The only reason I can see for what the Republicans have been doing to block reasonable legislation is political. I think it is a political calculation in support of their Party's quest for power rather than the good of the country.
That when they finally passed something it was only a 2-month extension (and one linked to fast approval/permitting of the Keystone Pipeline) is ridiculous. The extension of unemployment benefits needs to be linked to the health of the economy. When the unemployment rate is high, extensions are needed for families because job searches take longer. That extension should not be based on political will.
Economist after economist of all political stripes are saying that with the economy in it's present state, extension of unemployment benefits is critical because without it consumer spending will drop precipitously, which will upset the entire apple cart yet again, making it even harder to climb up the economic hill in front of us.
At this point in the downturn some people have already lost their unemployment benefits and every month now more people who are still unemployed are coming off the roster. We don't want to add to that. And being unemployed and in job seeking mode is hard enough without the added unpredictability of when you will no longer be able to get unemployment even if you have not yet found a job.
Short-term extensions are not fair to families. If the rate of unemployment is high enough that economists believe a bigger cushion is needed to stabilize families and keep the overall poverty rate from increasing, then it ought to just be there.
It should never become a political football. It's not a game. It's people's lives we are talking about.
