Hundreds of Thousands of Workers Will Lose Unemployment Benefits Soon

[ensho]

http://www.alternet.org/workplace/141190/hundreds_of_thousands_of_workers_will_lose_unemployment_benefits_soon/


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"We can't ignore this moment when all these folks are running out (of benefits)," says Maurice Emsellem of the National Employment Law Project.

"That needs to be a top priority, to help these workers." Let's stop kidding ourselves. In no contemporary economic crisis -- not even those that unfolded on the Republicans' watch -- has Congress left the unemployed completely in the lurch. So some sort of spending package -- call it stimulus, call it stopgap emergency aid, whatever works -- is going to have to be passed.

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Already states have laid off and furloughed workers -- including, in some states, the very workers who process unemployment claims.
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lawsy what a mess

[graywarrior]

1. I can't find a job anywhere and my benefits will run out soon.

[obliviously]

2. My wife ran out six months ago

so now she is no longer counted on the unemployed list. Its funny how they worked that out!

[graywarrior]

6. Makes it look better than it is.

[obliviously]

7. You take the official number and multiply by two.

[graywarrior]

8. Guess you're not really oblivious

[obliviously]

14. I keep telling everyone

all the good names were used up!

[lib2DaBone]

3. ..it is hard to understand..why Obama can't put people back to work.?

The Dems and The Repugs are both to blame. Clinton signed NAFTA , (which his good buddy G.H.W. Bush put together) Thus we got the... GSS "giant sucking sound" of jobs leaving the country.

Ronnie Raygun busted the Unions and smashed the American worker down to minimum wage level.

Then Joe Biden came along and let the bankers write all the new bankruptcy laws.. which took away all safety nets.

And to this day.. outsourcing still continues? They are even outsourcing the distribution of U.S. food stamps to call centers in India. (while Americans sit idle)

It would seem that $700 Billion would allow for some workers to go out and fix the roads or repair our electric grid or fix our water systems.... ?

It goes beyond insanity... our politicians are not just re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic... they are now throwing the chairs overboard and punching holes in the lifeboats.

[OhioChick]

4. Good post. Deserving of a Rec. n/t

[crickets]

12. Seconding OhioChick. -nt

[truedelphi]

13. We have spent twelve trillion dollars on "recovery" efforts

That are only working for the Wall St crowd.

They got money so they could start lending, and they are not lending.

Twelve trillion bucks could pay off OUTRIGHT every single mortgage held by American homeowners in The USA. Every single one.

Instead, some eight million people will be losing their homes over the next twelve months.

And it is because most of those in office are neither (R)'s or (D)'s but rather are (C)'s (For corporations)

[leftofthedial]

5. when hundreds of thousands lose their jobs every month for over a year,

and "unemployment" benefits last only a few months,

some ugly shit will eventually hit the fan,

or the streets

[galileoreloaded]

11. I am sincerely interested in what you think that looks like....

the "ugly shit" that is. Because, I don't think it looks anything like many here fantasize about, some sort of Proletariat uprising, and then casting out our corporate masters.

I think it looks like the rise of warlord-ism (if that's a word). A MUCH more brutal Free-Market system, where everyone is out for themselves.

Someone here said it best the other day, and what a great quote.....

"We now live in a lawless society, the Government keeps pretending we have laws, and we keep pretending to follow them".

Something like that anyway. Perhaps a brave new world after all.

[madrchsod]

9. i ran out of my federal benefits

but i`m getting another nine weeks from the state. by fall there will be another federal extension on unemployment payments. i`ve drawn unemployment on and off for almost three years.

[WillyT]

10. That Would Be Me !!!

"Already states have laid off and furloughed workers -- including, in some states, the very workers who process unemployment claims."

Last week we found out about our third furlough day.

On Wednesday of this week, for example, we processed well over 250,00 unemployment forms. Took over 8 hrs. to do so.

On Thursday, we found out about another 5% pay cut on top of the three furlough days, and if Arnie doesn't get that...

He'll declare a fourth furlough day under the state of emergency he's declared.

People at work, the very people who bust their asses every day to get the UI forms processed so people will get their checks on time, are very very unhappy these days.

Somethins gotta give!

:shrug: