DISTRACT AND DIVIDE

What got us where we are is listening to the old “distract and divide” tactic that those who are perpetrating these robberies are orchestrating. They get us riled about pat-downs at airports (a perfectly legitimate argument about personal intrusion that can, and should, be discussed) to distract us from discussing far more important issues.

The week of the “pat down” controversy, important legislation slipped through while the media bemoaned the fact that people might be inconvenienced at airports.
• Extended unemployment benefits for long-term unemployed has one day to be ratified.
• The New START Treaty has stalled.
• The Paycheck Fairness Act was voted down.

Why were these so important?

Long-term unemployment affects 2 million in Dec. alone. There is currently one job available for every 5 to 6 who are unemployed. Jobs for those who lost theirs in construction or manufacturing are even harder to find.
Extending unemployment benefits stimulates the economy because the unemployed will spend their money—on rent, groceries, gasoline, clothing, etc.

As for the New START Treaty, read Sen. Jon Kyl’s words (the one who single-handedly held this bill hostage) just last year, “I urge my colleagues to consider what will happen on December 6, [2009] the day after the expiration of that agreement. For the first time in 15 years, an extensive set of verification, notification, elimination and other confidence building measures will expire. The U.S. will lose a significant source of information that has allowed it to have confidence in its ability to understand Russian strategic nuclear forces.” He was right at the time, but evidently that doesn’t matter now. It’s more important to block any legislation from the current administration.

The Paycheck Fairness Act vote sets equal pay issues back once again. Women still earn 77 cents on each dollar that men make for the same job, only pennies a year above what they made in 1960. Every single Republican in the Senate voted against this bill.