Tea Party position on unemployment half-baked

Sen. Rand Paul, a Tea Party Favorite, said he supports 26 weeks of unemployment insurance but not more because extending the benefits would be an injustice to the longtime unemployed. He points to a study that employers stated they would hire someone out of work for four weeks over someone out of work for more than 26 weeks. Forget that fact that the average unemployed worker has been out of a job for almost 38 weeks already.

Now exactly what benefit or assistance to the long-term unemployed does this position offer? There is of course no more incentive to hire the longtime unemployed than there was in the first place; you just leave less tools for those affected to cope. But this sort of demented thinking fits right into Tea Party dogma.

I do realize that pointing out the flaws that result from half-baked proposals and positions leaves me at the risk of President Obama and myself continuing to destroy America but let’s face it, if you propose something stupid someone is bound to notice. Does anyone happen to know how many current Tea Party members are among the long-term unemployed ranks, or have they all gone over to the “dark side” as theory met personal circumstances?

James Prescott

Schaumburg