Retiring Sen. Jim Bunning of Kentucky launched a personal "crusade" for fiscal responsibility last Thursday by blocking an extension of unemployment and COBRA benefits for 400,000 Americans who lost their jobs during the recession. According to Bunning, the $10 billion jobless benefits package — proposed by fellow Republican Sen. John Kyl and strongly supported by members of both parties — is just another example of reckless Congressional spending. In response to pleas from a Democrat senator to lift his block, Bunning replied, "Tough sh-t." Is Sen. Bunning taking a necessary stand, or just being a "heartless" jerk? (Watch Jim Bunning's blocking of the unemployment extension)
This reeks of hypocrisy: "It should be a no-brainer to extend unemployment insurance when around 1 out of every 10 workers is unemployed," says The New York Times in an editorial. But despite not having "a problem with blowing up the deficit for the Iraq war and tax cuts," Bunning has inexplicably become "a deficit hawk when it comes to average Americans."
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