An unemployment extension Tier V benefits is needed for millions of American workers who lost their jobs through no fault of their own. However, the partisan politics on Capital Hill will likely delay the passage of any helpful bill. Senator Stabenow from Michigan has made a proposal that would add 20 weeks of benefits to states with over 7.5% unemployment. The bill has not gained steam in Congress.
If we learned anything from the previous attempts at extending benefits, it’s that there will be a large battle over funding. If the bill can’t pay for itself, the GOP is very unresponsive to excess deficit spending.
However, the GOP is in favor of extending the Bush era tax cuts. A CNN Opinion Research Poll indicates that only 31% of American households believe that the tax cuts should be kept in place regardless of income. 51% think that the cuts should remain for those households earning less than $250,000 per year.
Extending the tax cuts, which is favored by the GOP, would add to deficit spending. This is the same thing that the party has claimed they want to avoid.
So what is more important? Tax cuts or unemployment benefits? Which one will benefit the country more? I’d venture to say we can’t have it both ways – we just can’t afford it. So, should we raise taxes on wage earners and dole out more benefits, or let innocent families suffer without the hope of a Tier V extension?
I say, extend the tax cuts, keep extending the unemployment deadlines, and add a tier 5.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to that, give incentives to companies to hire unemployed people, especially those who are near or past the end of the extension deadlines. Also, make sure that those hiring incentives to businesses STAY in place AS LONG AS they KEEP that person hired! (none of that "hire them for the incentives then lay them off again" crap!)
There have to be incentives to hire the unemployed as well as help keep the unemployed on their feet. If millions of Americans lose their homes, many of them will be outright homeless, and THAT is a national disaster we MUST avoid!
I think congress should have their income taken away from them for a year or two and see how they feel.
ReplyDeleteLet's see some leadership for a CHANGE ! There should be NO dabate --- unemployment extensions are necessary as humanitian aid to the citizens of this country. If there had not worked and contributed, there wouldn't be eligible of unemployment insurance --- obliviously !
ReplyDeleteThe Bush tax cuts should NOT be extended --- they never, as proved over the last ten years, were helpful to this nation's dilemna of job creation. They, in great part, add insult to the injuries the middle class has been brought down by...
We need leadership to face the greatest challenge of our generation, here and now! Not more talking points while the country is "going to He// in a handbasket" --- wake up, before we, the middle class, go under for the last time...
Extending to 99ers is what needs to be done, seeing that the mass majority of these unemployed are people who had ties to the automotive world. Now that our government allowed these companies to ship those high paying union jobs over seas they should now help out the ones that paid into unemployment for all those years. Really it's the taxs payers money and they should have the say so. Not republicans that would just keep it in their banks. Question... who's going to pay for all of those white house perks when theirs no more jobs?
ReplyDeleteNobody cares.It became apparent a long time ago that myself (and millions of others) are non entities and have no worth in the eyes of the government...or anyone else for that matter. I/we are absolutely on our own. This crap hurts too much, realizing that you have no chance for a future...and that nobody cares. I`m now on my way down to the rest stop on I-5 to put a bullet through my head. You win America...Congratulations!!
ReplyDeleteI dont think anyone cares if we all put bullets through our heads. That may even make them happy.
ReplyDeleteThe only effective bullets would be in their heads. That might make a change.
ReplyDeletei'm so tired of this bull shit, i worked, i lost my job from no fault of my own, and i still have been unemployed for a year, and i look for jobs, there are no jobs, my wife gets a bachelors degree and gets a teaching job and they let 2000 1st year teachers go to give it to old lady's with tenure.
ReplyDeletewhats worse i now have a disease and i can't get disability or even find out if i qualify for 6 months... wtf... the government is broken.
they make a website that says they created jobs, but its messed up that it creates fake counties and towns that it makes jobs in.
RAWR fix this shit
When the US was founded there were restrictions on who could vote. This was for good reason and it worked, the US became a top industrial power which in turn created jobs. Then came the Great Depression and FDR used the peoples fear to introduce socialism. They traded liberty for security and now as we can see there is neither liberty nor security. We need restrictions on voting again, I heard a proposal for a bill that would require $10,000 per year paid in taxes in order to vote. Without something like this the system will be eaten alive by the masses holding their hands out for more and more entitlements. We must return to an era personal responsibility, with that will come hardships. Hardships should be met, welcomed and conquered, it is what makes a people strong.
ReplyDeleteEnough is enough! Legal U.S citizens unite! Help take the steps to save our country take our jobs back and stop this illegal immigrant invasion. What ever happen to taking real action like President Eisenhower’s “Operation Wetback" from 1954 and the American way of mass round ups of illegals aliens, Spy’s & Terrorist and sending them home or imprisoning them? Isn’t that what we have a military for? Support our cause before illegal immigrant criminals have more rights than us. If other online articles report unemployment is around 20% and there are 310 million in the U.S census reports. Then there is as many as 62 million people in the U.S that are unemployed & are able to work full-time. Do we have to reach 150 million unemployed before we take action? American’s better wake up!
ReplyDeleteThe Republican’s only help the top five percent the income earners in the U.S.A. I have some news for all you idiots that earn 100k per year and think you are wealthy & therefore vote republican. YOU ARE NOWHERE NEAR THE 5% THAT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS HELPING. The republicans laugh their As*es off at you! They can’t believe that you vote for them, but they will take your vote as they promote your job going over seas and give them self’s raises. Also we must take steps to lower local city and state councilmen salaries too they are all robbing & hurting the people they serve. So please read and sign this online petition. "Petition to Reduce the Wages of Congress Men and Women from $174,000 per year to $50,000 per year at “change.org’. " Link is below!
http://uspoverty.change.org/petitions/view/petition_to_reduce_the_wages_of_congress_men_and_women_from_174000_per_year_to_50000_per_year
Pass it on!
You know I was never so happy to loose my job almost 2 years ago. I thought it was the push I needed to move on and out of a stressful industry. Instead I fell into the unemployed at such a poor time. I can not believe how may people are concidered over qualified for jobs. They would not be applying if they were not willing to work. We have reached such an important time in this county and need some real leadership and congress is not steping up. It is so sad to say that a system the we have believed in for so long is as broken as it is. You give support to banks and only the rich are helped. Give money to the unemployed and all are helped. Foreclosers will go up and we will bail out the banks again. I am sick of hearing about the lazy unemployed. I have applied and jobs high teen agers work in and can not even get a call back. OVERQUALIFIED.
ReplyDeleteThis is a country wide problem. We have allowed ourselves to lead down the wrong path. I spent 2 years moving production to China. Believe me there are defenantly reasons why we move some of the operations over there. However, the corporate world has become so fixated on how they are seen on the stock market they have missed their own families (employees). They would rather keep their head count down and overwork and stress their employees than higher more. Why because wall street thinks they know how many employees it takes to run a successful business in given industries and cap sizes. And then they tell the employees left to just be happy they have a job. Why the company is not just happy? They are still trying to increase their profits.
ReplyDeleteI so sick tired of everything going over seas.
ReplyDeleteWhat the hell happend to keeping jobs over here in U.S.A. I lost my job 2 years ago because the job went to Mexico and China. We need jobs over here so we do not stay unemployed forever. Now
we need a Tier5 there just to many of us looking
for work. Also losing everything we work for.
Where are the JOBS for us?
Bush tax cuts 770 Billion dollars for the rich still borrow moneys from my Country ( china ). this tax cuts did not pay for it!!
ReplyDeleteRich peoples ( GOP ) like to send job overseas to my County ( China ) because the labor cost 2 cents here in hours then bring back to ( America ) cost to the poor ( DFL ) for $20 dollars. that's why
ReplyDeleteSome stores sell thing made in China cost $100 dollars or more !!
ReplyDeleteI am bob mangum, an unemployed engineer, soon to be a 99'er cadaver, having been unemployed for almost 2 yrs.. And shame, to those idiots who erring believe I prefer drawing UI benefit of 3X less than I what I earned, and sit on my butt all day watching TV....I want to go back to the living and those that contribute to society.
ReplyDeleteBut , Pres Obama seems to not quite see the light, or he does not have the "persuasive" leadership, apparently, needed to convince our elected congressmen and senators to please extract their heads from out of the dark places and get to work and earn that ludicrous six figures we pay them. I believe the President has not erred in trying to jump start the economy by bailing out wallstreet- at least he is trying to think of ways to accomplish the task. However he canNOT seem to get the petty strife that has infected our Congress to go away so that a bipartisan solution can be designed and tried. His only fault is that he has not been able to convey his integrity and purpose to Congress and this is sad. But I have a layman's idea....maybe it would spark better ideas in those men and women who really want to help and are in a position to do so, so read on... Our nation has such an impact on the rest of the world, we must do this, not only for ourselves but for the world economy. WE cannot fail
bob mangum again, with an example of a plan:"
ReplyDeletewe need money to spark the economic fire, but we should not just print it and simply increase our deficit., We have enough unpopular and questionable wars and armed occupations to do that for us right now.
first, tax a company....with workers in the 500+ employee count, with an additional, but temporary tax that can only be used to stimulate the economy....say 5% or something. When this company hires an unemployed person, this special tax will drop to 4.9%. and another is hired within 12 mo, it goes to 4.8% etc ...50 such people hired-on within a 12 mo period means this corporate additional tax could drop from 5% to zero. And after one calendar year, either this added tax is suspended countrywide or revisted and altered as needed to help provide cash for us to continue to help those still unemployed
also, immediately place a special federal tax on all wage earners at 10% (yes, ludicrously high, but bear with me in my method of madness here...read on) .
this tax, let's call it Emergency unemployment tax or "EUT"...passed to last 12 mo at a time, (which is reviewed at the end of this period in terms of efficacy to jump start the economy, at which time it can either be continued or shut down)
For every open position within a company that is filled by a unemployed person, the company reports this to the fed, the fed in turn allows the company to reduce the EUT on all other wage earners in their company by one percent, making the EUT collected on everyone's paycheck now 9% as opposed to 10%. this applies to one given firm that hired one unemplyed person. For the second unemployed person hired within this same firm,,,the EUT drops to 8% for all employees in that firm.
This madness/plan provides money from which congress should fund another tier -tier V, to those who are still unemployed.
this plan also gives incentives to employers to hire the unemployed and not raid him or her from a competitor.
One safeguard for trying to find loop holes for a firm are, e.g., the unemployed the firms hires, will have to be able to verify past income for the firm from which he or she was laid off and the new firm hiring him will have to pay him a salary or hourly wage that is equal or higher than what he can prove his income was. Furthermore, the firm will be allowed to pay him 90% of that same verifiable pay rate, but with the stipulation that within 12 mo rom date of hire, that this invidual will either be terminated or kept, and if retained his salary automatically adjusts upward to the higher earned salary of his previous employer.
This provides tax money.
The EUT would provide an additional 10% from which to extend the unemployement benefits ....but give hiring companies the incentive to hire the unemployed,
I belive something like this needs to be drafted and implemented.....simple, hard to swallow, but necessary.. I would have glady given up part of my income to keep my fellow workers from having lost their jobs...I believe most people have similar convicitons, especailly since the law has a limited time frame in which to prove it it works. Doing nothing is not an option for us
bob mangum again, with an example of a plan:"
ReplyDeletewe need money to spark the economic fire, but we should not just print it and simply increase our deficit., We have enough unpopular and questionable wars and armed occupations to do that for us right now.
first, tax a company....with workers in the 500+ employee count, with an additional, but temporary tax that can only be used to stimulate the economy....say 5% or something. When this company hires an unemployed person, this special tax will drop to 4.9%. and another is hired within 12 mo, it goes to 4.8% etc ...50 such people hired-on within a 12 mo period means this corporate additional tax could drop from 5% to zero. And after one calendar year, either this added tax is suspended countrywide or revisted and altered as needed to help provide cash for us to continue to help those still unemployed
also, immediately place a special federal tax on all wage earners at 10% (yes, ludicrously high, but bear with me in my method of madness here...read on) .
this tax, let's call it Emergency unemployment tax or "EUT"...passed to last 12 mo at a time, (which is reviewed at the end of this period in terms of efficacy to jump start the economy, at which time it can either be continued or shut down)
For every open position within a company that is filled by a unemployed person, the company reports this to the fed, the fed in turn allows the company to reduce the EUT on all other wage earners in their company by one percent, making the EUT collected on everyone's paycheck now 9% as opposed to 10%. this applies to one given firm that hired one unemplyed person. For the second unemployed person hired within this same firm,,,the EUT drops to 8% for all employees in that firm.
This madness/plan provides money from which congress should fund another tier -tier V, to those who are still unemployed.
this plan also gives incentives to employers to hire the unemployed and not raid him or her from a competitor.
One safeguard for trying to find loop holes for a firm are, e.g., the unemployed the firms hires, will have to be able to verify past income for the firm from which he or she was laid off and the new firm hiring him will have to pay him a salary or hourly wage that is equal or higher than what he can prove his income was. Furthermore, the firm will be allowed to pay him 90% of that same verifiable pay rate, but with the stipulation that within 12 mo rom date of hire, that this invidual will either be terminated or kept, and if retained his salary automatically adjusts upward to the higher earned salary of his previous employer.
This provides tax money.
The EUT would provide an additional 10% from which to extend the unemployement benefits ....but give hiring companies the incentive to hire the unemployed,
I belive something like this needs to be drafted and implemented.....simple, hard to swallow, but necessary.. I would have glady given up part of my income to keep my fellow workers from having lost their jobs...I believe most people have similar convicitons, especailly since the law has a limited time frame in which to prove it it works. Doing nothing is not an option for us
I can not beleive all the trillians of dollars that we tax payers paid to Privately owned Banks, just a regular old everyday businesses when you break it down, and the whole government and Nation Complains about paying a little bit of nothing ...."Unemployment Benifits" to help us unemployed workers vigurously looking for a job, the last job I applied for had over 2,345 applicants in 2 days time the secretary told me, when usualy in years past maybe 15 to 20, this is insane ! We 99'ers cant help the situation we are in ! And we tax payers can pay trillians of dollars to Banks so they can pay all there employees 500k a year but they cant give us our unemployment Benifits ??????
ReplyDeletebob mangum again
ReplyDeletemy plan works only if the following is also done:
all senators, congressmen and women, the President, and Fed Reserve people... in short anyone who can influence the economy who works in the Fed Govt, must take a 50% pay cut from now, until the unemployment rate for the country drops to 7.5%
this sacrifice shows that our leaders are indeed leading us to recovery, willing to take an economic hit along with ALL or us- those unemployed and those employed who are being asked to provide another 10% (highest) of their earned income to provide money with which to jump start the economy.
And, all the people who can make a difference in our economic health, will be highly motivated to work together, in a nonpartisan environment, and work with the President to achieve what we absolutely must do NOW. Again, to do nothing is NOT an option
I had to eat a box of crayons last and now I am wondering if I will shit a rainbow
ReplyDeleteTHE STUPID BITCH THAT POSTED THIS ARTICLE IS A
ReplyDeleteTOTAL DUMB-ASS
I am one of those long term unemployed. I can't believe the rhetoric of people saying there is something wrong with you if you can't find a job - they say you are either stupid or lazy. There was one study where the author cited Pittsburgh in the 80s when Reagan sold the Steel Workers out & an industry collapsed. Her argument against extended benefits was that there was no Emergency Unemployment Benefits available at the time and a percentage of the unemployed got jobs within 6 months (or something like that). But, as with most conservatives who twist the facts, she neglected to mention that Pittsburgh had a huge migration to other states for employment and particularly the South which wasn't unionized. Pittsburgh had a population drain. She also failed to mention the difference in today's recession as compared to Pittsburgh in the 80s. This recession and the job loses now are across the board and not limited to one industry such as Steel. When you pick & chose your statistics you can defend any thesis. Furthermore, when there is 1 job opening for every 5.5 job seekers (and that doesn't include those who are not counted, so it's much higher than 5.5 job seeker per job opening). How anyone can assume that there are enough jobs for everyone who wants to work is beyond me. If anyone knows a part of the country where employers are desperate for workers let me know. Another factor that is overlooked is location. What about the rural areas where closing one grocery store affects an entire town etc These remarks aimed at the unemployed pegging them as lazy are more indicative of the person's attitude rather than based on fact. It's baseless prejudice. It's also offensive when so many people are truly hurting. And the recent legislation does nothing for the hardest hit, those who lost their job early on and whose benefits have expired. There were no benefits extended to help them and this is a real tragedy. They are now uncounted - in PA, the unemployed who exhausted tier IV are now going on 21 weeks without income. And currently there is minimal legislation pending to provide additional aid. This is just not rght & it's curious why this group of jobless workers have been abandoned. There is currently a grass roots effort to bring attention to the 99ers who need Tier V. Until the jobs are created we are in dire need of some additional benefits. The other issue was that the long term unemployed were misled by the media into thinking the legislation being written had included some aid for them which it didn't. They were just cut off. None of the Senators are willing to address this issue and even NELP who is supposed to advocate for the unemployed seemed to have written them off citing that there is no political will to add additional weeks or tiers. Rather than extending the emergency program for only a few until the end of the year which is what is being done, something must be done even if that means the date would have to be moved up a month or so to provide additional weeks or another Tier with the hopes that there will be job creation down the road and the situation can be reassessed.
ReplyDeleteGermany's economy GREW by 2.2% Why?
ReplyDeleteGermany never out sourced it's manufacturing industry, Germany makes stuff, "Made in Germany" is everywhere in Germany. There is no such thing as "Free Trade" we followed the rules others don't.
For those who voted for the GOPS. What the "*$*@(@" were you thinking? These assholes are going to make it even worst. Watch and see you dumb voters.
ReplyDeleteThe vast majority of the people are against extending the Bush tax cuts for the rich. The Republicans need to "listen to the people". The rich need to "man up" and start paying their fair share of taxes to help the economy.
ReplyDeletePay cuts and unemployment