When about 1.3 million Americans wake up tomorrow morning...and later in the day they walk to their mailboxes...a check they have been receiving - week after week - for many months...will have not been delivered. That is because these out-of-work Americans have lost their unemployment insurance.
It was December 28th, 2013 when Congress disgracefully declined to renew the emergency aid program for the jobless. The Americans affected are - for the most part - people who want to work...who are trying to find work... who need to buy food for themselves - and in many cases, their children - and who need to pay the rent that keeps roofs over the heads of those children and themselves. Unemployment money also helps to put gas in cars...and pay for the automobile insurance necessary...so the unemployed can go to job interviews...when those appointments become available.
Tomorrow...January 6th...the United States Senate is scheduled to vote on a bi-partisan bill that will extend unemployment insurance for those Americans not working for more than 26 weeks. The bill - authored and introduced by Liberal Democrat... Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island... and Conservative Republican... Senator Dean Heller of Nevada...would prolong emergency unemployment benefits. If passed...Democrats and Republicans need to join forces and work hard so that jobless insurance is extended for the remainder of 2014. If Congress doesn't extend those benefits for the rest of this year... it's going to be a financial blow to about 14 million Americans. The Department of Labor says that 4.9 million people are on unemployment. When added to the more than 9 million family members - including children - 14 million Americans will not have money to put food on their tables...and, therefore, will not only be hungry...but could ultimately become homeless... and starve to death. With 55 Democratic Senators...all the U.S. Senate needs - in addition to Senator Heller's vote - is four of the 44 other Republicans...to reach the 60 mark...to pass the bill to extend unemployment benefits. In December 2013...the Department of Labor reported the unemployment rate for November - the latest statistics reported to date - was 7.0 percent... which is the lowest level in 5 years...since November 2008. That said...never in the history of the United States has the federal government considered not extending unemployment insurance during a period of long term unemployment. According to a recent poll...commissioned by the National Employment Law Project...the vast majority of voting Americans - 73 percent of the country - including Democrats and Republicans...want Congress to extend jobless benefits.
Twenty-six weeks is not enough time to find a job in today's economy. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says that most states have offered unemployment benefits for up to 63 or 73 weeks. But now...the maximum length of time will drop to 26 weeks or less. That means anyone who was on his or her 27th week of benefits...or longer...will suddenly be cut off.
Do Congressional Republicans not care about the poor and middle-class? In 2013...Wall Street's numbers were up 30 percent. But the average American's wage was only up one percent. Plain and simple...it is obvious that Republican Members of Congress don't care about poor and middle-class Americans. I said Republicans in Congress...not all Republican citizens.
On Sunday, December 8th, 2013...The Controversy focused on raising the minimum wage throughout the United States. Today...Sunday, January 5th, 2014...Democratic Senator Harry Reid of Nevada - the Senate Majority Leader - told CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent and Anchor of Face The Nation, Bob Schieffer..."The last 30 years...the top one percent of Americans... in their income and wealth...has increased 300 percent. The middle-class... during that same 30 years...has lost almost 10 percent. We've got to turn this around. The rich are getting richer. The poor are getting poorer. The middle-class are being squeezed out of existence."
Approximately 26 billion dollars in unemployment insurance need to be paid out in 2014. Of course I hope that someday we can have zero unemployment benefits...because then...every single American adult would be working at a job that pays them a satisfactory income. But that will never happen unless there is a substantial increase in the minimum wage.
Republicans need to realize that paying out 26 billion dollars in unemployment benefits is not all bad. After all...that's 26 billion dollars that is then spent by the recipients of that money...and, therefore, those bucks are put back in to the economy. By spending all that money...it helps the country...it helps the economy...and it helps small businesses where that money is being spent. Unfortunately for an unemployed person...when he or she receives their financial assistance...they spend every penny of it. They can't afford to keep it...and save it. That needs to change.
If Republican Members of Congress...don't work together with
Congressional Democrats...and with President Obama...and don't extend jobless benefits for three months...and later...for throughout all
of 2014...shame on the GOP. But those same Congressional Republicans need to beware. If they don't do what's right...if they don't extend unemployment insurance...their party is doomed. As a Democrat...I'd like nothing more than for Congressional Republicans to shoot themselves in the feet...and ruin their chances of winning the majority in either the House or the Senate come election day this fall. But if Congressional Republicans don't vote to extend unemployment benefits... they'll not only destroy their chances for re-election in November...they'll be destroying the lives of millions of Americans. As a kindhearted... considerate...and compassionate human being...who has concern for others...I hope they do what's right.And that's The Controversy for today.
I'm Gary B. Duglin.
"We'll talk again."
The Controversy is a publication of GBD Productions. Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Controversy is Gary B. Duglin.
The Controversy will make an effort to publish a new commentary every Sunday. Unscheduled essays may appear, from time to time, on other days as well.
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I must say as a conservative I would approve a short term benefit package for those out of work more than 26 weeks, it needs to be paid for and to have a plan to get them off government aid and back to work. All the democrats want is to give out more money without restrictions or requirements. Conservatives are compassionate and caring people for the most part. You may have noticed I didn’t say an extension to UI benefits. Unemployment Insurance is what it says it is, a short term insurance policy that employees and employers pay premiums for, it covers 26 weeks of payments, any extension beyond 26 weeks is not unemployment insurance it is basically welfare. That being said the GOP has not disgracefully declined, it said it would pass it if the democrats find a way to pay for it and have a plan to get them working. Your comment that the “Republican Members of Congress don't care about poor and middle-class Americans” is disgracefully and untrue. How many jobs bills has the House GOP passed just to sit in Harry Reid’s draw, more than 30! Why won’t the Democrats help middle class and poor Americans get work? Maybe they want them poor and needing the governments help so they can give them hand out and blame the GOP for all their problems so they can get their vote. The democrats should stop playing politics with people’s lives and help them help themselves.
ReplyDeleteAs I stated in my commentary..."twenty-six weeks is not enough time to find a job in today's economy." My comment that "Republican Members of Congress don't care about poor and middle-class Americans" was in reference to the fact that "Wall Street's numbers were up 30 percent. But the average American's wage was only up one percent." Plus, I differ strongly with your remark that unemployment insurance after 26 weeks is welfare. First of all, you make welfare sound as if it's a dirty word. Whether accepting unemployment or welfare, these are Americans who have - for the most part - been hard working people for a long time in their lives, but are - for whatever reason - unable to find a job. Give them a break. They need the financial help to get by...to buy food...to pay rent... to live. Perhaps not forever...but certainly for a longer period of time than 26 weeks. The vote to extend unemployment benefits is scheduled for today (Monday, January 13th, 2014). I believe the United States Senate will do what is right and 4 Republicans will join the 55 Democrats and 1 other Republican...for a total of 60 Senators...who will pass the extension. I'm all for people "help(ing) themselves" - as you suggest - but we, as Americans - along with the government - must help them too. It's not "Democrats playing politics" as you may think. It's caring about people in need. GBD
DeleteDo you even read what people send you? I said I would extend for a short term benefits as the GOP has said. If 26 weeks is not long enough the the premiums need to go up to pay for more insurance coverage. I never said Welfare was a dirty word, what my point was that you pay for 26 weeks of coverage and now want 99, its not what you paid for. If you need assistance after the 26 weeks there are many programs to help and people should get the help they truly need. After 26 weeks you are now collecting a government handout which comes with other rules then UI. It's not a benefit you paid for it is tax payer money. As for your statement "Republican Members of Congress don't care about poor and middle-class Americans" was in reference to the fact that "Wall Street's numbers were up 30 percent. But the average American's wage was only up one percent." What does the GOP ,Wall Street making profits and wages have to do with unemployment insurance? My comment about the "Democrats playing politics" and caring about the people in need, it goes like the old story, if you give a man a fish, he eats for a day, teach him to fish and he can eat for life. The Democrat want to give him a fish the republicans want to teach him to fish. If the Democrats give him a fish every day he is dependent on them that's playing politics, makes him dependent and he has to vote for you to get his daily fish.
DeleteI never said that you said "welfare was a dirty word." I said "you make welfare SOUND as if it's a dirty word." As I stated in my commentary, "Twenty-six weeks is not enough time to find a job in today's economy." And it's not. The story about "fish" doesn't apply here. What you don't apparently seem to understand is that those who are unemployed WANT to work. The jobs for every adult in this country are just not available. Americans who are waiting for their unemployment checks would rather have a paycheck from an employer rather than from the government. Hopefully the Republicans in Congress will realize that and Americans who are unemployed will have more time to find a job, but until then, they would at least be able to eat and not become homeless. GBD
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