HR6556 is Dead: 99ers “Scrooged” AGAIN!

According to the staffers at Rep Bobby Scott's office, HR6556 is NOT coming out of committee. With HR6556 now dead, seems the 99ers are Scrooged yet AGAIN.

Bill HR 6556 Is a bill introduced in the House last Friday to add 14 weeks to Tier 1 and HELP ALL the 99ers NOW.

The bill, H.R. 6556, is sponsored by Representatives Barbara Lee and Bobby Scott and was introduced in the House on December 17, 2010.

"We would request that you immediately contact Rep. Lee and Rep. Scott as well as the Congressman in your district requesting this bill be removed from committee and brought to the floor for a vote before the 111th Congress comes to a close," The American 99ers Union wrote on its website this weekend.

The language of this bill has yet to be released, but crewof42.com states the bill contained the following provisions:

••• This section provides 14 additional weeks of emergency unemployment compensation in Tier I.

••• This additional benefit will be available for those who have exhausted all their benefits (99ers and other exhaustees) as well as those who will be unemployed this year. 


••• This expansion is similar to the expansion in Nov. 2009 which provided an additional week of benefits to Tier II. 


••• Adding these extra weeks in Tier I makes them available for all chronically unemployed and not only those currently collecting unemployment benefits from a "high unemployment state."

Even the 99ers beloved advocate Ed Schultz, on his radio show yesterday took the stance that this bill has no chance of getting passed. The problem is that instead of fast tracking it like the emergency help HR6556 truly is - they have referred it to the House Ways & Means Committee, chaired currently By Jim McDermitt (D-WA).

UGH! Congress passed the Bank bail out and the Help for Haiti bill in 3 days or less they went from being written to being signed into LAW ! This requires the same urgency or why even bother, since if not passed NOW will likely DIE forever in 4 days when this Session of Congress is DONE!

From the CHANGE.ORG Petition: USA News Media: Report ASAP re: H.R. 6556 & S.3706 Americans Want To Work Act for Tier 5 99ers

Many 99ers have been without this lifeline since March 2010. There is no accurate data re: how many 99ers there are currently and estimates are all over the map. The BLS estimates there are 1.5 million but in June a Dept. of Labor press release stated there were 4.3 million.

On December 12th, OpenCongress.org, through the Congressional Black Caucus announcement of support for the 99ers, stated, "There’s no official estimate of how many 99ers there are already, but most estimates put the number around 5 million". There are 4 million more that are set to lose benefits in 2011. These are significant numbers of people that have gone virtually unreported by network and cable news programs and talk shows.

Part of the problem is that most of the Nation has been fooled into thinking this bogus 13 month extension in the Obama “Bend Over” extended UI for all of the unemployed. NOT TRUE!

Kelly Wiedemer, the Denver Unemployment Examiner, wrote this to the Denver post and is encouraging all 99ers/exhaustees to contact their own local media to correct this intentional misconception created by Washington:

“There is a HUGE mis-perception about what the tax cut compromise and it's 13 month U.I. extension actually provided (which was nothing for about half of the unemployed.) Members of Congress and the media everywhere are incorrectly reporting that this bill ADDED 13 monts of U.I. benefits. It is a complete falsehood. Senator Orrin Hatch is one of several members of Congress who either 'didn't know the facts' about the bill (that they voted against) or are outright LYING to the public. This is happening everywhere, locally, nationally.

There is further evidence of this b/c the Congressional Black Caucus has introduced an 11-th hour bill to help the 99ers - but most members of Congress, the WH and the media brush these stories under the rug (HR6556).

I know you are very busy but feel strongly enough about this to ask if you can help - or suggest someone that may be able to help. If the 99ers (there will be 100k of them in CO within months per Bill Thoennes) - 99ers have exhausted all UI benefits and are not eligible for anything under the new extension (there are already approx 30k of us in CO). This is going to add to the explosion of SNAP, homelessness, etc..

Here is the article Kelly wrote about the FOX News interview which took place last Friday afternoon: Sen Hatch, FOX News' Van Susteren broadcast more lies about the EUC extensions

More from Kelly:

I wrote about this in my article and included a video of Hatch telling Van Susteren that the UI has been extended to 'well over 100 weeks now' - a complete lie. This has been covered by a few other media outlets...is there anyone at the Denver Post that would be willing to print a story abut this? This is so disgraceful - it is happening to such an extent that it appears to be propoganda - not a 'mistake' or misunderstanding of the legislation.

We (99ers) are asking CNN & MSNBC to do a poll asking how many American believe (incorrectly) that the tax cut compromise added additional EUC benefits to the long term unemployed. I'm willing to bet that there is significant number of Americans that DON'T know the truth - and would probably not be happy that the tax cuts for the top 2% were extended without really helping the long-term (longest) term unemployed - a growing population of middle class professionals.”

Personally I do not ever watch FOX news, but I did take advantage of the opportunity to give them a piece of my mind on this subject. You can too:

Fox News Contact Information from their website:

We want YOUR input! Tell us what you love, tell us what you hate ... just don't keep it to yourself! As a FOX Fan, you'll have a unique opportunity to make your voice heard and affect change a...t FNC. Below, you'll find a few ways to contact us. BUT, if you're more of a phone person, you can call us at 1-888-369-4762

This is another idea to get involved in the 99er fight for survival from the site Democraz.org

Here's how you force the Republicans to extend unemployment benefits for Tier 5.

Brown Forman Corporation 502-585-1100 the distributor of Jack Daniels whiskey and Southern comfort gives money to Republicans for campaign donations regularly to Mitch McConnell and operates out of Kentucky the State where McConnell Resides. 



Wendy's Restaurants (614) 764-3100, ext. 2032 and JM Smuckers 888-550-9555 ( Makers of Peanut butter and Jam ) both have given money to Republicans and operate out of the State of Ohio where the new speaker John Boehner resides. 



Normally if you wrote to McConnell and Boehner to get unemployment insurance extended both will politely ignore you at best or laugh at you at worst. 

So I have a better way. Write, email and call Brown Forman corporation, Wendy's restaurants and JM Smuckers corporations i.e. the corporate friends of McConnell and Boehner and tell THEM:

I refuse to do business with your company from now on until you talk to your friends Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority leader McConnell go and pass the unemployment extension without any amendments. 



I promise that if you get 300,000 people like those who got Keith Olbermann back on the air in 5 days [which was boldprogressives.org, located at 1630 R St., NW #703, D.C. 20009 / info@boldprogressives.org] you will do the American people a service of helping those unemployed who need help. 



Click this link to send email to demand that the Republicans get unemployment insurance benefits extended. 

Extend unemployment insurance benefits for Tier 5 now. 

Let the calls, emails, and letter writing begin. [Focus on Congress and the Media] 

Don't forget that the Republican party appears weak and vulnerable at the cash registers of those companies that give them money.

So there you have it. Another Charlie Brown & Lucy football moment for the 99ers. Congress teases cruelly by dangling another carrot of hope only to snap it back at the last minute. Completely and totally PATHETIC if you ask me.

Mean while out in the freezing wind and cold, Rhonda Taylor and Jobs with Justice held a candlelight vigil for the 99ers in Rhode Island last night. Some of the following video is difficult to hear over the wind but you can see the turnout was excellent for the conditions they encountered. Bravo JWJ and Rhonda Taylor!

[Please use the donation button below to help Paladinette to KEEP FIGHTING for the 99ers! Thank you Merry Christmas to all.]