Dear Editor:
On November 18th, the extension of unemployment benefits (H.R. 6419) was defeated in the House on a roll call vote. Why? Because Republicans voted against it by a 143 to 21 margin. Even though one of those 21 votes in favor was cast by our congressman, Dean Heller, it was not enough to prevent the cutoff of jobless benefits for five million workers in the dead of winter.
Republicans claim that the country just can't afford the $12 billion extended benefits price tag, but can afford to extend the Bush tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires at a cost of $130 billion over the next two years alone. Never mind that unemployment benefits are highly stimulative, while cuts to the top tax bracket will do little to revive the economy. On the contrarary, they will bust the budget, devalue the currency and raise interest rates for the rest of us.
For any of the unemployed who voted Republican on November 2nd, I have one question: What were you thinking?
Richard Dunn
Carson City