Rally calls on Congress to extend jobless benefits
Stephanie Hardiman, Staff Writer
About 200 Mainers called on congressional lawmakers to pass legislation extending unemployment benefits during a lunch hour rally today in Portland's Lobsterman's Park.
Rose Strout holds a sign while listening to a speaker at a rally in Portland today. The rally was organized by the Maine Can Do Better coalition to encourage the U.S. Senate to pass a bill that extends unemployment benefits.
Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer
The bill, HR 4213, would also provide states money for affordable housing and health care. Rally speakers were adamant about having the bill, which has stalled in the Senate, passed before the July 4 recess.
We're here to call on our senators to "stand up and do the right thing," said Ana Hicks of Maine Equal Justice Partners, who was there on behalf of Maine Can Do Better.
Without the bill, Hicks said that thousands of Maine jobs are at risk, needy families will not continue to get the benefits they need and Maine would be facing up to $100 million in budget cuts.
Hicks was quick to add that Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins have already shown great leadership and support on the issue, but "we're really here to stress urgency."
Maine's April unemployment rate of 8.4 percent is higher than neighboring New Hampshire but is still below the national average of about 9 percent.
"When the ship's passing through a storm this big . . . it's not time to stow the lifejackets behind closed doors," said Jill Saxby of the Maine Council of Churches.
Attendees were asked to fill out postcards in support of the bill and write letters to the senators that were delivered after the rally.
Were you interviewed for this story? If so, please fill out our accuracy form
Most...
Copyright ©2010 MaineToday Media, Inc.
59 COMMENTS
Chew said...
Either pay now or pay more later... Sounds like these folks want to pay more later...
June 30, 2010 at 2:01 PM Report abuse
David said...
When I was growing up, my dad was diagnosed with cancer and couldn't work. He took his family aside and told us that we were going to be facing difficult times. He said that, although he could get unemployment checks to help out, we had savings to use first, and that you should never take help from the government until you've helped yourself. "That's the only way the system can work." I've carried that lesson with me to this day. And that's the problem with benefits in today's society. People now look at government benefits as the first resort, rather than the last resort, and statistics show that with each extension of unemployment benefits, people generally take longer to start looking for jobs and longer to get them.
June 30, 2010 at 2:02 PM Report abuse
henryelm said...
It is THAT same attitude promoted by collins and snowe that will LOOSE the R"s MORE seat come November. 14 million unemployed is a BIG voting block!!!You might not want to tick them off any more.They are on a slow burn ready to boil over. Who opposed extending unemployment?? The R's. why?? tax cuts for hegefund managers!!! They have learned NOTHING duirng this crisis. NEVER EVER VOTE R AGAIN!!!
June 30, 2010 at 2:04 PM Report abuse
null said...
To add to Henry: Joe, can you give me one reasonably thought out response as to why we shouldn't pass this. By "reasonably thought out" I mean something that doesn't involve POS and FRIG and uses facts. No?! Didn't think so.
June 30, 2010 at 2:06 PM Report abuse
MainenCrisis said...
Stop filling the bird feeder and the birds go find food on their own.
June 30, 2010 at 2:13 PM Report abuse
jrhmobile said...
Because they have been looking for jobs and haven't found any, Joe. What are you doin' besides sitting around and beefin' about everything in sight?
June 30, 2010 at 2:19 PM Report abuse
gowens said...
Stop filling the bird feeder and the birds go find food on their own--------------------Not if their flight feathers have been cut.. They'll have to wait until the next molt before they can do that... There are probably a lot of folks out there scamming the system, by all means go after them. But, there are also some very hard working people who, by no fault of their own, are out of work and can't find anything AT THE MOMENT. Of course heartless POS's like you really don't care about their fellow man.. Bah humbug...
June 30, 2010 at 2:21 PM Report abuse
tenacity said...
Snowe's one hour speech on this issue says it all. The Demorats are holding the jobless benefits hostage to pass all the other BS that is in this 'JOBS' package.....The Republicans submitted a bill immediately after the failure of this porkulus bill, which would have passed ALL the unemployment benefits paid for by money already appropriated (AND included in the demorats bill) but the demorats defeated it because the democratic leadership doesn't care they just say they do.......just more pork from demorats ....remember the King of Pork just died they need a new King.
June 30, 2010 at 2:22 PM Report abuse
henryelm said...
'Stop filling the bird feeder and the birds go find food on their own.' Funny isn't it how the R's didn't use that strategy with wall street. Like I said R's are the party of wall street and let the people eat cake. NEVER EVER VOTE R again!!! 14 million strong!!! and NONE of them is blaming Obama. They are blaming Wall Street. The right will be making a very critical and FATAL political mistakes if they even try to "blame the unemployed". You see those riots in Greece etc?? They will look like they are playing patty cakes!!!
June 30, 2010 at 2:32 PM Report abuse
henryelm said...
David your father wasn't eligible for unemployemnet while he had cancer. So how DID you all get by?? "and statistics show that with each extension of unemployment benefits, people generally take longer to start looking for jobs and longer to get them." what statistics?? Could it be evidence that there ARE no jobs out there BECAUSE we are in a recession and the economy crashed and burned??
June 30, 2010 at 2:37 PM Report abuse
Jon said...
"Stop filling the bird feeder and the birds go find food on their own." Oh now there is a profound statement. But then I never saw a bird collect unemployment benefits. HenryElm, good comments. When breaking the Air Traffic Controllers strike, the Republicans declare war on working America and its been very successful. All the wealth created between then and now has gone to the top 1% of income earnings and none to the middle class (in fact we've lost about 20%).
June 30, 2010 at 2:56 PM Report abuse
MSH said...
This is just another example of the economic warfare that is being waged against the poor and what is left of the middle class. The chasm between the uber-rich and the rest of us grows daily. When it reaches the level of France, in the 1770's, things will change...
June 30, 2010 at 3:07 PM Report abuse
dcl3500 said...
tenacity can you provide links to the repub bill you refer to? I have tried several searches and haven't found anything like it in either house yet. If the repubs expect to gain anything this fall they better get their stuff together and at least appear to be supporting the people and big business and the super wealthy.
June 30, 2010 at 3:15 PM Report abuse
David said...
My father was eligible for unemployment benefits. And welfare. We got by because he scrimped and saved (working three jobs) to be able to provide for his family in the event that something like this happened.
June 30, 2010 at 3:17 PM Report abuse
David said...
"Top economists — even within the Obama administration — know that extending unemployment insurance creates more unemployment." http://www.npri.org/publications/how-politicians-compassion-delays-economic-recovery
June 30, 2010 at 3:19 PM Report abuse
mictour said...
I like how the Dems pin it on the Republicans. They don't talk about last month when the Republicans wanted had a bill just for the extended benifits. The Dems killed it because A: It was a Republican bill and B: They couldn't tack on another 20 billion in bull@$##.
June 30, 2010 at 3:21 PM Report abuse
Biddy said...
Unemployment benefits aren't welfare. They are benefits paid to those laid off in order to see them through until they can get a job. Employers pay into that fund. Workers get less in wages to make up for what employers pay into the fund. The issue here in that the unemployed are that way because this economy has shed hundreds of thousands of jobs and hasn't replaced them. No one gets wealthy on unemployment. Most could make more if they had their jobs back. That is why I've always said if a company wants to outsource, fine. But tax the products heavily that these companies reimport back into the U.S.. For example Whirlpool recently outsourced to Mexico. Put a $100 per unit surcharge on items imported back into the U.S.. That would give us plenty of money to help the unemployed.
June 30, 2010 at 3:23 PM Report abuse
henryelm said...
david short term memeory? or did you just make it up that your father had cancer (and would NOT have been eligible for unemployment)??? Busted!!! Me thinks.
June 30, 2010 at 3:28 PM Report abuse
David said...
Henryelm, are you that awful a human being. My father had colon cancer, and told us specifically that he was eligible for both unemployment benefits and welfare. This was 30 years ago. Are you really that big of a low-life that you can't help stooping to the level of making fun of someone else's tragedy?!
June 30, 2010 at 3:31 PM Report abuse
David said...
My father not only was eligible for unemployment, he took a low paying part-time job while on chemotherapy. He wanted to earn what he could no matter how hard it was, and refused to collect benefits.
June 30, 2010 at 3:36 PM Report abuse
henryelm said...
I agree they should seperate extended benefits OUT. BUT then again the last time they considered this back, in FEBRUARY the R's found a DIFFERENT reason to OPPOSE it and finally extended it ONLY for 3 months( after tremendous political back lash). They ALL need to stop toying with people's lives. Funny they didi't make WALL Street "wait"' They passed that sucker ion a week and filled it up with earmarks to get the votes!! NEVER EVER VOTE R AGAIN --compassionless, heartless, out of touch.
June 30, 2010 at 4:01 PM Report abuse
Biddy said...
Let's not compare the economy of 30 years ago with today's. It's apples and oranges. There were far more jobs back then there are today. Most of the low wage jobs have been outsourced and there is vast competition for the few that are left. I own a business and have many friends in business and none I know are hiring. Many are thinking of downsizing even more until the economy rebounds. So David, you should be proud of your father, but we live in a different world today.
June 30, 2010 at 4:09 PM Report abuse
Biddy said...
I was talking to a friend today, a former school Supt. in Mass. He feels that we are entering an economy with unemployment on a permenant basis from 15-20%. We will have to learn to deal with that. Too much mechanization and too much outsourcing. Little need for human labor anymore.
June 30, 2010 at 4:20 PM Report abuse
notspot said...
"We will have to learn to deal with that. Too much mechanization and too much outsourcing. Little need for human labor anymore." Funny...That's what everyone predicted for the future...Leisure time for all!
June 30, 2010 at 4:35 PM Report abuse
XPortlander said...
So this is what Obama meant by HOPE amd Change......HOPE that the government has some spare CHANGE!!
June 30, 2010 at 4:50 PM Report abuse
Chainyanker said...
Snowe and Collins are betting that the economy will begin to create jobs and therefore a "jobs bill" is not needed. That can be compared to whistling in the dark on a frightening road rather than turning on some headlights. They better be right, or they will have plenty of time on their hands for writing their memoirs after their next re-election campaigns. So you unemployed out there better start pulling yourselves up by your bootstraps and get serious about finding work. And remember the Republicans don't want to hear your sad story about not having any boots.
June 30, 2010 at 5:00 PM Report abuse
xcalibur1066 said...
I am assuming that henryelm, MSH, null and biddy all run businesses and hire people. Shouldn't these people be protesting Mr. Obama for lying to us about the stimulus package? Shouldn't these people be protesting Mr. Obama for not having a job? Shouldn't these people be protesting Mr. Obama for the hostile climate he has created for new small businesses? At some point, enough is enough. If you want to extend unemployment benefits, you have to cut spending somewhere else. The is the conservative point of view. It is exactly the same thing Mr. Obama campaigned on. You want to see how extending these benefits hurts employers. The unemployment tax in Hawaii as tripled. Maine's is going to double. States are borrowing from the federal government at record levels. Create jobs not more unemployment checks.
June 30, 2010 at 5:16 PM Report abuse
xcalibur1066 said...
Me thinks henryelm is going to be losing benefits soon. Welcome to the double dip. It ain't gonna be pretty and it ain't nobody's fault but Mr. Obama. His agenda was/is more important than the economy. ObamaCare is not going to reduce the deficit. ObamaCare is not going to reduce health care costs. ObamaCare is going to cost at least $115 billion more than they thought. 66% of people on private plans will lose them once ObamaCare goes into effect. 46% of the self employed will lose their plans once ObamaCare goes into effect. Mr. Obama lied... The MSM let him. Mr. Obama is still lying.
June 30, 2010 at 5:22 PM Report abuse
David said...
Different world? No. Different people? Absolutely. Today, the "entitlement" ethic prevails, and self-reliance is all but extinct. People think nothing of working long enough to take unemployment, and the milking every single week the get. Not all, but many. And it's pathetic.
June 30, 2010 at 5:31 PM Report abuse
chet said...
People will survive with or without extending the jobless benefits. I would not do it. I know from personal experience that you can get by without government help. I lived many years on 12,000 to 20,000 a year and never took one red cent from the Government. Now I do OK and I am proud that I have done it all on my own with a little help from family.
June 30, 2010 at 5:43 PM Report abuse
Chainyanker said...
Ever notice that when people are "getting by OK" they have little or no patience for those who can't do the same. No matter what the circumstances are they become irrelevant because "I'm doing OK" and you should be able to as well. I know people who started out with FHA loans in order to get into a house, and now live in mansions. It's funny that they never seem to want to recall how they got started. But are very anxious to point out all the freeloaders out there looking for a job or jobless benefits. Taking that moral high road can be tricky especially when the unexpected happens. Be mindful that no matter how well you plan, things have a way of unraveling at the most inconvenient time.
June 30, 2010 at 6:21 PM Report abuse
Chris said...
Senate Democrats rejected a compromise to pay for half the cost of the unemployment benefits, a position that these agitators from organized labor no doubt heartily agreed with.
June 30, 2010 at 6:38 PM Report abuse
CEMan said...
David, FAIL! Nice of you to link to a website highlighting Steve Forbes. A man who lives off his father's hard work and name. Forbes has never worked a real hob in his entire life and would drop dead if he ever had to. Do try again with something perhaps believable.
June 30, 2010 at 8:14 PM Report abuse
MSH said...
14 million unemployed...wonder who they'll be voting for this November....
June 30, 2010 at 8:18 PM Report abuse
tenacity said...
certainly not those in control......puke
June 30, 2010 at 8:22 PM Report abuse
tenacity said...
ce.............just exactly how do you 'worked a real hob'?
June 30, 2010 at 8:25 PM Report abuse
MSH said...
Somebody just got off their shift as sandwich "artist" at Subway in H2Oboro and has to vent...
June 30, 2010 at 8:31 PM Report abuse
tenacity said...
nope just getting warmed up for November fool
June 30, 2010 at 8:47 PM Report abuse
XPortlander said...
I'll tell ya this Biddy dude is brillant!!!
June 30, 2010 at 8:50 PM Report abuse
Eiron said...
Republicans, Come on! Join the fun! Buy your votes now with other peoples money like the Democrats continually do. Then, on Election Day, go out in force and pass out smokes and cokes on the streets to the “less fortunate” and tell them to vote for you. That’s how to win elections. Biddy, Put a surcharge on Whirlpool appliances made in Mexico in order to help people here? Hmmm, interesting idea. Umm, who is going to buy the overpriced appliances? Should we pass a law forcing people to buy tariffed Mexican Appliances so that the Democrats can hand out the funds to supporters?
June 30, 2010 at 8:52 PM Report abuse
MagneticPole said...
Continue to extend benefits? This is the Obama doctrine for the economy and unemployed? What a meat puppet.
June 30, 2010 at 9:10 PM Report abuse
otisslee said...
Interesting that the freeloader class always holds their rallies on work days so the taxpayer class cannot counter protest because we are - ahem - working. Wish the freeloader class would protest only on weekends and holidays so they can spend work days actually looking for - work!
June 30, 2010 at 10:26 PM Report abuse
taxationland said...
I personally know more than one person who is waiting for their unemployment to run out to look for work. I know NONE who are looking with a desire to get off the system. The longer we pay people to not work, the longer this mess will last and the deeper in debt we will go.
June 30, 2010 at 11:44 PM Report abuse
dcl3500 said...
You all do understand that it is unemployment INSURANCE? We, the employed, pay insurance premiums to pay for unemployment benefits. Granted it is unlike homeowners insurance in that it is not a coverage that we as employees get to shop around, but it is something we pay for nonetheless. When you need to claim your benefits, you are not freeloading, anymore than you are freeloading or scamming the system when you file a claim against your homeowners insurance to pay for a roof damaged in a hailstorm, for example.
June 30, 2010 at 11:54 PM Report abuse
otisslee said...
dcl3500. We do understand it is unemployment insurance. We also understand the premiums we paid are for 26 weeks of unemployment benefits. To use your car insurance analogy, it is like paying premiums on a Yugo and protesting against Senators when you do not get paid for a cadillac. As many posters here noted, and I know of a few myself, job applicants actually ask to be paid under the table so they can continue on unemployment while working. That is scamming and freeloading, and I don't expect it to stop until the government starts asking people to be responsible for themselves.
July 1, 2010 at 5:48 AM Report abuse
JWR said...
The bottom line is, once again we the citizen are being held hostage by the Republicans. This nation is knee deep in s--t. And most know where it starts 1980 ! Only one Democrat until Obama, and he left us swimming in dough. Live in denial if you want, but it's time people step to the plate and say enough is enough, and I don't care how much it cost.
July 1, 2010 at 7:35 AM Report abuse
otisslee said...
JWR, since you do not care what it costs, one must assume you are not paying for it.
July 1, 2010 at 7:44 AM Report abuse
JWR said...
We are all paying for it, just we all are paying for a phony war ! But at least we will have something to show for it, America's survival. I'm sure a compromise will be worked out, and when you dig deep into it you'll find it loaded with Republican pork. But then they will try to use it against the President. Games at our expense.
July 1, 2010 at 7:56 AM Report abuse
trisailer said...
You all are forgetting one thing. The rich who created this situation are still sitting on the biggest tax cut in history and they are still playing games with markets. It has come down to them telling us to eat cake and fools like David who hasn't figured out how to live out from under his fathers shadow, lap it up. If we let this distance between the rich and the poor continue it will reach a boiling point and there will be a huge cost to rebalance it. There is plenty of money to pay for unemployment benefits if we eliminate the tax cuts for the rich.
July 1, 2010 at 8:33 AM Report abuse
vtags said...
Morning, Can we stop the usual political extremism...No, we can not keep extending benefits, the money is not there, unless you want to use the unspent TARP money. In that case you must still limit to (1) extension for a total of 52 weeks. Think about it... a year without working over the table..I say that for those that collect and make something on the side. Yes, There are very few good jobs in Maine. Yes, i have had to move around to find work to feed my family, it's part of life. I can't wait for the work to come to me. 52 weeks to set a long range plan to move forward is reasonable. On a note, there are those that want you to turn to the government, they want you to give up your responsibility, in turn handing them power. Responsibility / Accountability = True Liberty
July 1, 2010 at 9:03 AM Report abuse
trisailer said...
We have plenty of money. If we did not have plenty of money than there would be talk about ending the tax cuts for the rich and ending the wars and let's end white collar welfare while were at it. We're drowning in cash because we can still afford to give bundles of it away to certain preferred people.
July 1, 2010 at 9:10 AM Report abuse
otisslee said...
Trisailer, you're wrong about our drowning in cash. It is debt we are drowning in, and debt must ultimately be repaid. I believe we should end the war, too. The war is too expensive. But the fact that we continue to fight a war is not justification for additional domestic handouts.
July 1, 2010 at 9:15 AM Report abuse
trisailer said...
So David, if you pay for a life insurance policy do you think that you should collect? How about medical insurance? If you pay into a plan to protect your children do you excpect it to pay for treatment? There is a reason the it's called unemployment "insurance" You don't have to take the money, but you don't have a right to deprive your neighbor of it. My father died of cancer also. He refused to ever see a doctor and wouldn't go near a hospital. He also never collected unemployment and would eat dirt before asking for help. That stubborn attitude didn't help his family who had to suffer right along with him and be deprived of opportunities. The rich love people like that who are willing to work themselves to the bone and then die quietly, but this country has become something better than that. I think.
July 1, 2010 at 9:19 AM Report abuse
trisailer said...
Otisslee, you forgot to mention the tax cuts which have deprive the tresury of about 2 trillion and counting. Funny how it is only the poor and unemployed that are asked to pony up for this crisis. It is the rich who caused this crisis and it is they who have benefited, now they want to sit on their mounds of cash while their fellow Americans suffer. You must be a rich guy or perhaps a sufferer like David who thing that it is your fate to suffer at the hands of the real entittled gentry.
July 1, 2010 at 9:24 AM Report abuse
otisslee said...
Trisailor, I don't buy into 'tax cuts for the rich' because doing so creates the premise that it is governments money and government is stupidly allowing the people who earned the money to actually keep it for themselves. You even use the phrase "deprive the treasury" as thought this earned income actually is the property if the treasury. I believe money belongs to the people who earn it, and the government is imposing its will upon wage earners by taxing them. To the extent that the government provides 'tax cuts to the rich' means the government is stealing less from wage earners that it otherwise would.
July 1, 2010 at 9:39 AM Report abuse
REtMVVI4NTRL said...
What do we want? HANDOUTS! When do we want them? NOW! What do we want? HANDOUTS! When do we want them? NOW! What do we want? HANDOUTS! When do we want them? NOW! What do we want? HANDOUTS! When do we want them? NOW! What do we want? HANDOUTS! When do we want them? NOW! What do we want? HANDOUTS! When do we want them? NOW! What do we want? HANDOUTS! When do we want them? NOW!
July 1, 2010 at 9:50 AM Report abuse
trisailer said...
Well, I think that you would agree that it takes a certain amount of money to "run the government" and who do these government programs benefit the most? The average working guy could probably care less that we have more nuke's than the russians, or that the FAA keeps planes flying on time or that the milti billion dollar war on drugs is loosing or that the biggest while collar welfare program in the country is NASA and the DOD. All I'm saying is let the guy who wants all the benefits provided by the government pay for them. Most importantly, the government has a responsibility to balance the classes and prevent social disorder. Allowing this division between the rich and the poor is a recipe for disaster and if we wait until it becomes manifest it will be too late.
July 1, 2010 at 9:58 AM Report abuse
LordNelson said...
David: pay no attention to the "free money or we riot" crowd on here. Their dreams of "workers of the world uniting and overthrowing evil capitalism"...or whatever there far fetched fantasy is? Reason and self respect (such as your fine father had) is lost on them. They can not fathom self sacrifice and self determination. They need the Al Gores of the world to do it all for them.
July 1, 2010 at 1:47 PM Report abuse
LordNelson said...
otisslee is spot on!
July 1, 2010 at 1:48 PM Report abuse