The Lame Duck session is a dangerous time for an unemployment extension. I am truly hoping that the extension of at least the benefits currently in place will be the first thing on the docket. Then, I would like to think that the 99ers would get relief, as a Tier 5 extension is needed. The Stabenow bill would give 20 additional weeks of unemployment, which would be a fantastic Christmas present to the American people.
NELP
State workforce agencies have made it through some of briefer lapses without a major interruption in benefits, but NELP estimates that this time, 800,000 people in the federally-funded "Extended Benefits" program, which offers 13 or 20 weeks, depending on the state, will almost immediately stop receiving checks when the program expires.
Transfer Of Wealth
I heard one commentator saying that unemployment was a transfer of wealth from the rich to the poor. Let’s take a look at that. Everybody I know who once received unemployment had that money spent before they ever got it. It went to utility companies owned by rich corporations, car and house payments to the banks owned by rich corporations, and if there was anything left it went to the phone companies owned by rich corporations, or for toilet paper, soap, and razor blades from Wal-Mart which is a rich corporation. So, all of the money that went to the unemployed ended up in the pockets of the rich. And remember, they make a profit on everything they do.
Secretary Of Labor
Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis, has said in a statement, “While the economy continues to grow, there is more work that needs to be done to get Americans back to work. Everyone agrees on the problem. Both parties must now come together to solve it. With millions of Americans still looking for work, now is not the time to cut key safety net programs like Unemployment Insurance. The Emergency Unemployment Compensation program is set to expire at the end of November. If that happens, 2 million people will lose benefits in December and 6 million by the end of next year.
http://www.americasnewsonline.com/unemployment-extension-tier-5-will-there-be-relief-by-years-end-911/