U.S. Senate Passes Unemployment Benefits Bill

The Senate has passed a bill that would extend unemployment benefits for many who have had those benefits expire.

Now this goes to the House where some are suggesting an additional provision to extend the mandatory sign up delay for health insurance along with tinkering with the amounts of benefits.

Seems like they're playing with fire, as usual.

Unemployment benefits bill clears hurdle

WASHINGTON (AP) -- White House-backed legislation to renew jobless benefits unexpectedly cleared an initial Senate hurdle on Tuesday, raising the prospect of a mid-winter compromise to ease the impact of the recession on the long-term unemployed.

"Let's get it done," President Barack Obama exhorted lawmakers at the White House shortly after the vote. .....


Among the GOP proposals is a suspension in the requirement to purchase health insurance under "Obamacare," a change that would potentially save billions of dollars in federal subsidies to the lower-income.

reply to post by xuenchen


well at least he spending money we don't have on Americans instead of foreign aid.

It doesnt excuse him for his criminal actions though, this is probly the best news I have seen you put out about obama, r u ok?

reply to post by xuenchen


Well at least they are looking at the problem and actually hitting on good points on both sides. That's rather refreshing. I agree with all of them from how dark it is for many to the we need to create jobs in the states. The one downer that I see about the article is the use of unemployment only as a measure. I still have a lot of friends who took up to $20k a year in salary cuts because they were laid off in 2008/9 and had to take a job that paid that much less. That's not even counting the fact that when I walk into Target, the cashiers there aren't college kids like 10-20 years ago but are largely middle aged to elderly and at fast food places, grown adults in jobs that once used to be jobs that teenagers took. I'd like to see those things acknowledged in these articles more, too.

reply to post by xuenchen


I thought bills were supposed to start in the House (funding) then go to the Senate for a final vote.

I think this is a good step. Glad it's happening.

beezzer
reply to post by xuenchen

 

I thought bills were supposed to start in the House (funding) then go to the Senate for a final vote.

Hmmm.

Maybe there's some older House bill they are referencing ?

S.1845 - Latest Title: Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act

There's always a mystery.

beezzer
reply to post by xuenchen

 

I thought bills were supposed to start in the House (funding) then go to the Senate for a final vote.

They are, but since when has that stopped this particular iteration of our wonderful and benevolent dictatorship, I mean, Congress.

reply to post by WhiteAlice


Well, until the economy is freed up enough to start really moving again, this is going to be the new norm.

Jobs are precious and employers have us by the proverbial balls so to speak. It's their game not ours because labor is cheap. There are way more applicants for every job than there are actual openings, and until that changes back to the way it was when we had actual 5% unemployment, there will always be someone more desperate than you who will take the job for less.

reply to post by ketsuko


Yep. Absolutely. I call it "the employer's market". Take it from the supply and demand principle, when supply goes up, demand goes down and that means the price drops. In this case, the supply is potential workers. The demand for workers goes down and because of that high amount of competition, prices (wages/salaries) go down, too. While that could just simply be seen as a market aspect, a serious problem arises when those prices of all the things we require to live don't drop due lowered costs.

reply to post by WhiteAlice


Well, you have the current funny money policy of the Fed to thank for that. They keep printing more dollars without anything of value to back them diluting the pool. That means it takes more dollars to buy things, meaning everything gets more expensive. It's the silent tax most people don't even know about.

It's a perfect way to crush us. We make less and have to pay more.

Until the government stops taxing the hell out of small business operators then nothing will ever change. Obamacare made it so much worse its ridiculous. Millions of people have turned to working for themselves and not paying the government anything so they are only shooting themselves in the foot. These private workers are also taking from the small and medium employers business because they can offer cheaper rates so its a giant mess.

reply to post by Patriotsrevenge


As a small business owner, I'd like to say thank you for your post. Have a star.

reply to post by beezzer


Well it seems that once upon a time that is how Americas government used to be run, now obviously we don't have a real government anymore, just an entity run like a corporation where is not need for checks and balances, just the will of the highest CEOs and share holders, in other words the pimps tell the whores what to do and how much they will pay back.

Even if they do allow a delay in the mandate, it's BS because it's only a delay to get them past the elections. The mandate will be right back as soon as they save their political asses.

The Bill has failed. Good luck to all.