Ben Sasse Believes That The Poor And Middle Class Have It Too Easy
Ben Sasse’s conduct since the international pandemic broke out has been utterly disgraceful and has showed his true character. Sasse believes that rich people don’t have enough money and that the poor and middle class have it too easy.
On March 18, Sasse was one of eight Senators who voted against a corona virus aide package. This critical bill increased unemployment insurance and guarantees free diagnostic testing for the corona virus. It also provides up to 10 days of paid sick leave for millions of Americans . (Unfortunately, due to GOP pressure, millions more Americans won’t qualify for paid sick leave.)
Sasse followed up that extreme vote by two votes in favor of Mitch McConnell’s so-called stimulus bill. The McConnell bill failed to pass because it allowed corporations who receive taxpayer bailout funds to buy back their stock, increase executive pay and fire their workers. Moreover, the McConnell bill included a $500 billion slush fund which Treasury Secretary Mnuchin could disperse in secret.
On March 25, Ben Sasse and three other right wing GOP Senators held up the Senate stimulus bill for a day because it would give unemployed workers an extra $600 per week. Apparently, these workers would earn a little bit more than the $10 to $12 per hour they normally earn. Perhaps the problem is that these people aren’t paid enough in the first place. After holding up this vital aide package for a day, Sasse ended up voting for the bill.
Sasse argued that this extra chunk of change would encourage the working poor to be unemployed. That was an insulting remark and demonstrates Sasse’s contempt for blue collar workers. Incidentally, Ben Sasse has never expressed any concerns that a tax cut for the rich will cause a wealthy scion like Donald Trump, Jr. to stay home and not work.
On the day the $2 trillion stimulus package passed the Senate, Ben Sasse and his extreme Senate allies spoke with Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia in a behind the scenes effort to curtail the unemployment benefits in the bill. (As a matter of background, Scalia is the son of former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and a former corporate lawyer who represented management in labor law disputes.)
Due to Sasse’s secret lobbying, Scalia has used his power as Labor Secretary to cut back on who qualifies for unemployment compensation benefits and to make it easier for small businesses to deny family leave benefits. Sasse and Scalia’s news rules make it harder for Uber and Lyft drivers to collect benefits, while making it easier for some employers to reject their workers’ corona virus related family and sick leave.
“The Labor Department chose the narrowest possible definition of who qualifies for pandemic unemployment assistance,” said Andrew Stettner, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation who has spent twenty years working on unemployment issues.
Sasse is an out of touch elitist who holds a job that pays $174,000 per year with a generous benefit package. The Senate only meet around 110 days per year. In any event, Sasse’s main source of income are book royalties. Sasse is prioritizing his book tours over his constituents.
This describes Ben Sasse: “Forgive me for noting that conservatives seem to believe that the rich will work harder if we give them more, and the poor will work harder if we give them less.” E.J. Dionne.
Due to his indifference to his constituents, Sasse has drawn no less than seven Democratic opponents. I would recommend that you get behind one of these candidates and help them throw out Ben Sasse. We must regain control of the Senate and end McConnell’s destructive obstruction. Enough! Now let’s get it done!