Senator Richard Burr Uses BP Oil Leak As Smoke-Screen To Shut Out A Tier 5 Or A Second Stimulus

According to DailyAdvance.com, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) says that the focus right now should be on stopping the BP oil leak.  Burr has a record voting against unemployment insurance and when asked about a second stimulus for help to the struggling states and the unemployed, Burr stated:

“We’re just not in a position as a federal government to create a second stimulus package,” Burr said. “I don’t think it’s the role of the federal government to come to the aid of states and bail them out.”

Burr expressed support for the various probes that are looking into what caused the disaster and whether it could have been prevented.  Burr stated also that: 

“It’s absolutely essential for us to understand what went wrong,” Burr said. “I can’t tell you today whether a federal regulator turned their back or a company cut some corners they shouldn’t have.”

According to the Associated Press, government officials estimate that the leak, which started six weeks ago, has now dumped anywhere from 21 million to 45 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. BP’s latest efforts to plug the leak ran into a problems and an oil slick from the disaster began approaching the Florida panhandle.

This statement comes from Burr’s trip to Edenton on Wednesday for tours of the newly renovated Cupola House and to visit local employers. He also participated in a radio interview conducted by 103.7 WTIB-FM talk show host and Chowan County native Henry Hinton.

If you are a 99er and/or have exhausted all benefits of unemployment assistance, continue to expect a “No” vote from the senior Senator Richard Burr.  According to the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Burr’s state of North Carolina is experiencing an unprecedented 10.9% (nearly 11%) unemployment rate and the state’s unemployment fund is broke just as many others across the nation. 

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-51044-Nashville-DNC-Examiner~y2010m6d5-Senator-Richard-Burr-RNC-uses-BP-oil-spill-as-smokescreen-for-no-support-for-second-stimulus#

North Carolina Unemployment Rate 11.1% - 1 Million Jobless In North Carolina Need A Tier 5 Unemployment Extension

According to the United States Census Bureau and with the help of Google data, the current estimated population of North Carolina is 9,380,884.  With the current estimated percentage of jobless in that state with numbers from the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate is calculated at 11.1%.  Just using the raw data, this makes for over a million who are jobless in North Carolina. Precisely based on these two figures, the total number of jobless that we know are 1,041,278.

Each and every one of these jobless in North Carolina deserve to have unemployment insurance as long as they need the assistance until the job market full recovers.  Just like all of the other states, there are not enough jobs for every unemployed person.  Congress needs to implement a Tier 5 for unemployment assistance for the long-term jobless.

Senators Richard Burr and Kay Hagan need to be doing all they can to alleviate the problem of lack of jobs.  Until then, the absolute least thing these Senators can do is support and introduce legislation that extends the amount of weeks available for the unemployed in their state.  If there are not enough jobs, there are not enough jobs.  It's that simple.  There should not even be a need to debate it.  The debate should be over how to get the assistance to these people fast enough. 

If you are jobless in North Carolina, please contact your Senators and tell them your situation.  Do not be afraid of these people.  You pay their high six figure salaries.  Government is supposed to work for the people.  Get your voice heard to them. 

The contact information for these Senators is located here:  http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=NC

The unemployed from North Carolina are sharing resources and communicating here:  http://unemployed-friends.forumotion.com/north-carolina-f36/ as well as any comments that may be on this posting that may keep the unemployed in North Carolina updated. 

The official North Carolina Department of Labor page is:  http://www.nclabor.com/

If anyone has any more links for resources specific to the State of North Carolina, please post that information in comments so that all North Carolina unemployed have access to these resources.