Here's To You Tommy Boy

If you were following my tweets yesterday you may have noticed the passage of an unemployment extension bill that passed with a very overwhelming margin.

You'll remember that I blogged about the original bill, H.R. 3548, back when it first passed the House of Representatives by a narrower margin. At the time I was very angry that our so-called conservative Virginians like Randy Forbes and Rob Wittman had voted for a bill that would tax Virginia businesses in order to send unemployment checks to failed states like Michigan. And yet liberals like Tom Perriello and Jim Moran ended up voting against it. Smart move on their part!

Here is the Augusta Free Press describing Tom Perriello's work to improve the bill:

The legislation passed today – which mirrors legislation introduced by Rep. Perriello – extends an additional 14 weeks of unemployment benefits to jobless workers in all 50 states, with an extra six weeks for those in high unemployment states (over 8.5 percent) who are about to run out of benefits. Though Virginia has an average of 6.6 percent unemployment, most communities in Southside Virginia have unemployment rates over 9 percent.

How Rep. Perriello Succeeded in Fight for Unemployment Benefits Extension:

· Sept 21: Rep. Perriello writes to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer asking that unemployment benefits be extended based on regional considerations, as opposed to by state.
· Sept 22: The U.S. House passes H.R. 3548, the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act, which only applied to states with unemployment rates of 8.5 percent or higher. Perriello broke with his party and voted against the bill.
· Sept 29: Rep. Perriello writes to the House Ways and Means Committee Chairman urging an immediate six-week unemployment benefit extension for all states.
· Oct 1: Rep. Perriello joins Reps. Peter Welch (D-Vermont) and David Loebsack (D-Iowa) to introduce legislation to extend unemployment benefits in all 50 states.
· Nov 4: The U.S. Senate approves compromise with provisions similar to the Welch/Perriello/Loebsack bill.
· Nov 5: The U.S. House approves the Senate’s compromise.

So here's to you Tommy Boy. I'll give credit where credit is do. Now vote against health care!

Also, nomination for worst Congressman in the world: Scott Garrett of New Jersey. Why? Well when the bill was first voted on he supported it. Yesterday he voted against it! What part turned Garrett off? The better treatment of states like Virginia? Tax credits for homebuyers? Come on!