Exactly how can the 99ers ever effect change or get the benefits they need unless or until they TAKE ACTION consistently? This is the burning question.
The answer is far more complicated than one can imagine. There will always be the few who do not engage in any of the lobbying efforts to persuade Washington to take action to save the longest term unemployed in America. Still with millions of UI exhaustees and millions more about to hit the UI threshold for their own states - one would think every petition, call/fax or email campaign and certainly a Twitter event to assist the 99er cause would be flooded with willing participants - but it does not appear to be true. Even the campaign to email resumes to Congress called for my Jesse Jackson Jr. (D - IL) in 5 weeks time generated less than 100,000 responses by the public at large. What is wrong with this picture?
Everyday 99ers lose their internet and places to live, which accounts for a great deal of those MIAs for the “cause” - but there are thousands of UI exhaustees in the same boat who still manage to get to the public library to help in this epic fight, so motivation may be lacking in many. This is in part a common side effect of the inevitable depression most struggle with during long bouts of unemployment.
Whatever the reason, the 99er Nation simply MUST find a way to get the word out and unite behind One Goal: Get HR 589 to the House Floor and passed. This is the only way to start the ball rolling to get this genuine extension of extra weeks of UI for all eventually signed into law.
Tuesday’s #99erAID Twitter Event was good, but we never even trended in the USA and that is something it should not be difficult to accomplish if we just had enthusiastic participation.
I hear a lot of
“If I only had money I would march in Washington DC” - well I really doubt that! If you are not on Twitter yet and are serious about doing whatever you can do to help the cause then get with the program -
NO EXCUSES. If you did not participate in the February 15th event -
GOOD NEWS - You will have another chance to do so next Tuesday, February 22nd at 8PM EST. It is free and can be done from a cell phone. (George Washington would be proud)
According to the Trenches Worldreport.com article
99ers HR 589 Unemployment Legislation Shot Down In Flames “HR 589 is shot down this morning. Apparently the House Resolution violated a rule which says any legislation that changes existing law or creates new law cannot be added as an amendment. Unbeknownst to us Barbara Lee tried to attach HR 589 to the Fiscal Year 2011 Continuing Budget Resolution, a stopgap measure that will continue to fund the federal government.
The point of order was initiated by Congressman Denny Rehberg, a Republican from Montana.
The only way the bill can go forward now is through overwhelming support which would require republican support, which is not going to happen. It is disturbing to find out that our greatest advocate Barbara Lee evidently either does not know the House rules or somehow thought she was exempt from them.”
And offered this commentary: “Maybe the proponents of the 99ers will now see that they will never accomplish anything unless they break outside the status quo and the insider buddy buddy system and attack next time with a united 99er force, not only backing them, but participating in the process.”
So 99er Nation - I ask you again: HOW BAD DO YOU WANT THIS?
Do you want it bad enough to take a page from residents of Wisconsin? (see the video below)
Demonstrators gathered in large numbers at the Wisconsin state Capitol on Tuesday, to protest Republican Gov. Scott Walker's budget proposal to help close the state's shortfall by removing nearly all collective bargaining rights for public employees.
As the Wisconsin State Journal reports, over 10,000 protestors gathered at the state Capitol building Tuesday, with thousands also crowded inside the building itself.
You do NOT need to get to Washington DC to make this happen. U-Cubed in their unique “local cube” modeling is designed to build a movement from the local level and grow out - to gather the masses required to get our message directly out to the “Powers that be” in terms they cannot ignore! Yet U-Cubed has not yet reached 5,000 members. WTF?
So let's get going - post this article everywhere, send it to all of your contacts with a message: OK How bad do you want this?
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