Unemployment benefits extension introduced in House

Source: CNN

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The unemployed would have three more months to file for extended jobless benefits under a bill introduced in the House Wednesday.

The legislation would extend the deadline to file for federal unemployment benefits to Feb. 28, sparing 4 million people from falling off the rolls. The deadline is now Nov. 30.

"Terminating this emergency unemployment assistance will not only devastate families, but it also will hurt the entire economy by depressing consumer confidence and demand," said Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich., the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee who is introducing the bill with Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash.

Federal jobless payments, which last up to 73 weeks, kick in after the state-funded 26 weeks of coverage expire. These federal benefits are divided into tiers, and the jobless must apply each time they move into a new tier. Congress has extended the deadline to file those applications four times in the past year.



Read more: http://money.cnn.com/2010/11/17/news/economy/unemployment_benefits_extension/

that the House has already passed. So it's on the Democratically controlled Senate - not the House- as to whether 2.5 million Americans lose their only source of income (as well as their house, their food, etc) this holiday season.

... if this does not pass, an estimated 800,000 people will lose their benefits.

I've called my Representative, both of my Senators, my state assemblyman, my state senator, Pelosi's office and Reid's office.

I called them each twice. I'd suggest that everyone call them and express your support for the unemployment funding extension.

the time to accept that "our" government doesn't work for us anymore. doesn't care if we suffer. maybe it never did. maybe it was all just pretend. but that whole "social contract" stuff you learned about in high school (assuming you even did learn about that, which if you're of the Test Taking = Education generation, you probably didn't)?

gone, baby. gone.

get used to life in the new american reality. which is this: it's a predatory situation out there, for anyone with less than a million dollars in the bank. whatever you "have" whatever you "own," whatever you think you deserve? sorry, you can forget about all that. UI? don't make me laugh. health insurance that helps you be healthy? hahahahahaha. a nice home in the 'burbs? who do you think you are, rockafeller? this IS the new depression and you all better get used to the harsh realities of what that really means. heh, i suppose it's funny that so many americans will finally lose their cable TV as a result of all this. it was probably the only way to get them off that particular crack pipe.

800K are only the first who are going to be made to pay, and pay, and pay. let's not all forget all those "self employed" folks for whom this UI talk is nothing but junk that doesn't get touched, so to speak. there are millions and millions for whom UI means, and hasn't meant for a long time, "nothing."

people in the Sudan live on literally a handful of beans and some vegetables every day. they get some water; it's not normally "clean." many live in tents in "refugee" camps. while getting shot at, every day.

try to imagine that, and then try to imagine how far the average US citizen can still fall. because i promise you: the bean counters who work for your Masters? already have. there is a great deal of real wealth they have yet to extract from all of us, but they will.