Unemployment Extension PASSED!!!!!!! so did extended TAX cuts!!!

[OhioFiler]

Whatever one chooses to call it, welfare is welfare. Extending unemployment benefits is the new welfare system. In fact, one can receive unemployment benefits longer than traditional welfare benefits now.

The cost of these extensions are affecting businesses significantly as states increase premiums (i.e. raise taxes) on these poor employers.

[tobee43]

Whatever one chooses to call it, welfare is welfare. Extending unemployment benefits is the new welfare system. In fact, one can receive unemployment benefits longer than traditional welfare benefits now.

The cost of these extensions are affecting businesses significantly as states increase premiums (i.e. raise taxes) on these poor employers.

it is....and the ONLY answer as far as i see it...is job creation.......

personally, want to work...not collect....i'm dying here sitting home...i can't take it..i want to work ....there is NO work here....

give me a job any day as opposed to collecting unemployment insurance payments....

and you ARE correct....we have a small pension and the TAXES were in fact INCREASED not decreased...i'm certain to pay for all of this.......

i need the money as i said, but i would rather work....both of us in this house have collectively worked 90 years......and have never collected anything.

[OhioFiler]

it is....and the ONLY answer as far as i see it...is job creation.......

personally, want to work...not collect....i'm dying here sitting home...i can't take it..i want to work ....there is NO work here....

give me a job any day as opposed to collecting unemployment insurance payments....

and you ARE correct....we have a small pension and the TAXES were in fact INCREASED not decreased...i'm certain to pay for all of this.......

i need the money as i said, but i would rather work....both of us in this house have collectively worked 90 years......and have never collected anything.

Jobs are created by employers NOT government. If Washington would cut taxes and quit spending so ridiculously we would see job growth. This option requires these elitists to give up power, something they refuse to do. For that moron Pelosi to claim unemployment payments are a tool to job creation shows how far removed from reality and how entrenched in the belief that Washington solves problems these fools are.

As to your personal plight, I'm sorry. I would suggest you do as the settlers did so long ago and move to a place where opportunity exists.

[backtoschool]

Whatever one chooses to call it, welfare is welfare. Extending unemployment benefits is the new welfare system. In fact, one can receive unemployment benefits longer than traditional welfare benefits now.

The cost of these extensions are affecting businesses significantly as states increase premiums (i.e. raise taxes) on these poor employers.

This is going to surprise you OhioFiler, but I totally agree with you. Extended unemployment benefits remove the urgency of finding work, and make the recipients all but unemployable after the benefits run out. I do not know what the alternative is though, because the economy still has a bunch of displaced workers that need to be retrained before they can reenter the workforce in any meaningful way. I would like to see extended unemployment benefits replaced with internships and job training programs.

[OhioFiler]

This is going to surprise you OhioFiler, but I totally agree with you. Extended unemployment benefits remove the urgency of finding work, and make the recipients all but unemployable after the benefits run out. I do not know what the alternative is though, because the economy still has a bunch of displaced workers that need to be retrained before they can reenter the workforce in any meaningful way. I would like to see extended unemployment benefits replaced with internships and job training programs.

Nothing surprises me old friend. ;-)

[helpme2010]

Jobs are created by employers NOT government. If Washington would cut taxes and quit spending so ridiculously we would see job growth. This option requires these elitists to give up power, something they refuse to do. For that moron Pelosi to claim unemployment payments are a tool to job creation shows how far removed from reality and how entrenched in the belief that Washington solves problems these fools are.

As to your personal plight, I'm sorry. I would suggest you do as the settlers did so long ago and move to a place where opportunity exists.

ohioflyer, I disagree 100% with your post. Unemployment is not welfare and there simply are not enough jobs to go around, period! Hundreds of people go after every job and there are only what, 1 job for every 5 people that want that job. Even McDonalds and Walmart can only hire so many people and guess who they will choose, the younger, and those from foreign countries. Those that are more skilled are risky candidates for these places as they know they will leave as soon as a better job arrives.

You can't simply play the economics game with peoples lives. You can't say cut unemployment and weed out the problem and everything will eventually go back to normal. Sure, after millions become homeless and die!

I don't like how the rich continue to get benefits and extensions at the expense of the poor. But with our 2 party system, this is the best we can expect. So it's going to cost us more money in the long run and we will eventually become the United States of China. But at least we got something that will temporarily help everyone. We had better get this economy started again and start creating and selling things to other countries, or this country is serious toast!!!

[helpme2010]

This is going to surprise you OhioFiler, but I totally agree with you. Extended unemployment benefits remove the urgency of finding work, and make the recipients all but unemployable after the benefits run out. I do not know what the alternative is though, because the economy still has a bunch of displaced workers that need to be retrained before they can reenter the workforce in any meaningful way. I would like to see extended unemployment benefits replaced with internships and job training programs.

back2school, i agree and disagree with you. I disagree that this makes the unemployed not motivated. Maybe some, but many are still trying everyday to find a job, but there are simply not enough jobs out there. Sure we can retrain, sure people can move, sure people can change industries, but there is still going to be a very high unemployment rate because there simply aren't enough jobs.

I went back and earned my degree during the recession, but I also paid the ultimate price, bk and foreclosure. I was will to lose everything, including my home I have owned for 19 years in order to make a better go of it. The unemployment is critical in helping me survive. I paid into this system for over 25 years and I expect to be protected by it in time of need. I will eventually become a valuable contributor to society again. But you can't cut off people in their worst time of need. Sure you can in China, North Korea, and others, but this is what should separate the greatest country in the world from the worst!

[discouraged]

What this does for me is let me go ahead and start the BK. I've been putting it off as I was hired as a temp for 2 months and now am a consultant with the same office for this month and that is probably it until I find a full time job, which is not easy when you are 57. But, these months will look good on my resume after having not worked for over a year.

I didn't dare spend the money for the bk because I thought that I would have to live on that until it ran out, or not survive at all. Now, with the extension I can go ahead and get rid of the debt and continue looking for a job.

I don't know where someone came up with 5 apps for every job, it's still hundreds here for one job. The last test I took for a county job, there were over 300 applicants - and I passed and am 97 on the list. Good luck with that one!

I don't know anyone on UI who is not desperate for a job, although the people I do meet and talk to are at the Work Force Center. There are tons of people still searching each and every day.

[helpme2010]

discouraged, I came up with that line about 5 apps for every job and I could be wrong. What I meant by this is there are 5 unemployed people available for every 1 job that needs to be filled. Regarding people applying for jobs, I believe it is easily 300 or more. I remember a job I got probably 5 years ago where there were indeed around 230 applicants for my same position. The HR person showed me the 230 resumes and it really frightened me. This was well before the recession, so I can only imagine this would easily be 500 - 1000 people applying for the same job I apply for.

I also remember people with masters degrees or multiple degrees were applying. Now I can only imagine people with insane skillsets, experience, degrees, backgrounds will be applying against me and even going after low end jobs. This is the joke we were making about people with masters and doctor degrees applying against teenagers and foreigners at McDonalds and losing out when McDonalds ask if they have obtained a cooking degree from burger university.

Those who are hiring are at a total advantage right now as they can choose the creme of the crop and not pay them what they are worth.

I watch on the news as they show a job such as a fire fighter in a city or another opening (just one opening and hundreds of people show up and even camp out overnight to get the job). This is pure insanity.

Also regarding the myth that people enjoy being on unemployment. Just watch what happens when a city such as mine (Los Angeles) opens a free medical clinic fair for a weekend and thousands of people camp out all weekend just to get a health check or a dental repair. Sure, all these people love being unemployed. In fact they love it so much they literally let their teeth rot out because not even free clinics provide tooth care. Also, I when I have had a couple minor medical problems, I had to wait 8 hours in the clinic and they still couldn't fix the problem. So I just gave up.

This is probably why those who can't afford health care insurance probably die 5 years earlier than those who are employed and get health care.

[msm859]

Jobs are created by employers NOT government. If Washington would cut taxes and quit spending so ridiculously we would see job growth. This option requires these elitists to give up power, something they refuse to do. For that moron Pelosi to claim unemployment payments are a tool to job creation shows how far removed from reality and how entrenched in the belief that Washington solves problems these fools are.

NO. Jobs are created when an employer has demand for his products and/or services and needs employees to fill that demand. The government actually can create jobs they do all the time. Washington tried your "theory" it was called the Bush tax cuts. For the last 8 years is has NOT created jobs. Before that we had tax rates under Clinton that had the right balance of supporting a vibrant economy and a balanced budget. Maybe she would go back to those "rates" they worked! As to unemployment benefits, yes they do create/support jobs. People who are collecting unemployment spend that money -- i.e. creates demand for the products and services that employers sell so they can hire or keep employees. Would it be better if they had a job absolutely however, until they get a job it is good for the country to have unemployment benefits. The ONLY problem with the current tax rate is that it has helped balloon the deficit which does in fact put a drag on the economy. Keeping them at the same rate will only continue and hasten the downward spiral of this country to bankruptcy.

[helpme2010]

NO. Jobs are created when an employer has demand for his products and/or services and needs employees to fill that demand. The government actually can create jobs they do all the time. Washington tried your "theory" it was called the Bush tax cuts. For the last 8 years is has NOT created jobs. Before that we had tax rates under Clinton that had the right balance of supporting a vibrant economy and a balanced budget. Maybe she would go back to those "rates" they worked! As to unemployment benefits, yes they do create/support jobs. People who are collecting unemployment spend that money -- i.e. creates demand for the products and services that employers sell so they can hire or keep employees. Would it be better if they had a job absolutely however, until they get a job it is good for the country to have unemployment benefits. The ONLY problem with the current tax rate is that it has helped balloon the deficit which does in fact put a drag on the economy. Keeping them at the same rate will only continue and hasten the downward spiral of this country to bankruptcy.

I agree 100% msm. What you do with that excuse that giving the top 2% tax breaks, that they are the job creators, is to tie in those tax breaks directly to hiring more people for jobs for their companies. You give those business owners the breaks only if they hire more people and also the opposite, you penalize them for outsourcing to other countries.

Every CEO except one that I know, hoards their money and lives very tight on their money. The extra money they get, they simply hoard it (possibly investing in lucrative offshore investments - sure they also invest some into American stocks, which trickles down to some companies in the form of extra cash to borrow, which of course isn't readily available during the recession for investment in equipment or labor).

Companies will also use the recession as an excuse to cut its labor force and make people take on other peoples workloads to help the company through the tough times (and of course take its sweet time by years to rehire those positions again). The employees take on the extra load of work out of fear for losing their jobs and in hopes their bosses will be impressed with their dedication to the company, hoping to be rewarded, which does not happen.

The trickle down theory that says the rich spend so the poor get the trickle is pure b.s. Other than Reagans tax cuts which helped lower a really high level down to a more reasonable level, tax cuts for the rich have proven not to work (just look at the entire Bush term). Clinton had a good balance that did work. A bottom to top investment is much more feasible.

Unemployment provides a far better return to the economy in terms of dollars spent than tax cuts for the rich. Just visit the congressional budget office website to see the results. Tax breaks for the rich is the worst form of economic return and unemployment is the best, producing around $1.60 per dollar invested in the unemployed who spend it right away. Hey it's also the moral thing to do as you keep these people as part of society, rather than throwing them into homelessness. And remember again, that unemployment benefits were paid for, for many years by those same people asking to get those unemployment benefits.

Unless you have gone through unemployment for a lengthy time, you have no clue what you are talking about (I have been one of those that worked for 20 years straight without ever being out of work and I used to think the same thing about the unemployed until I experienced it first hand on/off for the last decade. Without experiencing it, you have no clue what you are talking about).

[bladerunner]

as a 99er nothing for us...every week 100's of Americans exhaust their unemployment benefits of 99 weeks or less in some states depending on the states unemployment rate. No, we do not get 3 years of unemployment...and I'm happy for everyone...but remember, unemployment runs out and then you're not counted anymore...

[helpme2010]

as a 99er nothing for us...every week 100's of Americans exhaust their unemployment benefits of 99 weeks or less in some states depending on the states unemployment rate. No, we do not get 3 years of unemployment...and I'm happy for everyone...but remember, unemployment runs out and then you're not counted anymore...

I am a 99er too. When I found out we weren't covered, I was scratching my head and yelling at Obama. Why the hell would he not cover us when he could easily bargain that into the mix. If you are willing to give the republicans every fricken tax break they want, why on Earth would you not ensure millions of unemployed are covered for a lousy 13 months along with everyone else!!!

I am so pissed right now!!!

[chicagoannie]

I am so glad the unemployment benefits extension passed, for those who need it. I personally think the EUC should be there until this rotten economy starts creating jobs - maybe until the unemployment level drops to around 5 or 6%, and by this I mean TRUE unemployment numbers, where folks who are working part-time or are severely underemployed are also included in the rate.

For me, the extension is no help as I only got 26 weeks of benefits...due to some Federal requirement for EUC, I did not make quite enough money to qualify for the extensions.

[chicagoannie]

My ex is a 99er and has not been able to pay child support (in the amount ordered) since early Spring when his bennies ran out. He is working part-time, took 7 months of zero income for him to land this low paying part time position...and paying less than 30% child support of what my kids need to survive.