Unemployment insurance

Cold comfort

Millions of jobless Americans will soon be left without benefits

See article

Readers' comments



I agree that technically, the USA economy is in a period of "recovery", but at a rate so low that it seems not to be. Temporary employment is picking up because of the holiday season, but those jobs are just temporary.

I still believe that our economy in the USA is in such a fragile state that ANY unforeseen calamity occurring would cause another collapse, a collapse worse than we've seen so far. Although most economists don't believe it's possible, I still believe this might become a double-dip recession. Time will tell.


Given the structural road-mines to higher employment rates (training, education, impaired mobility) a heartening recovery to, say, 7% unemployment is still a long way in the future. Whatever the label, the GOP equates problem-solving with the well-fare mom syndrome, and figures to vote doctrinarily against extending benefits.

In human, non-partisan terms, this could prove catastrophic politically; so expect a bit of tweaking of purity standards and a bitter blotch of mud-slinging as the GOP comes to terms with the inevitable and inexorable need to raise taxes one way or the other, this writer`s preference being to increase the gasoline tax, despite and old oil man's objecting to rendering to Caesar a nickel more than absolutely necessary.

Gary C

Unemployment insurance benefits should be extended but this extension should be paid for by postponing the date the recipients become eligible for social security. Spend the money now when the economy and the unemployed need it and save it in the future when we need to deal with the debt.

economical aetiology

..very nice interface that makes it interesting and easy to grasp...may be we can superimpose the recent election result on this and we can come up with new psephological tool....


All this delusional hype about a spike in the employment figures, based on freak cyclical glitches, is nuthin short of desperately clutching at the proverbial straw.

Americans face a bone-chilling winter of discontent & come April, the Day of Reckoning for millions of unemployed workers-on-the-dole, once they run outta welfare benefits, completely.

Armegeddon looms..


And to crown it all, the incredibly selfish & self-serving Repubs will insist on extending the Bush tax cuts indefinitely, while their poor, hapless unemployed brothers & sisters wallow in hell-on-earth.

Good job, Repugs!


The US government is printing dollars to pay for unemployment benefits. It appears following the G-20 summit that the rest of the world does not agree with this policy.

Paul Marks

There was not a word in your article about how to PAY for the extention of unemployment benefits - the matter that Senator Bunning was trying to get people on your side of the political divide to face up to.

As for the idea that government welfare payments are "good for the economy" because they help consumer spending......

This is exactly the sort of absurd fallacy that the subject of political economy (economics) was developed to refute - see Bastiat (and many others) on this sillyness (a century before J.M. Keynes had written a word - bringing back the pre economics fallacies, under the mask of creating a "new economics").

People who think that the government creating money (from nothing) handing it out to people (in welfare payments - which is what this scheme is) and have them spend it, is "good for the economy" have not just left real economics far behind - they have also left sanity far behind.

Inspite of all his faults Walter Bagehot would have wept if he had read an article like this.

Paul Marks

You want to reduce unemployment?

Get rid of government "legal" support for unions.


Get rid of the minimum wage law - that would at least mean that people could get entry level jobs.


Get rid of the Capital Gains Tax - so you can have high tech jobs (rather than low paid jobs) via more investment.


Get rid of the unconstititional Welfare State - so that that there is no longer a vast government deficit (and credit bubble banking system) totally distorting the capital structure.


Oh, I see - you do not want to get rid of unemploment. You see the "99rs" as a useful "army" to use against "capitalism".


Just watch "Capitalism a love story" and "the inside job" and you should understand why "the moaning minnies" jobless,lazy scum might just want to go to the newly created "workhouses"


What we are witnessing is the end of the American Dream, as the waning US economy slides, slithers & stumbles inexorably & ominously into 'Third World' status quo.

The decline & fall of the American Empire cometh with a vengence, thanks to the infantile hubris, mindless bunglings & insane profligacies of the previous Republican Administration.

The current rabble of Repubs & TP's continued acts of self-destruct & imbecellic partizanship will only speed the final crash into fiscal oblivion, that much quicker.

Armegeddon looms mennacingly over American skies..


One of the basic problems is that USA consumes more than it produces.

I think an increased tax on consumption (Sales tax or VAT) and at the same time a lower tax on production (Income tax) would be a good idea. It could be calibrated to have zero fiskal effect, when production equals consumption.

This tax change could lead to a realistic plan for paying back government debt, in turn leading to increased business confidence, more investment, and more jobs.


Is it that the "ninety-niners," as they are often called, cannot find work of any kind, or is it that they are a little too comfortable and so feel that they can afford to be choosy about what job they are willing to take? I guess the only way to find out is to stop extending the benefit period.


Well... you know... the major population do not have billions of dollars to send to politicians to make their voices heard like private organizations and wealthy people have, so we HAVE TO HAVE unions, protests and people's organization on the streets so our $$politicians$$ can understand that they should stop working for the wealthy Americans. We do not want the tax cuts and they are insisting that we want, even though they know that these tax cuts will benefit just a tiny percentage of us.


Unemployed people are not evenly distributed - they are probably concentrated near cities and other business centers.

2M people not having unemployment benefits will increase social tension considerably. This is something law makers need to pay serious attention to. Because, democrats promised something - did not fully deliver, now republicans came to power by blaming democrats - and even they will not deliver since democrats will block them.

And, then all you need a small issue hyped by over-reacting media - which makes people think that this is enough and starts dragging the politicians to streets from their secure Washington offices.

This has happened before - in many countries and will happen sooner than you think if current politicians do not act and put stabilizing forces in play - like extending unemployment benefit which will cost less than tax cuts for the rich.

Yes, if you would like stay in power - please keep the anger of population in control by providing them food, shelter and medical needs.

This will ensure your uninterrupted expensive stake and wine dinner with your lobbyists.


According to the Obama regime, they could not find any shovel ready jobs for the jobless and now homeless, after being driven out of their home caused by the foreclosure by the Lenders. Ironically, the bad Lenders are themselves rescued by the regime to the tunes of hundreds of billions of taxpayer funds. Now since there is no infrastructural jobs, it seems that Bernarke is about to print 500 billions to stimulate the economies by bailing out more troubled companies and big Government spendings to save jobs as though to spit on the Tea-partiers who have been rocking and rolling in the Lower House of Representatives.


Considering that around 15% or so of Americans are unemployed and a lot more financially tight, one would think off they go and vote for the Democrates.

Nothing of the sort, they vote the Reps who's sole agenda is to make the very rich a lot richer. Other than extending tax cuts for the super-rich, they have no plan, not one clear suggestion, no idea but to fight against "big government" as long as it's not military.

How on earth did the 1% who own the country manage to indoctrinate over 50% of Americans to vote not only against their own interests but also against their own survival is beyond me.

I fear the success of the Republicans can only be explained by the (lack of) intelligence of the average American voter.

Political Prisoner

I am part of the unemployed work force, and I have been going to job interviews with no luck. But lets think about this and how the really small things can affect someone from actually attaining a job. For example a cell phone bill, if the extended benefits no longer existed for me. I wouldn't be able to pay my cell phone bill. And I use the cell phone to receive incoming calls from employees. Also things as simple as buying a newspaper to look at the job opportunities. Or simple things like paying for the net use. So that I can applying online to different job positions. To simpler things like getting a decent hair cut before a job interview. To paying for the high train tolls that are on the rise in order to get to that job interview. Its the real simple things that can slow market down, that can lead to dangerous response from the millions who are unemployed. The crime rate will spike, robberies will spike, and the economic recovery will lead to a double dip recession for certain. Small business will be force to close and the American fiscal economy will no longer be able to maintain our troop presences in Iraq and Afghanistan. That will allow Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations to embolden our enemies.So yeah short term debt will increase, long term stability in the American economy, debt will decrease. If Republicans can see that same platform as they see it for a tax deduction for the Rich. Than they to might be American patriots, but if they fail to see the chaotic and violent future for America, than the tree of liberty most be refreshed by both sides of the parallel divide.

Political Prisoner

America debt is backed by China, now lets say America can't pay its debt and we go into a double dip recession. That mean's number 1)Unemployment wasn't extended and our economic model slowed down faster than it was expected. 2)The rich received their tax cuts and now have all outsourced there jobs to places like India, China, and Brazil. 3)Protectionism, all developing nations start placing tariffs on US exports. 4)World War 3 "Expect it" when our own economic fails, in order to maintain stability we most create an external threat. Anyone in the mood more lunch? I hear they have a nice dessert called "Iran" but at the end of that you might be interested in tasting some of there Lebanon dish. And lets not talk about some other exclusive pastry's.



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