That is exactly what I was thinking.

The point is: what other job can you go missing for this long and not get fired?

Vote everyone out in November - start from scratch!

p.s. For the 30% of you who will vote you can all Tweet each other and decide on a write in candidate. There is no reason to settle for what they offer.

Years of drug addiction and needles = Aids

The point is: what other job can you go missing for this long and not get fired?

Any job. The Americans With Disabilities Act ensures that you cannot be fired because of an illness or disability. Seems that people are making judgements on Jackson's absence based on theories and assumptions. If he is truly suffering, either physically or mentally, he does have legal protections and a certain level of privacy that we have to respect. I will agree, however, that being an elected official does require a certain amount of accountability to his constituents.

He's suffering from being oppressed by "the man".

He had gastric bypass surgery a few years back. Could it be that he is now suffering complications from it? It's possible. Or stomach cancer? However, his office is two blocks away from my house. He needs to provide an explanation soon or he won't likely get my vote in November.

Does Illinois have any squeaky clean politicos?

When Sanford disappeared the media wanted an immediate explanation of his whereabouts because he was an elected official. The democratic party needs to insist he speak out, or have somebody do it for him if he is physically incapable. The people are currently not being represented.

Jesse until 2014 your medical problems are between you and your doctor. See HIPPA after that well you voted for it not me. Tell Princess Nancy to take a long walk off a real short pier. You owe explanations only to the people of your district if they ask.

@BadgerBoy

From what I understand it was weeks before he even made any kind of statement. In my state we call that "job abandonment"

Otherwise, I call into work the day I get sick (or call from the hospital the next day) and if I am unconscious my wife calls for me.

Does the ADA cover not letting your work know?

All these morons live by different rules - they have Universal Healthcare but fight tooth and nail to prevent Joe Public form getting the same coverage they have always enjoyed!

Who really cares? The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

maybe president obama can give an executive order ,to "leave him alone"

Just a clarification, you cannot be fired because of an illness, as long as you continue to perform your job, which he has not, FMLA, on the other hand, allows for unpaid leave of up to 12 weeks, for an illness... he is still being paid though... So the short answer is, none, there is no job, outside of government, where you can dissapear for over a month for an unspecified illness and continue to draw a salary..

Gov't work is great if you can get it....

He's just "dodging" questions about his illegal use of funds. He's plain sick he got caught.... like father like son......... better do a DNA test, mama may not be as pure as the driven snow either.

If he is truly suffering, either physically or mentally, he does have legal protections

Badger Boy, regardless of the laws... as an elected official he has a responsibility to his district. A responsibility he seems to want to disregard! His silence speaks volumes!

He needs to disclose why he has been away from his duties for so long! That's the issue right now, not if he has a legal right to miss work.....

Steve-2570999

The point is: what other job can you go missing for this long and not get fired?

The points are this Steve: A) it is none of our business what is wrong with him, just as it isn't the business of my co-workers to be told what is wrong with me if I have a health problem, and B) the answer to your question is this: almost any job in America. I know you've heard of FMLA. Whether he is getting paid or not is up to Congress, not the posters on this thread.

Get a life, you don't need to try and live everyone elses.

Disrespect and disregard seem to be the norm for certain people of "color" since it's condoned and promoted by BO especially in Illinois (chicago). My first thought was that he might be hiding out from the mob, and that's still a viable alternative. If not, and he's off mentally, which could also be attributed to his lack of respect for the office and his district, all his dirty little deeds have managed to catch up to him. If it's physical, maybe he had it coming......

Being Jessie Jackson's son would be cause for depression.

I would have to agree with you ProDem1 about it possibly being rehab? I live in Arizona. And, about a month ago. My friend who works here at the airport. Saw the elder Jackson and his son come through the airport. They're are definitely some prominent rehab centers here in town.

He suffers from CRONIC LYING SYNDROME...

know cure: JESUS CHRIST

Rontron

Does Illinois have any squeaky clean politicos?

They thought they had one. After the Blagojovich fiasco blew up Blagojovich and the Dems decided to find the most squeaky clean candidate they could to fill the seat left open by Obama when he became president. Roland Burris was touted as being the most honest man in politics in Illinois. He changed his stories about the pay-for-play fiasco 5 times in the first 4 days of the media coverage. You do the math.

P.S. Four of the last eight Governors for Illinois either are now or have been in prison. There's a reason Chicago politics is a punch-line.

You folks are missing the point. Having him missing in action is a benefit. He isn't in his office F'ing up another social program.

But since he doesn't feel the need to report to his employers (taxpayers) then his employers should find it just as acceptable to hand him his pink slip. They shouldn't have to wait until Nov. to do it either.

He has an obligation to the people he represents to be there and doing his job. If he is unable to continue due to physical or mental illness then he has an obligation to step aside so that his district can be properly represented. If he is clinically depressed to the point of needing inpatient treatment then he is no longer fit to hold office. To simply disappear for weeks without saying a word and then give only a vague statement about some illness to explain your absence is completely unacceptable for an elected representative. When you run for public office you give up some of your right to privacy, and the right to keep something like this private is one of those things you give up. There is an obligation you have to those who elected you and those who you are asking to do so again to reelect you to disclose any serious physical or mental illness. He certainly should not be drawing a paycheck from the government if he is not there doing his job. He is entitled to leave under the FMLA, but that leave is unpaid, not paid.

What I would really like to know is why the Left isn't reacting the exact same way they did about Mark Sanford. Not that either of the two is more or less guilty. They both bailed on their constituents. But the reaction shows nothing but partisan behavior. Toe that party line folks. We would expect no less.

After reading many of the comments on here it is very clear why Franklin Roosevelt went to great lengths to hide the fact that he had polio.

Rev Jesse Jackson Sr. thought nothing about spewing details of 'non-elected' people's lives to every camera he could get his face in front of. Many of those people were innocent and Jackson never apologized for his dragging them through the mud. He's done this for decades.

Now -- it's his son and it's 'PRIVATE'. He doesn't deserve the title nor recognition of "Rev'. He's a hypocrite. He's a dirty player and should slither under a rock. His 'prayers' are as worthless as he.

My suggestion -- Check the Drug Rehabs for JJ JR. It's been a month -- you know, those 30 day programs.

I hate to be the one to point this out, but it's actually against the law to ask someone specific questions about any illness or condition under the terms of HIPAA.

@theCavalier

No it isn't. It's not illegal to talk about it. It's not illegal to ask. It's only illegal for the medical professionals, insurance folks, and the billing staff to do so. HIPAA is not a blanket protection from ever having your information out there. It's strictly for the folks in the medical field itself. Research is your friend.

http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/administrative/privacyrule/index.html

Maybe he's exhausted after attempting to be the first elected Democrat to read the ACA.

When has any member of the Senate or House, federal or state, ever worked to the point of exhaustion?

Obviously you have never worked closely with a member of the House. Between their work in DC, work in their district and having to campaign and raise money every two or six years, their schedule is grueling. I often wonder why anyone would want such a demanding schedule. Unfortunately, most Americans have the same misconception about our representatives, but then again, everyone's job seems less stressful until you have walked in the same shoes.

He might be exhausted from messing with Washinton DC hostesses.

Doesn't seem like the rest of Congress is doing very much this past 3 years why pick on him.

The cure for him would be a good enema. But if they did that he wouldn't have any brains. Who says people can't learn from their parents?

meh1956,

"I think he has HOFFPI disease (Hiding Out From Federal Pending Indictment) disease."

I like that. A new disease. The article said he is up for re-election to a 10th. term. So I hope this has not been typical of his behavior, otherwise it is the voters you need to be looking at. Why do they keep re-electing him?

Same reason Pelosi, Reid, et al Liberals, keeps getting re-elected: blindfolded voters.

good post--people keep electing idiots like that because they don't want to have to publicly admit that they are so unintelligent as to have voted for him in the first place --kinda like obama supporters

@ Mickey..... Silly question, because he's black and "the UN rev's" boy... maybe.... ( no offense intended)

It all makes sense now.

HOFFPI is a contagious disease in Illinois!

They keep voting for him because he's black and democrat, just like the majority of voters in his district.

HAHAHAHA - you are right.

And unfortunately it is contagious....example: Pelosi, Reid, Biden......etc, etc, etc.

@ Out in the Woods: you're really referring to those uppity black folks who receive a education, then proceed to work hard in the private sector, followed by successful run(s) at public office?

Easier to admit you can't stand dark people, and be done with the pretense.

Finally wised up? Glad you did. I could see through daddy and sharpton from the git go !! So to me they really are transparent. Two sponges on society misleading MANY, they are.

He is also a blackmailer. He is from my home town and he has ALWAYS been a bigot. He blackmails company for money by saying he will come out for boycotts against them. I know this to be fact because he did it to my company.

If he is as promiscuous as his daddy, he probably has an STD.

I get what you are saying. Guess it wasn't nice. But one can't help but wonder - did Jessie Jr. possibly take time off to go bond with his illegimate sister compliments of his daddy, the REVEREND Jackson? His father is a jacka$$.

Yeah, But I LUVVVV me some Jesse!!!

His health care is not his own business if he chooses to stay in public office. He owes it to his constituents to divulge whatever is wrong. If he doesn't do so before the election, then hopefully the voters will not re-elect him.

ABCzyx...I agree with the part that if he does not disclose or step aside before the election then he should disclose so the folks that he represents have reasonable information to cast their vote. But honestly, public figures should not give up their private medical conditions or information it should still remain private.

Honestly, I am no fan of Jesse Jackson or JR but I would be a hypocrite if held a double standard. Just because someone is a public figure doesn't mean their entire life should be an open book. A complete lack of privacy leads to paranoia.

!. There are salary employees out in the real world who still receive paychecks when the are off on medical leave. Oops not just politicians.

2. He shouldn't have to disclose his illness to the public sector or any else if he doesn't want to unless the disease can put others in harm ways.

3. This shouldn't even be making the news, mostly national.

1) Salaried workers don't get a month of sick leave or the ability to take it without a doctor's note and explanation.

2) He's a representative of the people. He doesn't have to give details, but a lack of transparency ALWAYS leads to more questions and assumptions. Just look at what waiting months to provide a certificate of birth got Obama. He could have presented that at any time but chose to allow the division in this country come to a boil instead.

3) Probably. It most likely wouldn't be if he were transparent about what's going on to those depending on him for representation. Then again, neither should Tom Cruise's divorce or what's-his-face on CNN coming out of the closet several years after we already knew. National mainstream media stopped being news right after Walter Cronkite left television. Now they all want to be E! and the National Enquirer.

Sorry, but there is NO job that would allow you take over a month of sick leave without providing documentation of your health problem. Whether or not you still get paid is an entirely separate question. Does your boss let you disappear for a month without any documentation/proof of a medical condition and still get paid? Our tax dollars pay his salary -- he should disclose the issue or resign.

Who does he think he is, the Pres?

This time card worker had 8 weeks of STD and more of LTD. I didn't have to say anything beside the doctor says I can't work right now. And that is all my doctors notes ever said she can't work right now.

your just the kind of loser thats draging this country down. i'm sure yours

was a mental illness as well. always some loser milking the system because their

to lazy to go to work

None of you know whether or not he took the appropriate steps of communicating through the appropriate means his absence, illness and documenting if necessary. Many people take paid sick leave, short term disability, FLMA, etc. There are appropriate steps in place to adhere to and it doesn't go public. So, just because you haven't heard about it, you can't assume it didn't happen according to their policies.

The reason we assume it didn't happen is two-fold:

First, a news article was written about it asking where Mr. Jackson was and why he has not been in Congress for over a month.

Second, Senator Dick Durbin ( the Senate Majority Whip, the second highest position in the Democratic Party leadership in the Senate) and Democratic Representative Luis Gutierrez of Illinois...both colleagues of Mr. Jackson have come out publicly saying that they do not know what Mr. Jackson's situation is and that he will have to come forward since they have not heard anything. Senator Durbin is the Senate Majority Whip...if you cannot make it to Congress for whatever reason, he would be and should be informed why. Especially since the people speaking out are also both democrats wondering if Mr. Jackson will return, it is a legitimate question.

In reality, everyone just wants him to have a speedy recovery and get back to work. And, if for some reason, he cannot make it back for months, or 6 months, or has some medical timeline for recovery, he should inform people or step down and at least let someone else take over if he cannot be back for a long time.

In Congress, one cannot vote by proxy. So that is one less vote his party receives since each member must be present and cast his own vote for that vote to be counted

hopefully!

Well said. :o)

You need to take a long hard look at yourself you nosey one's (sic).

Troy - the problem is that he is an elected official. He owes his "nosey" constituents an explanation. They are entitled to know whether he can perform in the capacity for which he was elected. As a previous poster noted, if he is not working, then his constituents are not being represented, which is their right.

Um, it's HIPAA, not HIPPA. And it doesn't apply here.

He is a public servant.... Just because he is black does that mean he has special priviledges? If he was white, i bet you would be all over his azz. We are the one paying his salary, and yes he does owe us an explanation for not working...

Troy, let's see you take off from work a month with no explaination & see how it works for you.

No Sara she was right it is HIPPA Health Insurance Patient Protection Act. HIPPA. And it binds Healthcare workers everywhere. Thats why you didn't hear word one from the fire dept in Sanford Fl they were bound by HIPPA.

HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act; HIPPA has no meaning and is a misspelling, albeit a common one.

Sara is also correct, it has bearing on this unless his information is leaked by a nurse or other hospital worker.

You are confusing HIPAA and part of the Patient Protection Act which is a.k.a. Obamacare.

The acronym is HIPAA, not HIPPA. It stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (of 1996). Try doing an internet search on the acronym, and you will get more information.

A different politician would have enough respect for the people who elected him to let them know if he is truly capable of continuing to represent them.

You are obviously referring to the members of congress who are blocking America's progress!

For you information, the only time the economy has shown any improvement at all, is when the republicans blocked obamas every move... Check it out.... Obama is a muslim terrorist, and if that were not so, would he not change direction and do at least one thing to help all Americans, and not just the welfare thugs?

It can be totally debilitating and makes one unable to make good decisions...

Tuscarora - you said it best. If he is suffering from depression, then he has no business being in office and making decisions that affect the welfare of those who voted for him. I've been in the worst phases of depression, and I know I couldn't make decision as simple as whether to get out of bed in the morning. Depression is debilitating. It isn't something that can be fixed overnight. He has no business making decisions that influence the lives of others if he is suffering from depression that is so bad he has to take a leave of absence.

ABCzyx of course your comment makes perfect sense. Perhaps you or someone could send that message to Maxine Waters ?

She , too, needs a REST in a secure and permanent place such as a PRISON !

And you are NOT A N O N Y M O U S ?

Is this the 'kettle' calling the 'pot' BLACK ?

You are correct about the corruption , but you did not credit the leader of the corruption by name.

That 'leader' is none other than Barack Hussein Obama Junior (if that is his name).

You are so right.... I do have compassion for the reciepient of obamas former seat, and the cash he paid for that seat... AIDS is too good for him and his daddy the slut

What jobs act? Not that "more of the same" joke that Obama submitted to Congress?

There is a term for people who can read but are not aware. Its called ignorance! I can refer you to a specialist!

No Mike, that would be stupid, not ignorant. Aware of what omnipotent, omnipresent one?

The only act i see obama doing is his special, Muslim destroys America Act....... he thinks he is gonna get 72 virgins, but i got news for him

Stupid would be a subset of ignorant, never the less you answered you own question!