IMHO, the Republicans Think the Unemployed Are Refusing to Work.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

6. Yup

One of the big problems IMHO is not that there aren't more jobs out there but that the jobs that ARE available tend to be low-paying "McJobs", which, although better than nothing, still make it hard for people to pay their bills, particularly if they had a higher-paying job before and more financial responsibilities (people don't always plan to lose their jobs). The Republican push to curb UI wouldn't be quite so bad if they weren't also working against people on the other end by continuously pushing cuts to the safety net that low-income working people rely on to help cover their living expenses (i.e. Food Stamps, Medicaid, Childcare Assistance), not to mention pushing against attempts to increase the minimum wage and/or refusing to support a "living wage". The way things are going right now, Republicans seem to basically be "boxing" people in into "bad" or "worse" situations. If they don't want people to "rely" on UI (to the extent people actually) do, then they need to help create a climate where either there are more job opportunities for people and businesses have to pay better wages or benefits or help working people in other ways that allow them to survive (that's asking for a miracle, I know).