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By Anjeanette Damon (contact) 
Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011 | 12:23 p.m.
Acknowledging he’ll be labeled as “insensitive,” U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., said this week he is inclined to let long-term unemployment benefits expire, a move that could kick more than 45,000 jobless Nevadans off of their unemployment checks.
When Congress resumes session after the Thanksgiving holiday it will take up the question of whether to extend funding for long-term unemployment benefits. Amodei said he could vote ‘no’ on the measure.
“I’m going to look real critical at it,” he said this week during a taping for To the Point. “I’m inclined, depending on what’s in the bill, to say at some point in time you have to say, 'I’m sorry you can’t just keep extending it.' And this could very well be it.”
Nevada has the highest unemployment rate in the nation at 13.4 percent. More than 45,000 jobless Nevadans are on federal unemployment benefit extensions. Those benefits will end if Congress doesn’t extend the program.
But Amodei said he’s concerned that the continuing unemployment check—Nevadans are eligible for up to 99 weeks of unemployment checks—is preferable to being employed.
“I am concerned when I talk to employers in the community who say they are offering jobs but the deal on unemployment is better,” Amodei said. “I’m not saying that sweepingly applies to everyone, but when you talk about being on government benefits is a better deal than being in the workforce, I think you have to examine that.”
Amodei said he realizes he’ll be labeled as uncaring for that position.
“I know the clichés will come out (that) you’re insensitive” he said. “But you know what, you have to move beyond spending money.”
The full interview with Amodei will air Saturday at 6:30 p.m. on Channel 3.
"Insensitive" no, sociopathic yes.
If Government can't pay, maybe the food markets can. Have then put out a sign that says "free food for the unemployed" and that will get the Government off the hook. If that doesn't work, pass a law that says "don't eat until you have money. If you don't have money, you don't eat meat". "And if you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any pudding. How can you have any pudding if you don't eat yer meat?" "How can you eat meat if you don't have a job?" Hey teacher, leave those kids alone. Yakety Yak from Chucky the Representative.
It is time to cut them loose. I supported the extensions, but there has to be a limit. Taxpayers can not support the unemployed indefinitely. The ones that want jobs will find them.
I think SunJon has been drinking too much, or listening to too much Pink Floyd. Maybe both.
No, I don't think he's insensitive and uncaring.
He's just a heartless, predatory embarassment.
But then again, he fits in well with the other Tea/Republican Party neo-conservatives in the House of Representatives; ones that Speaker Boehner can't even rein in.
The sad thing is that what he says is true. Why get out of bed and work when you can sleep late and those unemployment checks keep rolling in. At some point in time the checks just have to stop. Amazing when unemployment (us old timers used to call it relief) the person finds a job.
This is just another repugnican whining about a pittance of money. Unemployment benefits is what kept this country from going into a depression this time.
Go study the depression and the reasons for its cause and what has been done to prevent another one.
If you repugnicans want to stop spending money - stop all the illegal wars, and get back the billions you handed out to your Iraqi friends, who took this money and moved to the US to retire.
All the money wasted and stolen in iraq is hundreds of times of the cost of unemployment benefits.
What America cannot afford is another middle eastern war for NOTHING, like Iraq. The Republicans along with Amodei are setting their sights on Iran next...with a non-existent nuclear bomb program used as an excuse for another round of shock and awe. We can't afford unemployment insurance but we can afford another multi-trillion dollar war for nothing.
The Amodeis of the world are studying their Bibles to discover how to set the stage for the war at Armageddon which will destroy the world to prove their Holy Books are correct. Every War they create brings them closer to their Master.
Great job representing your district, Mark. Looking out for your constituents, huh?
Online instruction and testing done by High Speed Universities can be as good or better than classroom, if done well. One of the things I do is create learning management sites using the Moodle content management system, and design and author courses for them.
The first thing Mr. Amodei did when elected to Congress was sign Grover Norquist's "Taxpayer Protection Pledge". Only six GOP representatives had the moral courage to NOT sign it. Among them was Frank Wolf. He made a speech on the house floor that was not kind to Norquist, citing among other things, Norquist's ties to convicted Islamist terrorist sympathizers. Wolf's entire speech and comments were placed in the Congressional Record, and should be required reading by anyone who continually votes for "representatives" who only answer to Norquist. My suggestion is to let Norquist pay these people, since they all do his bidding. The money saved in pay and benefits could then be used to cover the cost of continued benefits to the unemployed. Joe Heck and Dean Heller as well as Amodei need to be voted out of office in 2012.
Well, well, well...
Turkey O' The Day, Mark Amodei!!!
Hey, Marky Mark...
You & your bro',
Dean 'Hobo' Heller
ought to get together
down @ the Las Vegas Rescue Mission
(http://www.vegasrescue.org/Thanksgiving)
where today, many of our local layabouts
will be eatin' high off the hog...
instead of all this silly dialogue
why don't cha come on by
and give the grub a try
then you can tell them no-account unemployed
just exactly where they should apply
and just exactly why
their meager subsistence you would deny.
Don't you be shy...stay for the pie!
"But Amodei said he's concerned that the continuing unemployment check--Nevadans are eligible for up to 99 weeks of unemployment checks--is preferable to being employed."
Quite amusing, since all we've heard all week is GOP Presidential contenders misrepresenting a statement by President Obama in claiming that he was saying that American's are lazy (he was OBVIOUSLY talking about American businesses.
But, here is a case where a GOP Representative is literally saying that American's are lazy.
Their hypocrisy has no limits.
Excuse me Mark If unemployment benefits are so great why don't we cut your paycheck down to the size of a top unemployment check . Then maybe you will get a real job .You should ask Sharon how that stance worked out for her .How many times do we have to ask ? Where are the 14 million jobs that America needs ? Unless you and your cronies in Washington can come up with a solution to this problem you are wasting our time and money . So personally I do not want to hear a peep about anything until congress gets our workforce some real jobs not fast food jobs that pay less than unemployment benefits . Everything in the US revolves from real paychecks . Corporations like whirlpool that have closed down plants in America and moved them out of the country to make more money have screwed the public that buys their products . When I see a member of congress go after companies like that I will support them .
This guy is an idiot and is not fit to be elected to any office.
Well when the unemployment runs out the people without jobs will next go to filing for welfare - so either way the state will continue to pay - if not from one 'fund' then from another 'fund'. Too much time being spent on worrying about when to cut people off - they need to spend more time figuring out how to get jobs back into this country and out of China.
Rep. Amodei just like Pres. Obama still just doesn't get it. Neither one can see past the end of thier noses on the issues facing this country. Thier heada are all wrapped around whats best for the survival of the Federal Government and thier places in it. America is at war, its a war of economics, and the enemy has been allowed to occupy America and its halls of government. We are not a soverign nation when our government protects the rights of foriegn governments or intersts to displace our country's products , services, and workforce with the products, services and workforces of thier overpopulated countries and subsidized industries and service,i.e. 'free trade'.. Americans decieve themselves if they do not see that this country is being transformed into the most powerful 3rd world workforce on the planet through the dissolution of its industrialized skilled workforce and the decimation of its social structures and information services, and in the process establishing the most powerful plutocracy this world has ever imagined if this is not the case already. Should policies in place now continue... Americans will no longer care about the right to vote or an education, but the right to serve in exchange for a cup of rice or a plate of beans.
Ace...
When unemployment reaches 15 percent, (some estimates have had it as high as 20+ percent, unnoficially, in Las Vegas) and there are 6 people that apply for every 1 job, the VAST MAJORITY OF AMERICAN CITIZENS are 'for' unemployment benefits to keep people from dumpster diving for dinner and to keep a roof over their heads.
Further, economically, when people have at least SOME money to spend on essentials, it helps to keep the economy moving in a big recession like this'n here...
Now, I know that folks like you that HATE, and love to blame the victims of this economic disaster, feel better about themselves when they tell themselves & others whoppers of lies about the unemployed, but today IS Thankgiving; pretend you have a heart for just a moment...and think about what you write to make yourself feel better.
Happy Thanksgiving, Jimbo...
& Happy Thanksgiving to EVERYBODY here @ The Sun.
Actually it can and it must continue payments to unemployed and we must recognize it as a just tax on us for our failure to maintain balanced trade which would have prevented such tragedy for many millions of families.
Re Jim Reid's comment about the destructive unemployment tax being paid by the employer: True, but if an employee is terminated for cause he/she won't be getting any unemployment benefits because the employer will take all actions necessary to see that that doesn't happen. Part of my job in surveillance in the gaming racket was to supply human resources with the ammo they needed to cut the terminated employee off at the knees. Being legitimately laid off is about the only way to get unemployment benefits, and that is not the fault of the employee.
The new "green energy economy" demands a lowered stanard of living. Enjoy! Maybe the eco-whacko groups are hiring.
Adios, Norquist Sucka!
Republicans HATE giving money to the undeserved but the big conundrum for them is that Unemployment benefits are for people who DESERVE them. We as a nation do not have National General assistance. The welfare programs have been whittled down to 60 months if you have children and the Nevada TANF grant level pays a MONTH what unemployment pays in a WEEK.
The BRILLIANT move by the Obama Administration turns Unemployment into a General Assistance program during this Second Depression. Roosevelt had the WPA to create jobs, and NO REPUBLICAN today would ever support a new WPA. So instead, the Republicans have to settle gutting assistance for the 99%. Unemployment for the unemployed, in an economy where jobs have been lost forever, must be continued through the recovery. It is the Republicans that have to be stopped.
If people are refusing jobs because they wish not to work and stay on unemployment benefits they should be disqualified if the job offer was deemed suitable. Stating this as a reason to refuse extensions to the vast majority of those unable to obtain work is nonsense and indead heartless. I refuse to believe that the vast majority of Americans are heartless and the Representative is out of step and indeed not a representative of the people.
What we really can't afford is the government pensions with gold plated medical included.
When are they going look at reducing what government employee's get?