Nashville News Blog

Rep. Brian Kelsey: Let them eat cake!

After months of Culture War grandstanding, the House finally took up legislation this afternoon to help ordinary out-of-work Tennesseans, and Republicans threw a hissy fit.

The bill raises unemployment taxes on businesses a little bit to keep the state's unemployment trust fund from going broke as the economy craters. The state also would accept $140 million in federal stimulus money to expand jobless benefits in ways that most other states did years ago. You may recall Gov. Phil Bredesen waffled on expanding benefits at first, but he decided that when the federal money disappears in a couple of years, the state won't even notice the difference. Yet today there was our favorite teabagger, Rep. Brian Kelsey of ritzy Germantown, raising the usual right-wing protests. How dare we try to help laid-off workers? he asked.

"We should not be increasing benefits at this time in the state's fiscal situation in which we're having a hard time balancing our budget. The amount of money we're getting from the federal government to do this is really just a pittance. Yet we're extending benefits forever."

Rep. Jimmy Naifeh defended the bill and showed why he's still the true leader of House Democrats.

"It's been since the early '80s since we've had to deal with this unemployment trust fund. Back at that time, our fund went broke, and that's about what's happening now. This is something we have to do. We're at the highest unemployment this state has ever had. These people have got to live. They've got to survive. We're supposed to be taking care of them. No one likes to raise taxes. But this is something that's necessary for us to continue to look out for those people who are unemployed at this time, my constituents and all of your constituents."

Rep. Stacey Campfield, his heart obviously breaking for families suffering in this economy, offered an amendment to bar benefits for part-time workers who have been laid off. He explained helpfully, "Besides raising taxes, we could also reduce benefits or reduce the number of people who can receive benefits." His amendment failed by a vote of 79-13. The House finally then voted 76-19 for the bill.

Pith would like to suggest a nice mail piece for whoever runs against these 19 lawmakers next time. It would say something like, "Your state representative voted to hurt laid-off workers. He's an asshat."