Unemployment: Congress Has Never Before Dropped Extended Benefits With Jobless Rate So High

[Donnachaidh]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/30/unemployment-congress-has_n_630464.html

Though the jobs crisis shows few signs of abating and the unemployment rate continues to hover near 10 percent, Congress allowed extended unemployment benefits to expire at the beginning of June, causing so far more than 1.2 million long-term unemployed to miss checks.

During normal times, state provide 26 weeks of unemployment benefits for workers laid off through no fault of their own. Federally-funded extended benefits have given the unemployed additional weeks during eight recessions since the 1950s. If Congress fails to reauthorize the current round of extra jobless aid, it will be the first time since then that extended benefits have been allowed to expire when the national unemployment rate is above 7.2 percent.

"This is both unfair to the unemployed, who face a historically difficult situation through no fault of their own, and economically unwise as it threatens the prospect of a strong and sustainable recovery," says a new report from the National Employment Law Project and the Center for American Progress. "The consequences are obviously dire for those Americans out of work, and could be equally devastating for employed Americans who are counting on a sustained economic recovery to keep their jobs and boost their earnings."

The report shows that in previous recessions -- in 1973, for example -- extended benefits have been left in place until unemployment dropped to as low as 5 percent.

HuffPost readers: Have you been affected by the current lapse in benefits? Tell us about it -- email [e-mail].


More at the link ---

[WI_DEM]

1. The Dems should make the GOP (and the couple of Dems) filibuster this in an election year

day and night. Then they should ask if they want to elect a GOP congress which will filibuster extending jobless benefits and make people work until they are 70 (Boehner's statement from yesterday).

[libodem]

2. We are screwen

There go more foreclosures. The banks are going to make bank. Hope they will open public parks so families can camp for free. There ought to be some good fruit pickin' jobs for the teenagers since we are so determined to get rid of the migrant workers from Mexico.

Hope I really don't need this.}( :sarcasm: :grr:

[Rex]

3. They are just taking cues as to what they can and cannot get away with.

Wealthy Repukes (and evidently a few Dems) in Congress believe that if you are poor or homeless, then it is your own dam fault! You created the situation that got you there, the environment you live in had nothing to do with it! :sarcasm:

[CrownPrinceBandar]

4. kick for visibility.........

We're in history-making territory here.

[inna]

7. +1

[sakabatou]

5. The GOP hates the poor

[redqueen]

6. Oh they hate the middle class just as much.

Otherwise why would they be doing their level best to eliminate the middle class entirely?

[OhioChick]

8. K&R n/t

[libodem]

9. Well if

Osama Bin Ladin's gripe was hatin' us for our lifestyles and freedom, Duhbua, delivered a whole new poverty class for them to envy. We won't get Jet bombed again. We can come home from Afghanistan and stop killing peasants.

[Hosnon]

10. This is absurd. The GOP ought to be ashamed. nt.

[amborin]

11. k&R