The effect of the sequester for the REST of us.

[annabanana]

Waiting a long time on the tarmac for the plane to take of is just ... so... terrible! So let's get a quick exemption in for the air traffic controllers.. THERE, 'whew'.. crisis averted!

in the mean time..

Here's the letter that went out to someone struggling along on unemployment insurance in the State of New York:

Dear _______

Under current law, you are eligible to receive federally-funded extended unemployment benefits called Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC). You are eligible to receive up to 14 weeks of Tier 1 EUC benefits.

Normally, you would receive your current weekly benefit amount of $208.00 for EUC, the same rate as your claim that ends on 1/17/13. However, starting the weekending April 7th, 2013,. federal government budget cuts (sequestration) have reduced EUC benefits you 10.7%. This means that your new weekly benefit amount is 185.00.

The number of weeks of EUC you are eligible for will not be affected by the cuts. It is the amount of your weekly benefit that is reduced. To estimate how many weeks of benefits you may receive, please go to our Unemployment Insurance calculator on our website at www.labor.ny.gov.

By law, this 10.7% reduction is made before any deduction for taxes, child support, etc. and the weekly benefit rates are rounded down to the whole dollar.

Please not that because these are federal benefits, New York State has no control over these cuts in benefits and cannot waive or change them. Only the U.S. Congress can do that. That means that if you request a hearing, a judge cannot reverse the reduction resulting from the sequestration.

...................... and so on.

Now. for many of us here, $ 23 a week would not make a great deal of difference. But try to put yourself in the position of someone who had only been getting $832 dollars a month to keep body and soul together. That missing $92.00 is a pretty big damn chunk of change.


Yeah, yeah yeah... "get a job".... I don't know anyone relying on UI that wouldn't jump at the chance of a real job. Sorry Charlie, while they seem to be coming back, much of that is illusory and WAY more people are stuck in the above situation.

[annabanana]

1. The House will allow piecemeal corrections to their favored interests

and leave the painful cuts in services to the struggling in place. They have won the best of both worlds for the 1%.