Extending Unemployment Benefits & The Payroll Tax Holiday

Socialist President Obama is out on the campaign trail demonizing Republicans in Congress related to extending unemployment benefits AGAIN and the 2% Social Security Payroll Tax Holiday provided in 2011 AGAIN in 2012.   Normally, state unemployment benefits are for 26 weeks.  In bad times, historically, the federal government has gotten it to 39 weeks.   Obama has already pushed unemployment benefits to an unprecedented 99 weeks.   So, since the Obama Recession/Depression has lasted three years, there are millions of unemployed Americans that are out of benefits. 

Extending unemployment benefits sounds good; except for a few facts.  First, there are studies that show that extending unemployment benefits actually causes the unemployed not to accept jobs that they consider below them.   And or, people accept unemployment benefits and then do jobs for cash, under the table, for as long as they can get these benefits.   So extending unemployment benefits is actually prolonging unemployment; hence one of the reasons unemployment rates are still high. 

Specific to the 2% Social Security Tax Holiday, it is true that it would provide the average family about $1,500 of extra money for the year.   The only problem with this story is that Social Security is going bankrupt.   Since 1965, Politicians of both political parties have raided the Social Security Trust Fund to pay for entitlements, wars and pork barrel spending to win reelection.   As such, there are only IOU's in the Social Security Trust Fund.  So taking more money from the Social Security Trust Fund, just means that the federal government must borrow more money to pay out Social Security benefits now and in the future adding to our $15 Trillion, soon to be $16.7 Trillion, National Debt. 

Socialist President Obama will portray the Republicans in Congress as Scrooge at Christmas time if they fail to vote to extend unemployment benefits, or the 2% Social Security Tax Holiday, or dare to insist that it be paid for by cutting other wasteful government programs.   Obama will scream his Hate Speech Class Warfare and like always call for higher taxes on the "rich" defined by Obama as Singles earning $200,000 a year and married couples earning $250,000 a year to pay for these extended benefits in an attempt to buy his reelection.  Obama continues to portray millionaires and billionaires as the cause of all evil in the world, when it is Obama's failed economic policies that have prolonged unemployment in our country and the Obama Recession/Depression. 

The problem with all of this is that Obama is always same old, same old.   We implemented his Socialist Schemes, including Obama's deficit spending Trillion Dollar SwindleUS Plans I, II and III and they failed to restore economic growth, lower unemployment, or create jobs.   Cards talk and numbers don't lie, but Socialists like President Obama always do lie.   So now, Obama wants Congress to enact his $780 Billion deficit spending SwindleUS Plan IV and to raise taxes on the "rich", you know those small businesses that employ 70% of Americans in our country.   Why on earth would we do the same thing over and over again when it produces no positive results.   And why would we raise taxes on the very people that create jobs.   That is just plain crazy; but then Socialists are not known for logical thinking.

Republicans should not vote to extend unemployment benefits.   99 weeks is enough.   There are always jobs available in retail, restaurants, hotels and a million other small businesses.   Are they the best paying jobs around, maybe not; but they are jobs.  As someone who started working at 12 years old and did all kinds of low level, low paying jobs to make money,  this Blogger would sell apples on a street corner if I had to in order to support my family.  I am not heartless; just driven.  As long as it is legal and ethical, you do what you have to do to make a living and wait for better times to do better.   And, in bad times, families should come together to provide support and encouragement.   Government is never the solution and almost always the problem.

Republicans also should not vote to extend the 2% Payroll Tax Holiday.  Studies show that this money is often being used to pay down debt, which is good, but no new jobs are created.   However, this particular "tax holiday" it is at the expense of Social Security benefits that are owed to Senior Citizens.   Social Security is already facing bankruptcy.   The most important thing the Congress could do to restore economic growth and job creation again is either to extend the Bush Tax cuts and make them permanent to bring some certainty to our markets, or to reform the tax code entirely to make it flatter and fairer.  Tinkering around the edges with these gimmicks to buy elections is doing nothing to restore economic growth or create jobs. 

Socialist President Obama is desperate to win reelection.   Obama will try every trick in the book to motivate his PEEP's, those on the dole, the 50% of Americans that pay no income taxes at all, union members, trial lawyers, environmental wackos, illegal aliens and those companies benefiting from crony capitalism to contribute to his billion dollar campaign.   Don't be fooled by all of Obama's shenanigans and all his screaming, moaning and lies on the campaign trail.  While is is true that poverty is up under Obama's leadership and that more than 45 million Americans are on Food Stamps, a record number because of the Obama Recession/Depression, it is Obama himself that has caused the misery and desperation.  

To solve these problems, we must sweep these Socialists, at all levels of government, including President Obama, out of office in 2012 and 2014.  The goal must be jobs that produce pay checks, not unemployment that provides welfare checks and Food Stamps.   We will not see economic growth and job creation again until Obama is gone.   It is as simple as that.  We are counting the days to November, 2012 and then to January, 2013 when we see the inauguration of a new Conservative pro-growth President and Congress.   Please, let it come soon.   The country can't take any more of Obama's hateful Class Warfare seeking to divide our nation.