Tier V

[sc4ram]

Just a bit of opining on my previous post. As time goes on Ive reduced the odds (in my head) of a Tier V passing the Congress. However I saw something in the links in my previous post that may hold a thread of hope. The comment that Sen Schumer (D-NY) made that he was going to pursue a Tier V once they had secured funding for the existing tiers for the remainder of the year.

Normally I would just write this off as bloviating in a election year, but given the circumstances this may mean something.

If you believe most polls , if the mid term elections were held today, the Repubs would take over the House and gain several seats in the Senate (but probably not a majority) . Leader Sen Reid (D-Nevada) is up for re-election and he would loose if the election were held today (which is why he has suddenly become a advocate of immigration reform). If that scenerio played out, it is rumored that Sen Schumer is in line to be the next majority leader (probably a reward for putting up with Hillary as Jr Senator earlier in the decade). Mr. Schumer is a heavy weight, if he truly decided to pursue a Tier V it would have a chance . Also remember no matter what the election results are, there will be a "lame duck" congress that can enact legislation until the new congress is called to order in 2011 . Bills like a Tier V are taylor made for a lame duck Congress that has nothing to loose by passing it. If you recall, I believe it was Tier II that was passed in a similar fashon after the election of 2008.

All of this is a long shot, and wouldnt happen until after November, but given Sen Schumer's comments I dont think it can be declared dead yet.

Good luck to all

[Jeff]

Thanks Sc4ram. Nice post. But I hope something happens way sooner than November, or millions of long-termer's will be homeless.

[GonzoFL]

Yikes....November would be a killer to most of us I'm sure. I was hoping(hope is dimming I must add) to see them pass at least a 20 week extension by around the 1st part of June. That would bring us up to about election time. It would be a very smart move on their part. There are allot of seats in the senate and house up for grabs right now,and if they would like to "buy" some votes.....I think a nice 20 week extension would tickle the hell out of most of us. Look,I'm no push over....but I can be had This crisis intensifies by the day and yet congress continues to pursue about every topic but this one. They sure as shit haven't learned how to create jobs and I personally don't see much if any improvement for the remainder of this year. I don't care how or if they off set the extension and I don't care about "Madeline" and her silly ass future tax and deficit burden....500,000 unemployed a month falling off the cliff is happening NOW. How can this country even think about it's future, when they can't repair the present.

[grandmom49]

Yikes....November would be a killer to most of us I'm sure. I was hoping(hope is dimming I must add) to see them pass at least a 20 week extension by around the 1st part of June. That would bring us up to about election time. It would be a very smart move on their part. There are allot of seats in the senate and house up for grabs right now,and if they would like to "buy" some votes.....I think a nice 20 week extension would tickle the hell out of most of us. Look,I'm no push over....but I can be had This crisis intensifies by the day and yet congress continues to pursue about every topic but this one. They sure as shit haven't learned how to create jobs and I personally don't see much if any improvement for the remainder of this year. I don't care how or if they off set the extension and I don't care about "Madeline" and her silly ass future tax and deficit burden....500,000 unemployed a month falling off the cliff is happening NOW. How can this country even think about it's future, when they can't repair the present.

Very nicely put.

[SaraJ]

Hi All - Great article. Keep up the calling, emailing and faxing...it's starting to have an impact!

http://www.examiner.com/x-45498-San-Diego-Unemployment-Examiner~y2010m5d9-Capitol-Hill-responds-to-massive-campaign-for-more-weeks-of-jobless-benefits?cid=examiner-email

[nancym]

Hi everybody, I've been away for a bit due to several personal things, plus I was having some weird browser troubles with this site and had to switch over to using my trusty Mac here.

sc4ram--Interesting thoughts about Schumer. I thought Durbin was up for that slot, but I guess I'm just not up to date on those political success ladder news bits.

Gonzo-- Like the quote: "How can this country even think about it's future, when they can't repair the present."
What seems to be missing is the importance of repairing the present on preventing disaster in the future, not just for the 6 million falling off benefits, but for the continued success of this whole country. The states will be overwhelmed with welfare issues if nothing is done federally.

Now, may I suggest some "Tier 5 Homework"? Just kidding, I don't mean a research paper, but today I watched a HuffPost article jumpstart that change.org petition out of its doldrums into accelerated increases in signatures by a major media outlet linking to that petition.

All these articles that we've seen in the last month or so, or at least most of them that even mention a "tier 5," have been on blogs that cater to the unemployed, or many of these drummed up "news" sites that survive purely on Google rankings and simply using the term "Tier 5" in their headlines. You know the ones I mean. They can be mildly informative, but few in power ever read them, I'm sure.

But HuffPost IS a major news site, even if it is a generally very liberal one. Arthur Delaney posted this article today:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/13/unemployment-petition-signatures_n_574887.html

The link is there to the petition, which probably most of you have already signed. If you haven't, please do! Even if you've signed it already, just linking from the article creates traffic, and traffic creates visibility.

Normally I don't get excited about petitions, since unless they are some kind of official thing, they don't really get noticed. But the author of the petitiion was trying to get some people to take it to Congress (all printed out, if she could afford the paper), as Delaney explains. But within a few hours of his article the petition itself gained several hundred extra signatures!

I encouraged the folks on Open Congress.org and the same request to all of you here-- please

1) Sign it if you haven't already, to get as many signatures before it might be actually delivered.
2) Rev up the visibility of the HuffPost article by using Facebook, Digg, Buzz, or whatever method you like for "crowd-sourcing"
3) Send the links to sympathetic friends if you haven't already done that.
4) Read the article and post some comments on the article itself; that not only increases traffic and attention on the HuffPost article, but draws attention to the petition link in it.

The petition went up an additional 573 signatures so far today, number 6 for today of all change.org petitions, and number 5 in their "all time " category. And it could keep some momentum if the HuffPost article gets enough attention, and especially if Delaney follows up on how much his own link contributed to increased signatures. But this momentum won't last long unless people keep going to the article.

If you decide to post an article comment, beware that there's this truly obnoxious anti-unemployed so-called "businessman" there who deliberately baits the posters for responses. Guess it makes him feel powerful. But in the end, even he brings attention to the petition indirectly, ha-ha!

[SaraJ]

I know many of you didn't agree with the 99ers petition when I first posted it on March 13. It may be our only chance at this point to get more weeks. In talking with Issa, Sen. Reid's office is looking into adding weeks to tier 4 & they do want the petition! Plans are to deliver the petition to Congress May 18 at 2 pm and World News Vine is trying to assist us in this endeavor. Arthur Delaney of Huffington Post told Issa that he would be there to cover it! I'm posting a letter below that Issa sent out to 99ers which include a link to the latest World News Vine article. They are seeking donations to fund the trip, cost of printing, etc....you can donate $1, $2 or anything you can swing through paypal, credit card....Please Help if you can as it may be our only chance at more weeks of benefits!

Great news!
WorldNewsVine has come to our rescue! But we have to help. I was encountering a lot of unexpected obstacles trying to organize getting the petition to Congress, and I began to think it wasn't going to come together. People in Washington were saying they'd 'get back to me,' but even if they did, we just didn't have time for that. Next week is when the 'unemployment extension of filing deadlines' is expected to be raised in Congress, and we hope to get weeks added to Tier 4 at that time. Then Congress leaves again the next week. There's little hope of getting another bill other than that one because they are discussing such big issues before they leave.

WorldNewsVine has offered to run a short campaign to raise some money to send a person on our behalf. This person is known to them, has press credentials and is familiar with the Senate. He will bring the printed petition with 900 pages of signatures. The Senate requires 6 copies which is one of the obstacles I encountered.

Our emissary knows the ins and outs of the Senate and can arrange appointments with key senators. In addition, because he already has clearance, he can enter the Capital and question staffers in other offices, too. In addition to delivering the petition copies, he intends to ask questions on our behalf both in the Capital and in the 'haunts' he knows where staffers go after hours. Like I said, he's familiar with the scene! He has a vested interest in this just like we do as he has also joined the ranks of the unemployed. What he finds out will be written in the WorldNewsVine, and all together, we'll get a lot of publicity from this!

Now our part. We have to finance his trip. Many of our signers are already familiar with this online news source as they have been the single largest source of signers for us. They have written many articles about the petition and our numbers have taken a big jump every time they have done so. You'll notice that I've given links to many of their articles in the letters I've sent out.

Obviously, they know we don't have much money so they're only asking for $1, $2, or $5 donations to cover the printing and travel expenses. The drive for him will be about 600 miles each way. He's not being paid anything for this. I spent a long time on the phone with him today, and I'm more than impressed with his knowledge and commitment, but we couldn't expect him to fund this himself.

Below is the site that has today's article and the donate button. The button will be removed as soon as the goal is reached so if it's still up there please give something. They have set a goal of Monday night, but sometimes you don't get this letter until Tuesday. So, if the button is still up, they need more donations! If he doesn't use the whole amount for his expenses, the rest will be donated to the Humane Society which is a special charity of WNV. I believe that for now, this is the best shot we have at getting additional benefits. Together, with our small donations, we'll raise the amount needed!

http://worldnewsvine.com/2010/05/tier-v-99ers-unemployment-petition-readies-for-washington

[sc4ram]

House of Representatives to take up bill that includes unemployment benefit extension next week
By Jackie Headapohl
May 12, 2010, 8:35AM

The bill that would extend federal unemployment benefits through the end of the year could come to the House floor next week, said Michigan Congressman Sander Levin.House Ways and Means Chairman Sander Levin (D- Mich) said yesterday that he expects the $180 billion bill that extends expired tax cuts and federal unemployment benefits through the end of the year to come to the House floor next week. Democratic lawmakers aim to pass it by the end of May, reports Dow Jones.

The bill has already been approved by the House and the Senate, but the two versions must now be reconciled.

Included in the bill is a proposed tax hike on fund manager pay that would raise about $20 billion over 10 years. Levin said House lawmakers have agreed to a change pushed by the Senate to gradually phase-in that tax increase.

Levin also said that $130 billion of the $180 bill would be paid for by closing tax loopholes. About $50 billion of the bill’s cost would be added to the deficit as Democrats exempted unemployment benefits and a provision to block a cut in Medicare payments to doctors from its pay-as-you-go rules.

As to the total bill, Levin told Dow Jones that the House and the Senate “don’t have agreement on every single issue yet.”

It’s unclear when the bill will be taken up by the Senate, which is currently working on a lengthy process to pass financial reform.

However, The Hill reports that Sen. Tom Coburn, (R-Okla.) said he would oppose any legislation that isn’t paid for.

“Dr. Coburn will use every tool at his disposal to force Congress to pay for these provisions,” said Coburn spokesman John

[SaraJ]

sc4ram - the unemployment bill you are referring to only includes an extension of the deadline date through the end of the year. It does NOT include more weeks in tier 4 or a tier 5.....HR 4213.

This is the bill we are working towards getting an amendment added to next week. This is why it critical to get the petition hand-delivered as media coverage is already in place! I donated earlier what I could to the petition delivery site.....I hope everyone gives a little, even if it's a dollar or two.....this can happen...lets do this!! Thanks for everyone's support!

http://worldnewsvine.com/2010/05/tier-v-99ers-unemployment-petition-readies-for-washington

[sc4ram]

I know this Sara, since this thread is titled- New Federal Benefits legislation for 2010, and the article describes new legislation to fund existing benefits in 2010, and some prominent legislators have said funding existing EUC Tiers would be a precursor to establishing any new Tiers, I thought it was approproate to post it here. Good luck to you .

[SaraJ]

I know this Sara, since this thread is titled- New Federal Benefits legislation for 2010, and the article describes new legislation to fund existing benefits in 2010, and some prominent legislators have said funding existing EUC Tiers would be a precursor to establishing any new Tiers, I thought it was approproate to post it here. Good luck to you .

Sorry sc4ram...really didn't mean anything by my comment. Just trying to drum up more support & this was the only site I ran across that the World News Vine info had not been posted on yet. I'm in direct contact with Issa. I'm just trying to spread the word to help the 99ers maybe get more weeks.

[sc4ram]

no prob, keep up the good work

[Jeff]

Good job Sara. Thanks. I signed the petition awhile back. We do need all the help we can get. I think I'll go check out the donate page.

[grandmom49]

Sara,since your post says " I'm in direct contact with Issa." could you find out why she did not respond to CCC who offered to cover all expenses including the copying of the bill? I asked the question on the NV site in a comment on the page with the donate button but have not yet received a reply. Like many who replied, I don't have a dollar to my name but am active on numerous Social Netwoking sites and am sure any of my contacts in a position to do so would donate on my behalf. I can't ask them to donate & then have them discover that an offer to cover all costs was ignored, maybe in an attempt to be able to show that donations from the long term unemployed funded the effort.

[SaraJ]

Sara,since your post says " I'm in direct contact with Issa." could you find out why she did not respond to CCC who offered to cover all expenses including the copying of the bill? I asked the question on the NV site in a comment on the page with the donate button but have not yet received a reply. Like many who replied, I don't have a dollar to my name but am active on numerous Social Netwoking sites and am sure any of my contacts in a position to do so would donate on my behalf. I can't ask them to donate & then have them discover that an offer to cover all costs was ignored, maybe in an attempt to be able to show that donations from the long term unemployed funded the effort.

Hi grandmom - I think she's a little overwhelmed right now, but I'll see what I can find out. I do know the person World News Vine wants to deliver it has a press pass & knows the ins & outs of DC/Congress etc. I can't imagine that she wouldn't have responded. I'll get back with you! I donated $5 that I had in my paypal acct.

[grandmom49]

Sara,since your post says " I'm in direct contact with Issa." could you find out why she did not respond to CCC who offered to cover all expenses including the copying of the bill? I asked the question on the NV site in a comment on the page with the donate button but have not yet received a reply. Like many who replied, I don't have a dollar to my name but am active on numerous Social Netwoking sites and am sure any of my contacts in a position to do so would donate on my behalf. I can't ask them to donate & then have them discover that an offer to cover all costs was ignored, maybe in an attempt to be able to show that donations from the long term unemployed funded the effort.

Hi grandmom - I think she's a little overwhelmed right now, but I'll see what I can find out. I do know the person World News Vine wants to deliver it has a press pass & knows the ins & outs of DC/Congress etc. I can't imagine that she wouldn't have responded. I'll get back with you! I donated $5 that I had in my paypal acct.

Sorry, but there is something strange going on. There was still no reply to my comment asking for the reason no reply was sent to CCC and a second comment I posted has disappeared. This morning I tried to post a comment about not being able to donate the $4 balance in my paypal account without giving my debit card information & I was informed that I had to verify my address before they would post my comment & that an email had been sent to me with instructions. No email has been received. When I tried to reply to the Admin & inform them that I had not received an email they just queued it as another comment that required address verification. I don't know what is going on. I think the petition has a chance of opening up some eyes but I do not want to be a part of anyone's grandstanding.

[SaraJ]

Sorry, but there is something strange going on. There was still no reply to my comment asking for the reason no reply was sent to CCC and a second comment I posted has disappeared. This morning I tried to post a comment about not being able to donate the $4 balance in my paypal account without giving my debit card information & I was informed that I had to verify my address before they would post my comment & that an email had been sent to me with instructions. No email has been received. When I tried to reply to the Admin & inform them that I had not received an email they just queued it as another comment that required address verification. I don't know what is going on. I think the petition has a chance of opening up some eyes but I do not want to be a part of anyone's grandstanding.

Hi grandmom - I got the comment as well about the email with instructions. I never got that email, but shortly afterwards I got a reply saying my email had been verified. There was a response to CCC to respond directly to WNV with their contact info. Anyways, Issa is having email issues with yahoo. She set up a special email acct with yahoo for this endeavor. She said she spent hours & hours responding to 94 emails & it all kicked back as spam. She's very frustrated. As far as delivering the petition, there are issues with having security clearance & having to set up an appointment with whomever they are delivering the petition to. There are numerous rules & crap to follow. It's more involved than she has realized, but it is going to happen....that's all I know right now. As far as the paypal thing, I put in the amount I wanted to donate, then clicked update & then had to log in to paypal & confirm the donation. I had no problems. They've collected over $500 so far. There really isn't anything funny going on. Just keep in mind you don't have to donate. I'll update when I hear back from Issa. She probably asleep right now as it's 3 hours earlier in CA.

[SaraJ]

DO NOT donate if you're down to your last few $. Use it for you & your family! As of about 10:30 am today, it's up to $674! Almost there!


http://worldnewsvine.com/2010/05/tier-v-99ers-unemployment-petition-readies-for-washington

[grandmom49]

Sara,
I am just frustrated. I would have posted this to my contacts on a dozen social networking sites if I could have been assured of its legitimacy. As for the $4.00 I was hoping to finally be able to withdraw it as it has been there for over 4 years. I forgot that paypal demands a backup payment method & I WILL NOT provide that. I will post the link to facebook & twitter & see if any of my contacts have paypal accounts that they can access.

[Robbi314]

Just an FYI. Paypal no longer demands a backup payment method. You now don't even have to have a bank account to have a Paypal account. You can fund your Paypal account through Greendot at Walmart up to $250 per year without giving any critical info such as a SS#. Just thought some might be able to use this info as I believe this is a fairly new policy they have implemented.

[grandmom49]

You can use any of the prepaid debit cards on paypal, clickbank or similar sites. The fees charged for purchasing, issuing & loading the cards can add up. They are considered alternate payment methods and paypal, etc. can freeze the funds you have on the card until the payment goes thru from your paypal account. Prepaid credit and debit cards are just another way for banks and other financial institutions to continue ripping us off. and I suspect paypal, etc. looks at your debit card balance and account identifying info and sells the information or at least shares it with their partners.

[SaraJ]

Update - Just wanted to let you know that CCC is someone in Seattle area that offered to deliver the petition to Sen McDermott's office in Wash state. Issa has been in contact with her.

[SaraJ]

http://www.examiner.com/x-27052-Rochester-Unemployment-Examiner~y2010m5d15-Tier-5-and-extended-unemployment-how-the-media-ignore-up-to-29-million-long-term-unemployed

[fred]

Hi All
Watching C-Span last night. The US House schedule for today shows Extend Unemployment Benifits as one of the items. We should hit on all the House Representitives ASAP!!!!

[SaraJ]

Received this update yesterday. The petition is being delivered Thursday.

http://worldnewsvine.com/2010/05/update-99ers-petition-heads-to-washington/

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