Economist: Dems’ 15-Day Unemployment Extension ‘Makes No Sense’

[1776Forever]

Economist: Dems’ 15-Day Unemployment Extension ‘Makes No Sense’
By Mike Lillis 2/22/10 3:45 PM

http://washingtonindependent.com/77345/economist-dems-15-day-unemployment-extension-makes-no-sense

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is reportedly preparing to introduce a bill extending the filing deadline for the next tier of unemployment benefits by 15 days. The backlash from economists pushing for a much larger safety net was inevitable. Here’s Ross Eisenbrey, vice president of the Economic Policy Institute, who just released a statement blasting that strategy:

The American people may not be familiar with the arcane rules that are grinding the Senate to a halt, but they are all too familiar with the hardships that this recession has imposed on their families, friends, and neighbors. Senators have got to find a way to move forward to provide help to Americans who are out of work, starting with a 12-month extension of unemployment benefits.

Without congressional action, the filing deadline arrives Friday. An estimated 1.2 million unemployed workers are poised to exhaust their benefits next month if that cutoff remains unchanged.

.......

At first I thought this was a joke. It isn't but it should be.

:hide:

[aquart]

1. They are such insulated idiots.

I really want to take all their clothes and plastic and send them out for a walk.

[elehhhhna]

7. C'mon. Thheir corporate pimps would put them on the payroll withhin 2 weeks

of their being unemployed~!

[Enrique]

2. Congress is going to hold a vote over one check?

are they going to do this 25 times over the coming year?

[1776Forever]

4. Good question - It shows how out of touch they really are!

:kick: They need a kick in their butts!

[AllentownJake]

6. Not how it works

They are voting for if your benefits expire you get a 20 week extension.

So if your Benefits expire before March 15th you will get an extension for 20 weeks, if your benefits expire March 16, your fucked.

[1776Forever]

9. Found this on that - it is hard to figure things out:

Congress Leaving Unemployment Benefits Extension To The Last Minute
First Posted: 02-11-10 05:20 PM
Arthur Delaney

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/11/congress-leaving-unemploy_n_458991.html


....Last year's stimulus bill provided up to 53 additional weeks of federally-funded unemployment benefits (broken into several tiers) and a 65 percent subsidy of COBRA health insurance. When those provisions expired at the end of December, Congress scrambled to extend them another three months. If they're allowed to expire at the end of the month, 1.2 million people will exhaust their unemployment benefits in March.

"I think it's disturbing because there are four tiers of emergency unemployment compensation benefits, and if you're on a given tier, you only have a few weeks if the program isn't extended... Individuals could look at running out of benefits in a week or several weeks," said Rich Hobbie, director of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies.

Aside from the anxiety the situation creates for the unemployed, Hobbie said it's a huge administrative burden for state agencies. Norm Isotalo, spokesman for the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency, said Congress's dithering does indeed make work for his office.

"February 28 is rapidly approaching and we still don't have any certainty if the ending date is going to be extended, so the agency is preparing to wind down the payments of extended federally-funded unemployment benefits," Isolato told HuffPost. "But on the other hand, we have to be ready to pull the plug on these wind-down efforts if Congress acts. It could be a lot of wind-down work that all may go for naught if Congress extends the deadline date for these programs. And of course we hope that they do."

[AllentownJake]

3. I've come to the conclusion that 99% of these guys would get fired

as Burger King Managers for incompetence, yet we still keep electing them.

[Mari333]

5. the system is rigged.

[1776Forever]

8. You have that right! I can't believe that more people haven't rec'd this.

It was news to me!

:kick: