Jobless Benefits About To Crash

[Purveyor]

By JOHN MAGGS

With no end in sight to the nation’s high unemployment, the government program to help the jobless is heading for a crash.

And with Democrats and Republicans now divided over what used to be routine extensions of unemployment insurance benefits, there’s little prospect anytime soon for the sort of costly and complex rescue that’s necessary, according to one of the program’s champions.

“I am worried,” said Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), who got some temporary unemployment fixes in the $787 billion economic stimulus bill. “It is going to take a degree of bipartisanship ... that we haven’t seen.”

The sour economy, with unemployment stuck above 9 percent for a year and a half, has been the backdrop for this fall’s midterm elections, but long-term fixes for the unemployment insurance system have hardly been a hot campaign issue.

Democratic and Republican leaders alike say that helping the unemployed is a top priority. But critics say neither side has done enough to avert the looming insolvency of the outmoded unemployment system, which reaches less than half of the jobless and yet is shuddering under $40 billion in debt.

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http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1010/43777.html#ixzz12oo3ddbY

[Skittles]

1. what a fucking mess

[maxsolomon]

2. oh sure, "neither side has done enough".

way to call it like you see it, Politico.

"Bagdhad" Jim McDermott (my congressman - yay WA-7!) is correct - it would take a degree of bipartisanship - in the form of 1 fucking GOP senator.

[prolesunited]

3. What they need to to is enact a WPA-style program

and get much-needed public works projects done and give people the dignity of work and update/retrain for new work.

I've read countless stories that say businesses won't even hire the unemployed, much less the long-term unemployed. We are creating a system in which 10%-plus will remain out of work, especially if they are older than 45 to 50.