A lump of coal

Monday, Nov. 22, 2010 | 2:01 a.m.

House Republicans last week put on a demonstration of how they’ll conduct business when they take over the chamber next year: They blocked a bill that would extend unemployment benefits to hundreds of thousands of Americans. Although the Republicans said they want to help the unemployed, they rallied enough votes to kill the measure, which needed a two-thirds majority to pass.

A spokesman for Republican Rep. John Boehner, who is set to become the next speaker of the House, claimed Democrats were playing political games because they wouldn’t submit to the GOP’s plan, which calls for offsetting budget cuts. In other words, the Republicans are trying to say this is a matter of principle, but they are merely playing a political game, trying to exert power with their all-or-nothing approach to policy.

Their stubbornness comes at a tremendous price. It’s estimated that 800,000 Americans will run out of benefits by the end of the month, and if the benefits aren’t extended in Congress’ lame-duck session, another 2 million Americans will be out of benefits. In Nevada, that would mean 27,000 people out of benefits.

What a gift for the holiday season — not only have the unemployed lost jobs, but they’ll also lose a small but steady stream of money. Perhaps Boehner and his caucus can send a little coal along with the last unemployment check.

Bah! Humbug!

What makes this worse is the hypocrisy of the Republicans’ opposition to the unemployment extension.

The measure would cost $12.5 billion, but Republicans complained about adding to the national deficit. However, they don’t seem to have a problem with deficit spending, particularly when it comes to tax cuts. They are arguing to extend the Bush tax cuts, most of which would go to the wealthy, at a cost of $238 billion next year — and the Republicans have yet to explain how they would offset the cost.

Help the wealthy but not the unemployed? Shameful.

In Nevada, the need for the benefits is painfully clear. The state has the highest unemployment rate in the country, and workers are desperate for help. They aren’t “lazy” or looking for “welfare,” as some out-of-touch conservatives have claimed. Nevadans understand the struggle with the poor economy — even Republican Rep. Dean Heller of Nevada broke with his caucus to support extending the benefits. The Republican leadership in Congress, however, doesn’t get it. They think the economy will magically revive if they cut taxes. Please.

Millions of Americans lost their jobs through no fault of their own and are having trouble finding work — the economy shed millions of jobs during the Great Recession. Without the benefits, families will struggle to put food on the table and pay the rent. The economy will also suffer. Unemployment benefits get spent, cycling money into the economy and helping maintain or create jobs.

Americans don’t need the GOP’s hypocrisy. They need help. It’s time for the Republicans to do the right thing and support unemployment benefits.