Jobless Benefits Set to Expire Unless Congress Acts

[tonysam]

Source: New York Times

About one million laid-off workers will see their unemployment benefits end in January unless Congress acts quickly to renew existing federally paid extensions, according to a new report and legislators and state officials

The record-long extension of emergency benefits that was hastily signed into law on Nov. 6 was widely praised as an essential lifeline for the hundreds of thousands of Americans who had spent a year or more in fruitless searches for jobs.

The new law provided up to 14 weeks of federally paid aid to unemployed people who had exhausted existing state and federal limits, benefits that already ranged up to 79 weeks in many states. And for the majority of states with particularly high unemployment, it added on an additional six weeks of payments, bring the potential total to 99 weeks.

But many legislators, state aid officials and struggling workers apparently failed to read the fine print. The added federal benefits, built on a series of previous extensions, are slated to end on Dec. 31; it was assumed that Congress would vote to prolong those programs. While discussions have started, Congress is not yet considering a specific proposal. And unless it acts before the Christmas break, officials warn, the extensions will end, leaving large numbers of workers with no coverage. If Congress, now caught up with the health care overhaul, delays action until next year, millions would still face painful gaps in aid.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/us/19unemploy.html?_r=1&hp

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So now millions of people are back at square one. Cute. Why didn't our legislators read damned fine print?

WHO put in the "fine print" in the first place?

[tonysam]

1. Note this

The Nov. 6 extensions received overwhelming bipartisan support in the House and then, after several weeks of delay, passed the Senate unanimously. Mr. McDermott said he believed that because so many constituents are suffering, a renewal for next year will pass with broad support, provided Congress can muster the attention in the short time available.




That's the problem--the Congress. Are they going to drag it out for weeks on end or will it act IMMEDIATELY?

[Vincardog]

2. What about those of us "discouraged" unemployed people? I have no check coming in so I am not in

need of any?

[LibDemAlways]

3. Don't forget that everyone in Congress has a job and full

health benefits for themselves and their families. They are too busy counting contributions from big donors and gearing up for the mid-terms next year to worry about the long-term unemployed.

Voters have it in their power to get rid of every asshole sitting in Congress collecting a paycheck and doing nothing for his or her so-called "constituents." It's a shame that the average American is too busy watching Dancing With the Stars to care about how they're being screwed over.

[Altoid_Cyclist]

4. This is how a lot of the freaking politicians view the average American.

We're just supposed to shut up, run on the wheel and think that we're actually getting somewhere.

I would love to toss some politicians on to the wheel so that they can see what it's like.

Hey, look what I found. Anybody have some pet politicians that need some exercise?