A 99ers Year in Review for 2010 is a painful experience for many Jobless Americans. Most Unemployment Exhaustees (whether or not they received the full 99 weeks) are taking stock of 2010. Like most the rest of the world (except America’s Richest citizens), they (99ers) are praying 2011 will bring better times, not just more of the same agony and desperation.More of the fight for survival, employment and help from Washington DC may well be the 2011 reality just the same. One thing we have as this year begins that we did not have 1 year ago = the attention of some media and politicians to the Fact we Need help now.
I for one applaud the anticipated stance from the Obama Administration, to focus on Jobs. Jobs, Jobs but they should have focused on that 2 years ago instead of a HCR bill that will not fully take effect for another 3 years still. It is Washington DC’s failure to triage and inexcusable indifference toward the large scale suffering within the 99er Nation that has millions on the brink of complete financial collapse NOW - TODAY!
Mr. Obama, it is not that we failed to tell you at every turn how badly we needed your help - as 10 months or more now without UI benefits has many in your voter base bitter, angry, hungry and homeless. You are the man in charge! You were not listening! You have waited far too long and now a great portion of the 99er Nation, even if they had a job offer tomorrow - couldn’t pull together enough money for transportation to and from that job in order to hang on until their first paycheck.
Jobs are what we want, but how are we supposed to hang on and survive until those jobs trickle down to us in the form of reality instead of just more rhetoric?
Had you listened to the 99er Nation, we would not be in the HELL we are in and have been for nearly 1 full year! Had you listened to the cries of you hurting American public, instead of trying to make nice with the GOPigs at every turn, you wouldn’t have suffered such a humiliating Democratic mid-term last year.
Your newly presented (via Gibbs) idea to focus on Jobs for the 99ers comes as much too little, much too late to save those whom you swore before God and Country to protect and serve.
Just incase you missed it, here are just a few of the ways the 99er Nation struggled to get the attention to this Social Holocaust which was necessary to receive the humanitarian aid USA would give to any other country in need (but with lightening speed as you would not ignore a foreign country for nearly a year). Also I have listed only a few of the most egregious indignities suffered by 99ers at the hands of those in Washington whose help we greatly needed.
Early 2010, anticipating the growing need to extend UI benefits, the US House of Representatives introduced H.R.4213 - Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2010, sponsored by Charlie Rangle (D-NY).
On March 10, 2010 this bill passed the House and was submitted to the Senate, wheremany hundreds of bills go to die in recent years. I received a phone call from my sister congratulating me on this huge victory.... until I told her that it was not yet law and when it did become so, it would NOT extend UI benefits - ONLY the dates for the millions of newly unemployed to file.
I became so steamed about this falsehood being represented to the public that I recorded my first video an uploaded it to YouTube, in the hope that I could somehow educate the public as to this horrible and potentially devastating oversight by Congress to leave out the UI exhaustees from this “so Called” UI extension as time was running out for all.
Tier 5 to SURVIVE.mov
Then Congress took a 2 week vacation (the only thing they seemed able to unanimously get passed the entire 111th Congress and Many Many times during last year) for Easter this time - leaving the longest term unemployed - now fully without benefits for the most part - and thus my next video: ODE to WASHINGTON a poignant little Easter break poem (in the style of Twas the Night Before Christmas) meant to slam Congress for their lack of urgency to help the true UI exhaustees - as well as the more recent unemployed Americans.
Then in the usual short-sightedness of Washington, led to yet another bill which put a band-aid on the American 99ers' amputated limb: HR 4851. . [From Forgotten jobless fight to be heard, survive]
On April 15th Mr. Obama signed into law HR 4851 a temporary extension of filing dates for unemployment benefits and related matters. The measure extends jobless aid through June 2. Democrats, anxious about high unemployment in an election year, are working on separate legislation to extend benefits through the end of the year. Obama urged them to do so and said, in a statement: "In these tough economic times, it is more critical than ever to bring relief to Americans who are working every day to find a job, and families that are struggling to make ends meet."
This was the first of nearly three hundred 2010 articles and blog post From Paladinette AKA LaDona King which attempted to inform America, rally the troops of 99ers into action and shame Congress for their inaction on behalf of millions of hurting Jobless and their families - within the 99er ranks.
April 2010 was also when I began the first BlogTalkRadio show dedicated exclusively to “the stories of the unemployed, benefit extensions, Washington inaction to help the jobless millions, the out of control US unemployment rate and what Congress is not doing to help us.” Or better known as Jobless Talk.
That same month I surprised my rather "computer illiterate" self by successfully creating a website designed for the purpose of informing the masses, shaming those who would slam the jobless and a platform from which to launch campaigns the Unemployed could participate in to effect CHANGE in Washington. (like the May Day Fax Attack, twitter marches, callin, email etc) Jobless Unite. Almost immediately the Wall Of Shame became legendary - feared by Politicians and even some in the blogosphere. Now there is not enough space on the internet to even list all of those worthy of placement on the Wall of SHAME let alone enough time to update that page
The site had nearly 350K visitors in less than 3 months. My only regret is that NO MATTER WHAT WE DID - and we tried everything we could think of short of taking hostages - NOTHING seemed to get us the Tier 5 so desperately needed by millions. However I do not consider this a failure by any means by the 99er Nation nor do I take it personally. I simply remain committed to the cause and intend to keep on trying/fighting until we succeed!
...But I digress..... Who can forget Pelosi actually Laughing at our efforts to reach out in mass to those in Congress/Media that had the power to leverage the help we needed? Pelosi laughs at 99ers struggling without benefits - unemployed want apology for callous cackle
Our biggest break for the media attention needed to reach MainStream America came via Ed Schultz in May 2010. Throughout the entire rest of last year, (even as the world could do little more than focus on a gaping hole spewing oil into the Golf of Mexico) Ed was the media man leading the charge on behalf of the 99er Nation and has pledged to continue to fight for us now in 2011. Ed Schultz of MSNBC vows to stay on the 99ers' story until help arrives
Who could possibly forget the complete debacle with WNV over being ripped off to the tune of more than $1100.00 for Grone (owner of WNV) to have a trip to DC on the 99ers dime to deliver a petition that fell as flat on Harry Reid as possible. What a waste of time and money.
Also in June (after yet another long vacation in Congress) 5 Senators joined forces to introduce a stand-alone UI Benefits bill S. 3520: Unemployment Insurance Extension Act of 2010. Again the 99ers were excluded. We appealed to our patron saint (or so it appeared) Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) But it was too tough of a fight for the old gal apparently.
The House had their own version of that bill (it might behoove those Congress Critters to just KEEP IT SIMPLE rather than wasting time and effort on multiple bills that go nowhere at all - hint hint) Restoration of Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act HR 5618 which passed July 10, 2010 by a vote of 270 to 153 - nearly 6 weeks after UI benefits had been cut off for the more recently unemployed Americans.
We got letters hand delivered to the President in June and September but for all the good that did we should have written to Santa.
In August we marched on Wall Street , had to defend ourselves against the ignotant rants of Glenn Beck and Rush. We got more empty promises from Stabenow and others to attempt to extort our votes under false pretenses and even more vacation time for Congress. (Q - Do these jerks even know the meaning of a hard day’s work? ANS: Hell NO they don't)
Then came more "dog and pony shows" from the Senate , No Help From NELP or the AFL-CIO. We held Rallies, Pleaded for Sanity/Fear - held an embarrassing Mid-Term election , then more time off for Congress and even more neglect
We were given tips and survival advice from Fox News “99ers - eat your own” .
99ers have tried social media, videos and more videos (there must be more than 300K unemployment related YouTube videos alone) There were National Candlelight Vigils for 99ers ...but wait there’s more: The Obama Bend over & the BIG lie about a 13 month UI extension and America STILL does NOT get it - that extending the dates to file for UI WILL NOT HELP the 99ers - PERIOD!
Next Whoo Hoo somebody in Washington actually has a heart and some "stones" to back that up... The CBC (congressional Black Caucus) stands up to demand 99ers be included in the Tax Breaks for the rich bill, but then they sit down.... Bernie filibusters in vain ,
Gibbs reveals the White House cares nothing for the urgent dire straights 99ers find themselves in.
Obama trades the very survival of the 99er Nation for getting his Tax giveaways done then escapes to Hawaii. While he did so, I took to altering lyrics for a 99ers Santa Baby rendition that had Twitter buzzing and hopefully 99ers smiling at least for a short while. And just when you think there is no time left in the year for yet another humiliation of distain from Washington... then to really rub the salt into the wound - Obama wants to send us a thank you card for being such suckers and scapegoats to boot.... But I passed on that offer - telling him through Joe (Biden not the plumber guy) "Keep your worthless Thank You Card."
I for one am ready to begin the fight anew starting Monday January 3, 2011 with renewed vigor and we have many things going for us already. The 99ers are more visible to the world now. We are no longer Washington's Dirty little secret!
We have CNN and MSNBC getting the truth out there. We found a theme song (every important cause needs a battle cry and that Tier 5 to Survive - though still valid was wearing thin) Bon Jovi's "Work for the Working Man"
We are a force to be reckoned with politically and an Administration embarrassment to be resolved ASAP.
I am ready, willing and able to take this fight up several notches so who is with me?
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