So Be It

Republicans must be dancing in the street.

Republicans were swept into office in 2010 with two promises, repealing “Obamacare” and restoring jobs to unemployed Americans.

So how are they doing?

Well, on one happy note, Republicans in the lower House voted to repeal the law that the Democratic House and Senate passed last year to put affordable health care out of the reach of millions of Americans . . .again.

That is, they voted to restore the old broken system that drives some Americans to bankruptcy, and other Americans to their early graves.

Not bad, not bad. All except for the fact that the same bill hasn’t a gnat’s chance in a hailstorm of passing in the Senate let alone getting a signature from my President.

And now we see that they have rolled up their sleeves to attack the number two item on their agenda: getting Americans back to work.

Oh, except if you work for the federal government. If you work for the federal government then you face a dim future indeed, courtesy of John Boehner and the Republican majority in the House. As a matter of fact, according to this story, you might as well just pack it in and get some of those unemployment insurance applications ready to fill out. Stick a fork in you, you are done.

John Boehner says so. As a matter of fact, he is quoted as saying that if federal workers are going to be out of a job, then “So be it.”

From the Washington Post:

“House Speaker John Boehner expressed little sympathy Tuesday for federal workers who lose their jobs as the result of Republican budget cutting.”

“‘In the last two years, under President Obama, the federal government has added 200,000 new federal jobs,’ Mr. Boehner told reporters Tuesday morning during a press conference in the lobby of the Republican National Committee, according to various news outlets. ‘If some of those jobs are lost, so be it. We’re broke.’”

Nice, huh?

And then I had to wonder where the Speaker got his facts from, from the prize in his box of Cracker Jacks? 200,000 jobs?

Figures lie and liars figure.

According to the federal government’s central clearing office for federal workers, the Office of Personnel Management, the HR Department in other words, that’s just not so.

“According to Office of Personnel Management statistics, 82,692 full-time federal workers left the federal government in fiscal 2009 and agencies added 142,687 new hires, for a net gain of 59,995 jobs.”

But mark my words you 59,995 workers, even if you are not 200,000 strong, John Boehner has it out for you. And you and your families can just kiss his orange butt. Because if you are going to get the axe on his watch, so be it.

And next time, try and vote for the party that cares about whether or not you have a job, OK?