Oct. 12
The Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore., on unemployment benefits:
Despite a growing consensus that the Great Recession has ended, unemployment is expected to continue rising well into next year.
That's why it's imperative that Congress move swiftly to approve another extension of unemployment benefits to help the millions of Americans who remain mired in economic misery.
Last Thursday, the Senate reached a tentative deal to extend unemployment benefits by 14 weeks in all states. ... Without a nationwide extension, 1.5 million Americans will have exhausted benefits by the end of the year, an unwelcome prospect for an economy just starting to recover from free fall. ...
Republican critics of extended unemployment insurance say it can be a disincentive to looking for work — an argument that overlooks the wasteland that the job market remains in Oregon and most other states. ...
Critics also claim extending benefits at a time the economy is recovering is counterproductive. But unemployment benefits are one of the most effective forms of short-term stimulus. The average state jobless check is $300 a month, and unemployed Americans plow that money back into the economy, paying rent and buying food and other necessities. ...
The Great Recession technically may be over. But it's going to take a while for the "jobless recovery" to end and the real one to begin.
Until that happens, Congress should help unemployed Americans from plunging deeper into poverty.
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On the Net:
Http://tiny.cc/tP8hd
The Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore., on unemployment benefits:
Despite a growing consensus that the Great Recession has ended, unemployment is expected to continue rising well into next year.
That's why it's imperative that Congress move swiftly to approve another extension of unemployment benefits to help the millions of Americans who remain mired in economic misery.
Last Thursday, the Senate reached a tentative deal to extend unemployment benefits by 14 weeks in all states. ... Without a nationwide extension, 1.5 million Americans will have exhausted benefits by the end of the year, an unwelcome prospect for an economy just starting to recover from free fall. ...
Republican critics of extended unemployment insurance say it can be a disincentive to looking for work — an argument that overlooks the wasteland that the job market remains in Oregon and most other states. ...
Critics also claim extending benefits at a time the economy is recovering is counterproductive. But unemployment benefits are one of the most effective forms of short-term stimulus. The average state jobless check is $300 a month, and unemployed Americans plow that money back into the economy, paying rent and buying food and other necessities. ...
The Great Recession technically may be over. But it's going to take a while for the "jobless recovery" to end and the real one to begin.
Until that happens, Congress should help unemployed Americans from plunging deeper into poverty.
___
On the Net:
Http://tiny.cc/tP8hd
