Lynn Jenkins is simply ignorant. This woman has no clue as to how many jobs are not there and have not been there since the Bush/Cheney home loan fraud fiasco.

Where's the new industry? duh Republicans said no way!

Can we say ignorance is bliss....

Unemployment insurance is only paid on the 1st $7,000 of salary, a number that has remained the same for the last 30 years or so.

As such, it's a cost to an employer, but not a "huge" one, unless you have hundreds of employees.

Only people who lose their job through no fault of their own qualify, so it's not paying a bunch of lousy slackers who got fired.

As I understand the idea, it's supposed to generate revenue into a fund when the economy is good, and then be available to cushion the blow if the economy is doing badly. An interesting idea. There are a couple of flaws I see - one is that even though it's only paid into on the first $7,000, benefits are given based on total salaries. So employees draw significantly more than was put in on their behalf. The other is that although it may work well if we have many years of a thriving economy combined with short periods of bad ones, it becomes unsustainable if that's not the case.

Then, the government has to step in and fund it from other revenue sources.

Perhaps if it were paid into commensurate with salary, or if benefits were paid equally, it would be more sustainable on it's own.

I agree with Tomato and Bozo. I don't think unemployment insurance should ever be removed. There is enough evidence that it has done an excellent job helping to minimize economic downturns since the great depression.

It may be worth investigating transferring the tax from the employer to the employee or perhaps sharing it.....like payroll taxes.

I'm surprised at how many people seem offended by this suggestion. I've known plenty of people who planned to ride out unemployment. They re-worked their budget to account for the lower income and they took time off from work. They did not seriously look for jobs until it was running out.

Most of these people were not poor. They had good jobs and were laid off and were perfectly qualified and able to get new jobs (and indeed they did - once they became serious about looking). They just wanted to take a break from working for a bit and unemployment insurance allowed them to do that.

I have heard many people say, "Well, I paid into it so I may as well use it!" Although many people on this board have pointed out that the belief is factually incorrect - workers buy into the idea that if employers weren't having to pay it, then the employee would have a higher salary (or they're simply misinformed and not paying attention to their pay stubs).

Because of the myth that unemployment tax is actually paid by the employee in some way, there isn't a stigma attached to milking unemployment, where there is a stigma about milking welfare, WIC, foodstamps or other programs when there isn't legitimate need.

globehead...golden fruitcake to you...that is one of the better post I've read in some time. FalseHopeNoBrain should take heed of what you write.

Now back to what Lynn Jenkins really meant...between the lines is that she wishes she didn't have to deal with a bunch of toothless redneck trailer park crackers cause they don't pay taxes or donate to Republican campaigns. But she would be crucified if she said that, wouldn't you Lynn? Maybe you thinks people in poverty should be simply brushed aside and forgotten since they are so pesky and inconvient.

Falsy, when did welfare and unemployment become one in the same? ++++ Also: "Falsy knows 'females' that have babies father'd by whomever to get government 'welfare' bennies.

I too have witnessed this very example; Two older women walking with a young girl who had very, very recently hit child-bearing status uttered sentiments like "When she going to start having kids, a girl needs to get paid" and "You'd better start having babies, you're gonna need that check."

Sad. Inter-generational social disease.

Undoubtedly, Lynn Jenkins is correct. Some folks would rather collect benefits than work. It is, however, unreasonable and unbelievable to assume that most would rather sacrifice their good homes, nice automobiles and children’s education to receive benefits that most people would consider meager at best.

My problem with Ms. Jenkins and most politicians of her slant are that they never, ever admit the need for these programs. They instead want to destroy them because SOME abuse them. They want to end food stamps because they’ve seen or heard of some able bodied individual buying steak or shrimp with them but fail to educate themselves to the fact that most recipients are elderly or children or disabled and are NEVER seen in a line buying anything.

They want to end Medicaid because people should pay for their own health care, but they don’t educate themselves to the fact that the vast majority of users are elderly, disabled or children who are unable to work, let alone pay for themselves. Many of the most costly recipients are developmentally disabled who require 24 hour care literally to stay alive, a very expensive proposition and yes, many of them are very young children.

They hear of silly regulations by the EPA or OSHA which admittedly exist, but the vast majority of such regulations are quite needed. Otherwise, we experience events like the BP blowout which was caused by a major international corporation trying to save $500 on a lousy valve, which resulted in putting 80,000 people out of work for several months and killing 19 platform workers. We see cancer causing chemical spills by such corporations in Venezuela where there were no regulations, constant oil spills in Nigeria, child labor abuse in Central America by our shoe companies who seek cheaper labor and fewer industrial safety and work condition regulations.

We see the Donald Trumps who extol the virtues of the free market system (which NEVER existed in this country) as the reason for his success and all other things good, failing to mention his father’s gift to him of $50 million or the fact that the government bankruptcy system bailed his sorry haired butt out not one, but three times.

The problem with Lynn Jenkins is that rather than correct good programs with some obvious flaws, she refuses to see virtue and would destroy such programs totally because it’s just too easy to plaster her position on a bumper sticker than to really learn about problems, educate her constituents about them and lead. She is too much like the majority of politicians who have such simple solutions to every problem and don’t have the understanding or courage to admit that most issues are quite complicated. Unfortunately, she is not alone.

I dislike Jenkins intensely. I didn't vote for her prior and won't ever in the future.

However, her comments have a certain amount of truth to them. I have a friend who got himself "fired" from a job he didn't like and then drew unemployment for at least 36 months if not more. This was 3-4 years ago. He had NO intention of getting another job and enrolled in a masters program and finished. He did everything he could to squeeze every available dollar from unemployment.

Cherokee County Kansas is just overflowing with jobs...NOT. Poverty is rampant. Meth is out of control. This is the far end of the bell curve folks. Unemployment benefits as a career choice? I've seen it in action live. But the % of folks making this choice is pretty low.

A lot of people around here be looking for work..want work...there isn't any work. They shipped the factory of to Monterrey....something called NAFTA screwed it all up.

With more than 11-15 million out of work jobs are not going to bounce back anytime soon. A lot of jobs lost to the 2nd repub home loan scam went to other nations that provide health care or health insurance for the people.

Neither Yoder nor Jenkins have done anything significant about jobs. Just bring us more Reagnomics warmed over which has done nothing but produce wreckanomics, Neither deserve one more day moochin off the taxpayers.

shocking revelation! of course she's right (pun not intended but enjoyed anyway) and unfortunately more correct than tobias' statement in response.

there are people out there who are content being a parasite. some even revel in it. it's human nature. some of them have never voted. some vote democratic, some republican, but all just lack character. i sure ms jenkins can't imagine one of those despicable persons voting republican, but let me assure you, they do.

the trick is ms jenkins, how do you prevent gaming the system without penalizing the person who unemployment is intended to help? and the important thing to know is, just how big is the problem, and where does it rank in the list of problems we have to deal with?

i suspect this is primarily campaign fodder to help get to the base. here's something that really needs fixing: the republican party platform plank that doesn't allow for abortion in the case of rape, incest or threat to the life of the woman.

"Nobody is happy to be unemployed. To offer a catchphrase instead of a solution is insulting. When I go to Washington, I'll work with both parties to create jobs for the people of Cherokee County, not criticize them," he said.

False. There are generations of the same family more interested in collecting their handout check than they are working. Welfare and FoodStamps and the other 70+ handout programs have gone from a last-resort safety net to a career choice for millions of people. It is very sad.

That said, Jenkins was foolish for making such a remark in the middle of a campaign. Nothing good comes from it.

Kevin Yoder and Lynn Jenkins recently voted to continue the Bush Tax Cuts for the 1%.

I am extremely dismayed that Rep Yoder and Rep Jenkins voted to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.

When we're brutally slashing the budget for government programs that help people, there's nothing more fiscally irresponsible than giving money to millionaires and billionaires who literally don't need it.

Rep Kevin Yoder, 202-225-2865 Rep Lynn Jenkins 202 225 6601

The very same politicians who are pleading poverty and yelling the loudest about the need to make brutal budget cuts had no problem voting to give away more tax dollars to the rich and the ultra-rich.

We saw this again recently when Congress Rep Lynn Jenkins and Rep. Kevin Yoder, voted to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest two percent of Americans.

There is very little that so clearly demonstrates what's broken in Congress than those simultaneously demanding to give the Koch brothers a tax cut while pushing benefit cuts to programs like Social Security and Medicare. The republican platform of the past 30 years.

WE have a problem with the republican party putting millions out of work and out of medical insurance.

WE have a problem with the republican party home loan scams depleting property values thus owning a home becomes a very risky investment.

Republicans cost the USA too much money! Meet the Republican DEFICIT EXPANDING/JOB KILLING PLATFORM.

ENTITLEMENT - TABOR is Coming by Grover Norquist and Koch Bros sells out state governments, public schools,SRS services etc etc to private industry = Grab Your Wallets! http://www.dollarsandsense.org/archives/2005/0705rebne.html

ENTITLEMENT - Bailing out The Reagan/Bush Savings and Loan Heist aka home loan scandal sent the economy out the window costing taxpayers many many $$ trillions (Cost taxpayers $1.4 trillion), Plus millions of jobs, loss of retirement plans and loss of medical insurance. http://rationalrevolution0.tripod.com/war/bush_family_and_the_s.htm

ENTITLEMENT - Bailing out the Bush/Cheney Home Loan Wall Street Bank Fraud cost consumers $ trillions, millions of jobs, loss of retirement plans and loss of medical insurance. Exactly like the Reagan/Bush home loan scam. Déjà vu can we say. Yep seems to be a pattern. http://www.dollarsandsense.org/archives/2009/0709macewan.html

ENTITLEMENT - Bush/Cheney implied many financial institutions were at risk instead of only 3? One of the biggest lies perpetrated to American citizens. Where did this money go? Why were some banks forced to take bail out money? http://www.democracynow.org/2009/9/10/good_billions_after_bad_one_year

Tax cuts = the ENTITLEMENT program for the wealthy which do nothing to make an economy strong or produce jobs. Tax cuts are a tax increase to others in order to make up the loss in revenue = duped again.

Yep Still A Bad ENTITLEMENT Idea – Bush Tax Cuts aka The ENTITLEMENT program for the wealthy at the expense of the middle class = duped one more time. http://www.dollarsandsense.org/archives/2001/0301miller.html

The main reason Republicans hate unemployment insurance is because if they could eliminate it, it would create desperation among workers. Without it, employers could drive down wages and benefits under the threat that what they have to offer is better than nothing.

This is much more the reality than the "abuse" they like to focus on.

I worked part time while collecting unemployment. Though this lowered my weekly benefit, I much preffered working the hours and it kept my spirits up. I also preserved some of my benefit for a later period should I become unemployed or laid off in the near future.

I worked hard for twenty years and payed into the system. I was glad it helped me in my time of need. Even at that, I still watched some of the balance in my life savings go down each month.

I also am thankful that President Obama introduced a 2nd tier of benefits as an extension to those who were still out of work and looking. I was hoping that I would never need that, but it provided some peace of mind. I know this 2nd tier has undoubedtly been a lifesafer for those struggling. For individuals and families just like you and me, who would have a lot to lose.

It will become clear next week the Democratic Party platform revolves around the dangerous idea that individuals can't achieve success without government handouts like unemployment. The fact that Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren will speak at their convention tells us all we need to know about the DNC. Warren's suggestion that it's impossible for Americans to attain success devoid of the federal government is an indictment on how far from the American dream Democrats have fallen. The fact that unemployment rose to 8.3% recently is an indictment of Obama, Warren and big government Democrats who believe rights are endowed by government. The ridiculous notion that business owners didn’t build their businesses speaks to their ineptitude and explains why unemployment numbers continue to move in the wrong direction. This is the Democratic Party’s "Declaration of Dependence". How sad for America.

http://www.susanstamperbrown.com/2012/08/the-democratic-partys-declaration-of-dependence/

Lynn Jenkins has been collecting benefits and salary for doing nothing for years...

Lynns crowning legislative acheivment in 2011 ... drum roll please....

The Affordable Footwear Act 2011

I kid you not , look it up , to reduce or eliminate the duty on cheap imported footwear , probably for Payless ya think , yeah Lynn USA jobs , no lets import a bunch of cheap crap from God knows where.

You can't make this crap up

"Bill Roe, who is campaign manager for Jenkins, said that Jenkins recently met with a small businessman who said that when he tried to make a hire, the applicant said he couldn't start for a few weeks because that is when his unemployment ran out."

Okay, let me get this straight. Roe says that Jenkins told Roe that Businessman had told Jenkins that Applicant told Businessman....

Yep, sounds like hard evidence to me!

I see our resident “communist” has taken us off on another wild ride. Unemployment funds are paid by the employer (you could argue they might have gone to the employee). When one is unemployed a number of other government programs may be available depending on state, condition, martial status and so on. There are food stamps, housing assistance, child care, Medicaid, chips, family assistance and more. The combined total can be significant.

I find it intriguing that every time this subject arises we are bombarded with comments about how somebody hates the poor. Another wild ride. The safety net is there to help people who need help. Many, many of us are aware that the system is abused. Instead of acknowledging that fact and providing hard data on how many and for how long (highly disputed) some on here throw rocks at the accusers. Maybe we really should know the answer to that accusation and either put it down or fix it up.

I am sick and tired of the same old, same old republican response to the country's problem of high unemployment. Its always the same. No one drawing benefits is legit. They are all gaming the system. This is just like Kobach's claim that illegals are swaying election outcomes. Well you know, it is against the law to do these things. If they think this is happening then why in the hell don't they prosecute the offenders. "Oh, you want me to prove it? Thats too hard and there might not be enough evidence for that. I'll just sit here and continue to make all these fase accusations and keep people riled up."

Lynn Jenkins, go to hell!!!!!

Too, when offerred a job whilst one is receiving Employment Security benefits (what most people call "unemployment"), one must take that job. If one does not take the offerred job and reports that one was a offerred a job, but declined it, benefits are suspended while dept. of labor workers sort out the matter. Of course there aren't that many dept. of labor employees left and the filing process for benefits, as well as the weekly reporting is automated.

The instance being sighted by the "....small businessman who said that when he tried to make a hire, the applicant said he couldn't start....." is possible.....but the person who refused the job needs to report that refusal.

But we're in Kansas.....and in hard times, Kansans like to blame the poor.

The people I know who are out of work (including myself recently) are going nuts being without work and not having a place to go every day. They are thankful that unemployment comp (BTW something we have all contributed to for many years) is there to help pay some of the bills. For most people, unemployment comp does not pay all the bills, and you watch your savings account go down each month.

Sure Miss Jenkins can find an example of a deadbeat, take that one example, apply said example to whole set. I find this insulting.

Lets not also forget this is a safety net. it gives people disposable income and helps economies from falling even more sharply.

Can we have some facts, please?

How much did the job offer pay? Just 1 out of how many applicants? What was the prospective employee actually receiving from unemployment insurance? How long was that person on unemployment?

People tend to make rational decisions regarding money. Like Ayn Rand using Medicare when she got old. Or Mitt Romney off-shoring money to evade taxes. Or a business outsourcing jobs for a tax break.

Don't vote on an anecdote.

Typical republican attatudes, unemployed poeple are lazy, indifferent, and sucking off of the state. Jenkins is a stunnhing example of someone who should have never been elected, but was elected by the clueless, stupid and ignorant voters who have an axe to grind with the black dude in the White House.

And since the JW did not include the print edition story about Ryan's speech at the conventiion last night, my comment on the print story is here:

Blah, Blah, Blah, same old bait and switch from the republican facists. Blah, Blah, Blan, we will promise it now, and forget it after we get our hands on "Obamacare" Blah, blah, blah, lies, deceptions, and misrepresentations. Blah, Bllah, Blah......usual GOP pablum. Nothing new here. B ut you won't see it in this forum.

Falsy knows 'females' that have babies father'd by whomever to get government 'welfare' bennies.

What's the big 'deal'? As long as Flex can create 'shovel ready' jobs, his government babies will have something to do.

This is the problem with the current Republican Party-- they make policy based on anecdote, and it doesn't really matter how representative of the real world that anecdote is.

Sure, there are some people who will milk unemployment for all it's worth. But anyone who lives in the real world knows that that is a small minority. The vast majority of people want to find work, if for no other reason than it's very difficult to keep the bills paid while on unemployment, but mainly because most people understand the value of work, and happily do it.

Making policy based on lies has become official Republican policy.

This is a myth based idea that the Republicans love to exploit because it paints a false image that there are millions of deadbeats living off the government.

All they need is a couple of examples of real losers somehow living in a commune or a friends couch somewhere and people believe it.

I find it disgusting that a program that is basically an insurance policy to provide some supplemental relief in desparate times is used to browbeat the recipients as being deadbeats simply to score political points.

Unfortunately she's right.

Because minimum wage is so low people make more money when they collect unemployment than if they went to work at one of these low paying jobs. Now maybe if these businesses paid a wage where people could make ends meet then there would be an incentive to get off unemployment. It's common sense. Most people aren't going to take a cut in income when they're already hurting.