I think he needs to leave the “news show” GMA and go back to a real news program.

“Brian Schunk:. Try living in Michigan where there are no jobs. People are forced to move out of state to find a decent job” Are you telling us that for ALL for democrat spending and voting democrat in MI, the protection of the unions and with all the jobs saved you have to move?????????
Posted by: Lizzie | Jul 21, 2010 12:44:15 PM
No Lizzie, it’s because the Automotive Industry tanked in this state. Thousands of businesses closed due to it, even more thousands of people lost their jobs and may their homes and HAD to move out of state. It wasn’t the government here, it was the Auto Industry. The Big 3 didn’t see it coming (or chose not to) nor did anyone else.