Jim Bunning: Why I Dug In

Jim Bunning is unapologetic about his one-man stand on Capitol Hill. He doesn't object to jobless benefits, he writes, but to Democrats breaking their own rules about passing bills without paying for them. "Many people asked me, 'Why now?' My answer is, 'Why not now?' Why can't a non-controversial measure in the Senate that would help those in need be paid for? If the Senate cannot find $10 billion to pay for a measure we all support, we will never pay for anything."

In USA Today, the Kentucky senator warns that "we are on the verge of a tipping point where America's debt will bring down our economy, and more people will join the unemployment lines. That is why I used my right as a United States Senator and objected." Bunning invokes his 40 grandkids and their future if politicians keep using taxpayer money as a "slush fund" with no end. "At some point, the madness has to stop." (More Jim Bunning stories.)