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Another extension for jobless benefits?
Application for unemployment benefits
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TEXT OF STORY
Bill Radke: As early as today, the Senate will take up a bill to extend benefits for more than a million unemployed Americans. It'll be the fourth -- count 'em, fourth -- such extension, in which the federal government pays the tab for people
whose state benefits have run out. Marketplace's Mitchell Hartman reports.
Mitchell Hartman: Under the Senate bill, unemployed workers would get up to 20 additional weeks of unemployment checks.
And Congress would pay the $2.5-billion price tag by renewing a tax on employers. It amounts to $14-dollars-a-year per worker, says Judy Conti of the National Employment Law Project.
JUDY CONTI: It is not a new tax, and it is quite minimal considering the stimulative effect -- all of these unemployment benefits going out to people, who will immediately spend it on the necessities of life.
Employer groups aren't against more benefits. They just don't want to pay for them. State chambers of commerce sent a letter to the Senate that says funding the extension with an employer tax will stifle job growth.
Norm Isotalo of Michigan's unemployment agency says another extension is worth the cost.
NORM ISOTALO: We estimate that about 100,000 jobless workers in the state who have exhausted their benefits will qualify.
And with Michigan's unemployment rate over 15 percent, those workers aren't likely to find another source of income anytime soon.
I'm Mitchell Hartman for Marketplace.
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THE FACT IS RIGHT NOW A SMALL AMOUNT OF PEOPLE ARE VERY RICH IN THIS COUNTRY. GUESS WHAT THEY DON'T CARE IF THE OTHER 99% OF US GO POOR. I KNOW I WILL BE LAID OFF SOON AND PROBABLY MY WIFE TOO I JUST HOPE THERE ARE ENOUGH BENEFITS LEFT FOR US TO TRY AND WAIT OUT THE RECESSION IF IT EVER ENDS
I just wanted to add that the only reason that they are stalling this bill is to add the damn first time home buyer credit into it. You tell me how that is supposed to help those of us who are trying to find work and losing our homes or having to tell our children im sorry we can't buy presents this year because we don't have any money. it must be nice to sit on capital hill and do nothing because our pockets are fat and the under class means nothing to us. well heres some news for you in the seneate that want to stall things without us under class working you wouldn't have a pay check so keep it up till we have another great depression.
I am an independent and have vited both parties but after seeing how the Republicans arestalling this unemployment bill i will never vite Republican again. If I can't find a democrat to vote for I won't vote. The Republicans are a survival of the fittest party. If you're not financially fit, tough. And this nonsense about them being for small government? They are for big govenment just like the democrats as long as it has to do withsecurity issues. If it has to do with security they don't care how big the govenment gets. They just arn't happy unless they're making people miserable including their own citizens.
I have been unemployed for 18 mo. Worked for 42 years for same company. I have never drawn any kind of help for anything before. I have 1 more check coming, then the government will still have to take care of me because I will be on Welfare and food stamps. Please help me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
just a though on the GOP stalling the unemployment bill over and over and over again. do you think that the GOP are smart enough to know that they are going to lost a lot of seats come election time? do you think the GOP knows that the middle class are the ones who will vote them out of office? Do you think the the GOP knows that the the least likely to vote are the poor and homeless? Do you think that the GOP thinks, if we hold up the unemployment bill it will send million of unemployed into poverty, so the people that are going to vote us out are now the people who are the least likely to vote. If these people don't vote we don't lose or jobs. by holding up this bill the GOP has put 7000 people a day into poverty and thus less likely to vote against them. Just a though.
To Andrew Ryan:
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but, the language in the pending jobless benefits bill is quite specific and benefits will not be retroactive. Your payments will start at the time the bill is made law and continue for either 14 or 20 weeks depending on your state's unemployment rate.
I can understand why for the most part the majority of comments posted here express outrage & shock by people that they are represented by cold & heartless individuals. Well guess what America, welcome to the real world. Why do you think so many people outside of this country hate us? Because they have been the victims of what you are now the victims of. White men that think the sun rises and sets only in their hemisphere, that God only created white America and the U.S. and that everyone else is beneath them. As a black man I've known this since the first day I was made to stand outside of a diner to be served and this was just 45yrs. ago.
I empathize with anyone who is suffering and I realize that no one has cornered the market on pain and no one is immune from catastrophe. Just remember this period in your life and realize that there are people in this country that have suffered all of their life because of the very attitudes of these same politicians and perhaps from this day forward some of you won't be so quick to judge and hold your nose in disdain. Because "AS long as we continue to look only at ourselves in the picture, we will never see anyone else and no one will ever see us."
Jay Arrington
Okay they need to pass this I havent see any UCB since end of August 2009 when my tier 3 ran out !I know the sooner this is signed into law they can retroactive our pay to that date so please hurry cause I know it will take Ohio at least 2 weeks to get this going in their system because they will be unprepaired like aways heck I doubt anyone who matters will even see anyones comments .... also the best way to get your message accrosed or to get your voice heard find a less popular senator to email you usually get some responce within a week ...
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