Republicans out of touch with unemployed

James Witherspoon, Las Vegas

Tuesday, June 29, 2010 | 2:03 a.m.

The Republicans stand up and apologize to British Petroleum, the oil giant, for ruining part of our country. Republicans stand up for Wall Street after it ruined our whole economy and almost sent us into another Great Depression. Republicans stand up for the insurance and pharmaceutical companies on health care. I could go on and on.

Yet I could hardly believe my ears when I heard that Republicans had again blocked the extension of unemployment benefits for our least fortunate citizens. Are they so out of touch that they think only Democrats, and not Republicans, are out of work?

Suffering crosses all party lines, and I hope the people who voted for Republicans last time remember this. Are they so out of touch that they don’t realize you have to have worked to even apply for those little pitiful checks?

Those are not welfare checks. I really wonder: Are they so arrogant that they think people are stupid enough to continue to vote for them knowing how callous and mean-spirited they are toward the poor, the working poor, and the soon-to-be poor middle class?

In any case, they don’t seem to care, as long as they think they’re hurting President Barack Obama. The last time I checked, however, Obama was a long way from being poor or needing any financial help.

Republicans seem really worried about their multimillionaire and billionaire friends who they think need more and more tax breaks. I’m not unemployed, but I feel deeply for those who are and the hell they are now going through — thanks to the rich, mean-spirited old men in the Senate.

By the way, the reason these people are out of work is because of another Republican, George W. Bush.