Across US, jobless losing benefits

[missile_bender]

My first such post, so bear with me. I didn't see this up yet.

From the Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2003/12/21/across_us_jobless_losing_benefits/

Proposals that would extend aid spark debate

By Susan Milligan, Globe Staff, 12/21/2003

WASHINGTON -- More than 90,000 people who have been out of work for months will lose their federal benefits today, when a program to aid the long-term unemployed expires.

During the first six months of next year, more than 2 million unemployed people across the country will be cut off from the extra assistance, unless Congress acts. In Massachusetts, 2,500 workers a week will lose their benefits, according to government statistics studied by a congressional committee and several economic analysis groups.

more---
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OK. If you read the rest of the article, this ticked me off:
"'If the unemployment rate goes down, I'm not sure we should' extend benefits for those out of work,' said Representative Christopher Shays, Republican of Connecticut. 'There is a disincentive to look, a little bit.'"

That's so stupid. The top unemployment rate is only $310 a week, with many or most getting less (not to mention NO health insurance). That's plenty of incentive to find a job.

This next bit is so ignorant it's painful: "'It's a tricky matter. Are we in an unusually high unemployment period? Yes, compared to what we hope what we will return to, but no, compared to the last 30 years,' said Robert I. Lerman, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute."

Yeah, and we've got fire, so compared to mankind 100,000 years ago we're pretty well off.

[mbperrin]

1. Man, look at that *Bush job strategy

go!

(Is it gone yet?)

Oh, and by the way, from *Bush to the jobless:

"Have a merry f**king Christmas or whatever."

[stevedeshazer]

2. I'm one of them

Every week, another company leaves our town and more are unemployed.

[The Zanti Regent]

3. Hmmm, let's put Shays on the Unemployment Line!

Lets see what Smartass Shays says about unemployment then!

[54anickel]

4. Not extending was a big boo-boo on Shrubs part....

Mark Zandi, an economic forecaster who runs Economy.Com, estimates that, compared to the administration's dividend tax cuts, extending unemployment benefits would produce about 20 times greater bang for the buck in terms of a positive effect on the U.S. gross domestic product.
Source:http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_viewpoints_extended_unemployment_benefits

[54anickel]

5. UE threads tend to start arguments about how they calculate the

UE rate. I had posted the following link in the Economic section the other day.

This report discusses the 2 major reports used, Current Population Survey (CPS) aka the household survey, and the Current Employment Statistics (CES).

We usually see the CPS numbers reported, but the CES is considered to be more accurate (also more damning).

Have a read....

http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/briefingpapers_bp148

[missile_bender]

6. Good info

Worth bookmarking for future reference

[Frodo]

10. They're actually both quite "accurate"

They just measure slightly different things. One has better than 100,000 data points, the other has several times as many (better than 100 times I think)... but both are looking at statistical innacuracies a small fraction of what we are used to dealing with in most economic figures.

The CES numbers may be more RELEVANT, however.

The problem comes in trying to get people to concentrate on them since they aren't the figure used much in the past. It sounds like we're not happy just comparing similar numbers, we've got to pick "which numbers" we want to use.

[cliss]

7. Nice job, MB. Welcome to DU

:smoke:

Now onto my comments:

So 90,000 unemployed people will lose their benefits as of today. Note that this does not include discouraged workers, or people who aren't eligible for unemployment. That's probably many more.

Believe it or not, I have read that this administration likes this kind of thing. Apparently, they like the fact that we have large numbers of unemployed people. They dig the idea of large groups of homeless people shuffling through the cities, warming their hands on barbecue barrels to give them a little heat. Why?

The article said that the one thing they hate, above all else, is inflation. Inflation is the notion of too many dollars chasing too few products, so the prices get pushed up (this is a simplified version, I know). We have an endless cycle of prices being pushed up higher and higher.

As long as there are poor people who cannot afford to buy these things, there will be some sort of stability, in a perverse way. But they feel that this is a much better alternative, than inflation which robs money of its purchasing power over time.

Bastards.

[missile_bender]

8. Ture, there is economic theory that says

you have to have a certain percentage of the population poor and employed so that the markets function smoothly (i.e., low inflation, low wages, high incentive). I always thought that was a bunch of hooey. Especially with the glut of product out there.

But even if it were true, than where's the <i>noblesse oblige</i>? The idea is that if you need people to be out of work and poor, society should at least provide them with the basic necessities for survival, health and education.

[Frodo]

12. What about Clinton's last term?

We had pretty low unemployment (remarkably low) WITH low inflation. And plenty of people were making money.

[aquart]

13. The thing is........

This dumps the entire burden on the already burdened states.

Even if we do nothing and let the unemployed (I'm one) lose their homes, sleep in the streets, and freeze to death, there's the cost of shoveling them up and disposing of the bodies.

Then all the children who didn't freeze to death (the unemployed often have children they were working to support) will have to be fostered out. More money.

Or we let them run wild in the street and create crime. More money.

Social services for the kids and parents who have gone crazy losing their homes and regular meals. More money.

What if they get the flu instead of simply freezing to death? Now they're contagious and bumming quarters from the whole town. Huge amounts of money not only caring for the unemployed (who have to be hospitalized because they have no homes in which to care for themselves) but the loss of productivity from the employed they sneezed on. More money.

But you save those pennies of unemployment insurance, George. Those people are only trying to become welfare queens, after all.

[Yavin4]

9. NYT's Sunday Help Wanted Section Was Four Pages Long

For a city of 8 million, the Times' help wanted section was a grand total of four pages long, along with an article about working for free in order to get a job. Unbelievable.

[ConcernedCanuk]

11. but BUT, the Economy is GROWING !! I heard Junior say so !!

.


SEE ??????

[aquart]

14. Tom Delay was bragging about it this morning. Bragging.

For some reason, the word "fragging" just jumped into my mind.

Must be because it rhymes.

[PennyLane]

15. Ho Ho Ho

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.......:nopity:

[Voltaire99]

16. A reminder from the Republican party: Arbeit macht frei

Benefits? Are there not toilets needing cleaning? Do the rich not require servants?

Poor America!

[0007]

17. junior will soon have Halliburton building labor camps,

for us Americans to live in with hot and cold running water with private baths.

God Bless the American dollar and all the CEO's.

[GRocky]

18. I'm still getting mine ;-)

Lost my job just in time for the holidaze! God Bless America!

[malachi]

19. 20-year high for those out more than six months

Sunday Phila Inquirer business section. Not a big enough story for general news.


http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/business/7538991.htm

[missile_bender]

20. Republican voting is suicide

From the Philly article:
"In December, House Democrats tried to attach an extension amendment to the $820 billion omnibus spending bill. Republican leadership refused the amendment, even though rank-and-file Republicans from high-unemployment states pleaded for help."

Ha! That's what you get for supporting the War Party. To that I say--you made your poison, now drink it.

http://www.unembedded.com