True, many people pay in for many years, but do you know exactly how much that is? Very Small amount. I will see if I can go pull some numbers from my quickbooks.

I have seen those numbers out there also 1 job for every 6 unemployed, so I see reduction of one sixth of the people on they system, also what about the people that hold a job and taking benifits from people who deserve it.

I am not saying get rid of the system, just fix it. Same with welfare and many other systems.

Found some info looks like it takes a LONG time to build up money.

The UI program is part of a national program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor under the Social Security Act. The UI program provides temporary payments to individuals who are unemployed through no fault of their own.

UI is paid by the employer. Tax-rated employers pay a percentage on the first $7,000 in wages paid to each employee in a calendar year. The UI rate schedule and amount of taxable wages are determined annually. New employers pay 3.4 percent (.034) for up to three years. EDD notifies employers of their new rate each December. The maximum tax is $434 per employee per year. (Calculated at the highest UI tax rate of 6.2 percent x $7,000.)

Both state and federal governments have been putting in additional money, for about a year I want to say, in order to extend standard unemployment benefits. Standard unemployment benefits people have every right to get. The extensions are where it starts getting tricky.

As usual Tom, you're an idiot and I think we can all agree on that. More unemployment benefits DOES promote further employment because people have less desire to find a job. You then create a ridiculously stupid "logic" for the senate republicans. It's not even the contrapositive of the initial statement, just a retarded statement made by an idiot(you).

Bingo. To say there are no jobs is bullshit. There may not be a job you want or are qualified for, but there is work out there.

I presume you have a link to someone coming to this conclusion, other than yourself.

So you're saying the democrats aren't playing to their base, it's called politics.
I'm sure after the vacation is over , the democrats will have a plan that will meet the approval from enough GOP's to pass the bill.

The democrats had GOP proof votes in the house and senate for a long time, 3 years, worked well for unemployment didn't it

Like most, you think I'm a die hard GOP, not the case, I'm an independent with mostly conservative views


build a wall on the border and protect it
that would employee a lot of people
give the illegal aliens a path to citizenship, but don't give it away and don't offer it to those that would be a burden on the economy

And get rid of sanctuary cities

Then get rid of NAFTA, the US can't compete with foreign labor cost, so level the playing field, give incentives for making the product in the US thru tax breaks and import tax.
Then we can make more of our own products and employee more people, better paying jobs and many more on company health insurance

Financial Reform, that scares me, putting the government in charge of the bank?
Healthcare, would be nice if we could afford it, government agencies are saying we can't

The economy, pretty easy, stop the wars, just pull out, it won't make a difference now or later at this point, cut foreign aid, get people working, pretty much all it would take, if the economy is better, then maybe they can come up with a healthcare plan that we could afford

As usual, this DOES have pro's and cons as people are pointing out on both sides. But the issue is that the GOP is ONCE AGAIN simply USING unemployment benefits extensions as a political game. They will do it again, as much as posisble before the November elections. They WANT angry voters and they want them angry at Washington as if it actually mattered. They want to win seats to become the majority for the SIMPLE purpose of more easily thwarting anything that any democrat wants to do.

To think otherwise is just naive.

ps: Demon, just google "define naive".

What do you want me to post links to? Articles from 15 days ago where Orrin Hatch proposed drug testing the unemployed? Links to the other day when senate hopeful angle wants to abolish unemployment because it only leads to... unemployment?

I just watch the news on tv, and I'm stating my opinion. It's a political football. If it made political sense for the GOP to extend benefits, they would simply do so. If you really think they are blocking it because they think it's going to help the country.. show me a link to an article that proves that :)

Only after you google "logical deduction, logical fallacy, non sequitur, and argumentum ad ignorantiam. Please stop embarrassing yourself with "anyone thinks other wise..." As usual you haven't provided and reasoning or common sense to your post so I'm assuming you're the clown in this thread.

Maybe it is they are conservative and want to quit the endless spending. Remember these are the Extensions we are talking about.
Logically thinking, keep paying people, and the economy will get better and jobs will come back? NO If this were true just give the companies the money directly and let them hire them back, and make something to sell, to make more $$$. What an Idea, but this is not a perfect world, and we know the CEO's will just keep it, kinda like the Banks!!

Call me naive for thinking something else, I guess

It's possible that a person might collect more benefits if the person has own business instead of being an employee.

According to PR Tom, thinking logically means you're naive.

Well then, by the way the Republicans think, when these 1.2 million people get off unemployment the job numbers will bounce back because these people will simply be forced to get jobs they all could already get.

On that Note, I bet your right, it prob is more politicaly motivated then for the good of the country, BUT
What would you do, extend them or not? Honestly, there has to be something else done...

Well see thats the thing, GotGauge. It very well MAY be a FINE idea to revamp the entire structure. But to begin the process by blocking extensions when the whole talking point for the past 18 months has been that the economy sucks? I'm pretty sure that queers the entire argument.

What I would do is extend the benefits AND propose solid reforms. Open debate on reform proposals, GOP senators, democrat senators, any dang senators who has the plan. Just do it. But dont hold up benefits at the 11th hour AGAIN just because you have a burr on your ass about it.

I just read a story of some middle class guy trying to rob a pizza joint so he could prevent his home from going into foreclosure. He apparently apologized to the girl behind the counter and told her why he was doing it. She then encouraged him to hit up family and friends instead. Ultimately she ended up getting robbed anyway for approximately $600.

I expect we'll see a lot more crime like this from such people. :(

Nothing wrong with preventing people from using my money to but their recreational drugs. But post one link to ANY congressman that has said if there were no unemployment benefits there would be no unemployment.

Pretty sure you can not because you arrived at that conclusion on your own.

I do have one question for you though . . . where do you live?

Why are the democrats so scared to let these people off unemployment? This is the "summer of growth" isnt it? This is when the dems said all the jobs would be rolling in. When unemployment numbers would go down, people would have jobs and credit would be easy.......

That's a sad story.

Expect crime to soar.

Only criminals have to resort to crime to survive. :2 cents:

I also agree that pulling the benifits at the last minute is not good, but then remember these people have thier fingers crossed that they will get extended AGAIN. So setting a deadline seems pointless, if no one believes it will ever happen.

Just so you know, I am for Programs that are used for what they are intended for.
Abuse on all levels has to stop, from programs to government.

We are in an age of entitlement, the Me Me Me, What do I get.
We are our own enemies!

Okay, so if the jobs aren't rolling in, why would the Republicans want to kick people out of homes, not allow kids to have food, basically support follow Americans suffering when they have very little or no other choice?

Because life is not fair? Because why should you steal from one to give to another? Why should you take from my family to give to another and put my family at risk of losing my house, car, and food?

USA is where I live. Also, I said senate hopeful sharron angle said it the other day. You can google sharron angle unemployment and find a slew of them, or can read any number of peoples opinions on it. Here's one http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plu...ld_cut_un.html

You can google orrin hatch unemployment to find his proposal on it too. That was a couple of weeks ago..

My shoe size is 10.5 extra wide.

Being that life isn't fair, why isn't you and your family on the front lines fighting battles for our Country? Should you be allowed to benefit off others lives that are willing to give it up for you and your family? Why should you be allowed to be in American and get American benfits and be proud to be an American if you aren't willing to sacrifice your life for every follow American, let alone a tiny bit of your money to help them?

If you were at risk of losing your stuff and people cared, you wouldn't be at risk, would you?

Whether you want to believe it or not, the Republicans want more people out of work and broke because they can regain power in November more easily if the country is in a bigger shithole. If you don't think the party establishment thinks like that, then you don't understand how politics really works.

But overall, America is becoming a very un-American place. There is this new attitude of "every man for himself" that has been rising. I don't know if it's misplaced racism, or people are scared of a changing world or whatever. But talk that unemployment makes people not work, and senators using metaphors about feeding stray animals to describe those receiving unemployment benefits just isn't America as far as I am concerned.

Deregulation and a corporate take over of government has led to our situation where there are virtually no middle class jobs left in this country. We are in a transitional period and to not lend people a hand during this time just makes no sense to me. If you want to live in a world where it's every man for himself, go live in Somalia and tell me how you like it because that's how they do things in third world countries.

A sensible answer. Less people spending money in local communities on essentials means less money circulating and less jobs. More unemployment.

Some of those posting in this thread have a "Fuck you I'm alright Jack" attitude. I hope they never have the experienced of being unemployed. The way Internet porn is going some might change their attitude soon.

:upsidedow :upsidedow

They become criminals to protect and feed their families.

Really people that care? Like the IRS? :1orglaugh

People on the front lines VOLUNTEER TO BE THERE. Taxation is not voluntary.

Would I GIVE money to help people out yes and I have given 1000s of dollars to people who use to subcontract from me but I have no work for them, to get by. As a matter of fact I just paid one guys rent of $850.

But I would l would like to CHOOSE who I give my money to, not forced to give to people I dont know at gun point. :2 cents:

She did not say eliminating unemployment benefits will eliminate unemployment. She said eliminating extended benefits will cause people to take jobs that they feel are beneath them.


Your opinion is irrelevant, so I won't bother commenting on the idiocy of it.

And 3 years of democratic control in the house and senate got us where?

You're blaming the GOP for 2 votes, I just wanted you to know that and they have only had those 2 votes for 6 months. What happened the rest of the time?

Pretty much. All these people who "Bush this.... Clinton this... Obama 9 months ago that.." are just crying about the problem.

Find a solution. Who gives a shit whose fault it is. The problem exists - fix it.

The problem is government can not fix it. Government only destroys wealth it can not create it.

I'm in the camp of people that think most unemployed people either don't try at all, don't try for jobs they feel are beneath them, or don't learn other skills necessary to get jobs they can't currently get (I realize not all cities are alike but here at least, there are 100% FREE adult education classes on all sorts of things, libraries, the internet with many free information sources, etc.).

My brother who has probably been fired from more than a dozen jobs over the years always finds work, ALWAYS. Sometimes it's temp/contract work vs. permanent jobs (I wonder how many people flat-out ignore temp work), sometimes it's doing odd jobs for people directly, seeking them out on Craigslist, etc., but I don't think he's gone a month without work in several years except when he was in rehab (and yea, he was getting jobs even while he had a pretty bad drug problem).

Yes, he knows computer stuff and not everyone does, but I bet a sliver of unemployed people do anything constructive besides submitting applications. They could be using the time to learn skills to get jobs they wouldn't be able to get. Hell, even if they don't have a computer/net connection, LIBRARY. When times are tough, you have to get tougher and work harder and use different angles if necessary to get what you need.

I don't believe there would be no unemployment if there were no unemployment benefits, but you would see much much more motivation out of the unemployed if their unemployment wasn't lasting a ridiculous amount of time.

I know someone recently who drew unemployment for at least a year if not longer. Happily took it in, didn't do shit except go to the casino and gamble all but the bare essential money away. Kept doing that until unemployment ran out. Then...well whaddya know, he went out and looked for a job, and got one in a week or two. I refuse to believe that it's only a tiny percentage of people that have that exact same path.

This thread is full of the rhetoric that politicians feed on. The rhetoric that lines their pockets and keeps them in power for 50 years. Oh how they would hate it if the common man realized that a guy with a red or blue shirt is not the enemy, but actually a friend that is passionate about making our country a better place now and in the future.

It's frustrating and downright sad watching the Minority Leader trash the President and the President trash the Minority Leader. It seems the only time red and blue can agree is when there is a 9/11. Heh, maybe it was the government.

Serious question.

Instead of paying construction workers unemployment, why can't we pay them unemployment wage and have them out fixing some of the infrastructure problems that we have today? I read an article just this morning that said the Capitol Hill area needs over $250 million in repairs. That is pathetic. Our Capitol Hill should be in tip top shape at all times.

Instead of paying teachers unemployment, why can't we pay them an unemployment wage and put them in a scenario where they can continue teaching children? Our kids don't suddenly disappear. They still need to be taught.

Instead of paying healthcare workers unemployment, why can't we attach them to people that need health care workers but can't fully afford healthcare wages? There are many, many people like this.

Not only would this keep our nonworking people, working, but it would also help society as a whole. Get these people out contributing to the areas we need it most. I think it would also help slash some of the fraud issue. Hey, if I'm working the same job and only making half of the wages, I'm going to be pretty determined to get out there and find a regular full-time job.

Now a counter argument to this is "if they are working 40 hours a week, how are they going to apply for new better jobs?" Frankly, that's a pretty weak argument but I'll give it some merit anyway. We'll have these people work 25 hours a week instead of 40.

I would like to hear a good, concrete argument against this proposition. I've thought about it many times. I can't think of a concrete argument that isn't just whining.

Unfortunately we have some family members who are exactly like that. They refuse to even try to get jobs because they don't want to take a chance of losing that check. One of them works a flea market for cash under the table so that they can keep collecting. :(

There is no argument against that. What you said is EXACTLY what should be happening.

Throwing money at the problem is not the answer. Leaving hard working people to fend for themselves when no jobs exist which are suitable to their skill sets is not the answer.

Extending benefits is half the solution. Requiring verifiable job training class attendance, weeding out people who abuse the system and enforcing the rules already in place to promote temporary use of unemployment is the other half.

Doing either is silly. Doing neither is silly. The country, can... should... and eventually will do both.

Because they can get the same thing for doing nothing.

That's apart of the problem.

No term limits, people viewing politics as sports(oh lol I'm a dem, we won the primaries in 42 states!11!! lol lol omg u suck), people being ignorant as fuck and believing the bs rhetoric politicans feed them to further the divide..... list goes on and on and on and... on.