House extends jobless benefits, tax breaks

[Dulcinea]

Source: Market Watch

By Ruth Mantell, MarketWatch

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The House of Representatives voted Friday, 215 to 204, to extend unemployment insurance benefits through November as part of a wide-ranging bill that includes a tax hike on hedge-fund managers plus the renewal of a slew of expired middle-class tax perks.

The Senate won't take up the bill until after its Memorial Day recess -- that means approval, if it happens at all, won't happen until Monday, June 7 at the earliest, though if a jobless-benefit extension is approved it would likely be retroactive.

More than 1 million unemployed Americans could be cut off from unemployment insurance in June as Congress comes down to the wire on debate over the far-reaching jobs and tax bill that would extend some federally-funded benefits.


Read more: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/jobless-benefit-deadline-looms-as-lawmakers-tussle-2010-05-28?dist=afterbell

[Scuba]

1. But if we give them the unemployment....

...that they paid in, they won't be as desparate as we like them.

[WhiteTara]

3. actually Scuba

the employer pays the insurance premium...not the employee. Employees pay SS, Fed income, State income and disability, but not UI.

[No Elephants]

4. One way or the other, directly or indirectly, the money comes from the employees.

[SpiralHawk]

2. "This just sucks." - Rush DraftDodger Limbaugh (R)

"Screw these little people, freaking American workers. What we really need is MORE MORE MORE tax cuts for rich Republicons. Smirk."

- Rush DraftDodger Limbaugh (R)

[No Elephants]

5. Everyone? Or are the long time unemployed still SOL?

[loveslife]

6. SOL

The long term (or 99er's as they are euphemistically called) are as you say "SOL". Nancy Pelosi made that abundantly clear at her last Thursday weekly legislative briefing:
http://www.c-span.org/Watch/Media/2010/05/27/HP/A/33420/House%20Speaker%20Rep%20Nancy%20Pelosi%20DCA%20Weekly%20Legislative%20Briefing.aspx
At around 17:01 in the video she has a "chuckle" about the calls that she and others have gotten in regards to those who no longer have any benefits available and after her little chuckle about the pleas from people SOL she made it clear that nothing would happen for them until at the earliest November.

I was furious! You see I was one of "those people" that had faxed her and many others of our fine government "employees" during a fax campaign that had been instituted by a 99er fight-back group to get their attention to the plight of those losing the last of their benefits.

Now I've been unemployed for a long time but I'm more fortunate than most in that I still have some unemployment left and a small savings that help me to keep going. I do know how difficult it is though to find work right now because I'm looking and applying everyday. Most of my savings is going to my medical needs and COBRA for which I pay the full amount because I was beyond the cutoff date for the government help but at this point I'm just glad to be able to afford it. For those that have been long term unemployed and aren’t so lucky to have any savings to dip into or that it’s been finally depleted, and now have had their unemployment benefits cut off, I can only imagine the depth of their despair.

Pelosi’s response was callous to say the least:
PELOSI: "The phenomenon or the situation that I see is that members who are from low-unemployment areas are very concerned about the deficit. Members who are from high-unemployment areas are very concerned about the jobs."

Yeah Nancy I get it. As usual its about the politics and not about the people.

[No Elephants]

8. Thank you. Sad. Chuckle, huh? Fuck her and the multi-millionaire she rode in on.

literally and figuratively.

[loveslife]

10. and smirk

It was infuriating. I immediately called her office and of course once I mentioned what it was about i.e. unemployment they put me through to voice mail. I let her know how disgusted I was by her cavalier attitude towards those who will no longer have any help. I'm sure she got another chuckle about that.

[prolesunited]

7. They did the same thing during the spring recess

For people who have money, payment delays may not be a big deal. But for those who are barely scraping by as it is, this is devastating. Waiting a week or two for a check is a big f'n deal.

[No Elephants]

9. At least they are still eligible, not SOL.

[loveslife]

11. but won't help

those who have run out. Unfortunately, I think that most people have a general idea that these extensions, are extensions of additional benefits. In reality, all they do is to continue to make them available for those who have reached there 99 weeks or I believe its 80 in some states. If you have gone through your 99 weeks, then its just good luck and good riddance. That's why those who have gone through the 99 weeks are begging for an additional tier 5 extension. There are hundreds of thousands of these people at the end of their rope and some reports are saying it'll swell to a million by the end of the year. Our government is willing to bailout our banks who've screwed up big time but aren't willing to help those who have lost their livelihoods through no fault of their own. We're becoming a country that has lost it's moral compass.

[prolesunited]

12. The economy will crash again

if millions are unemployed without benefits by the end of the year. We'll see Obamavilles in all of the major cities.

[Dulcinea]

13. kick

This isn't going away just because people are tired of hearing about it & Congress is sick of dealing with it! Long-term unemployment is a very real problem that must be addressed NOW!