Tier 5 unemployment benefits: Sen. Baucus thinks 99 weeks is enough, but the numbers tell otherwise

[lib2DaBone]

http://www.examiner.com/x-27052-Rochester-Unemployment-Examiner~y2010m4d29-Tier-5-unemployment-benefits-Sen-Baucus-thinks-99-weeks-is-enough-but-the-numbers-tell-otherwise

“You can’t go on forever,” said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, of Montana, whose panel oversees the benefits program. “I think 99 weeks is sufficient,” he said.
“There’s just been no discussion to go beyond that,” said Senator Byron Dorgan, a North Dakota Democrat….

Here you have two senators from two states with a population less than the metro area of Rochester, NY telling those on long term unemployment that they are finished dealing with the issue of long term unemployment. They might as well say “we don’t care about the millions of people who will suffer the consequences of our actions.”

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Aww C'mon Max... cut loose with some of that money you raked in when you let Wellpoint and Bluecross write the HCR Bill.

You didn’t hear these “cut them off and damn them all” when those banks and insurance companies came begging for relief. You, the taxpayer, put up $180 billion dollars to bailout one insurance company – AIG. Yet when it’s time to help the unemployed, your representatives say “too bad” tell them to get a job that doesn’t exist.

[Warpy]

1. What's "too bad" is that the frigging idiot

will never, ever have the imagination to realize just what's happening to his constituents who have been caught in the worst of this right wing economic fiasco and there is no way to tell him much of anything.

Throwing the SOB out onto the street for a few months might get through to him, but I doubt even that would have an effect. He's entitled, you see, and can't imagine that everyone else doesn't share that entitlement.

They can find trillions to fight illegal wars and conquer the globe for multinational corporations, but they can't find a few bucks to feed the kids in this country.

[TheKentuckian]

2. Senator Sellout Von Dipshit needs to look at the utter destruction of the job market

and get his head on straight about keeping a lifeline to our people.

[lib2DaBone]

5. ... Sellout Von Dipshit... LOL.. good one...

Max Baucus consults with Senate members on unemployment..., " I'm done with ya's...see? Myaa.. that's the ticket... go out and get your own racket... just likes I got.."

[Duer 157099]

3. "99 weeks is enough"

Enough what? Enough time to continue living? To continue eating, to have a place to live, what?

99 weeks is enough for WHAT???

[ipaint]

4. From a millionaire who sits in washington milking our legalized bribery/campaign funding system

for all it's worth.

[MiniMe]

6. Haven't they passed that extension yet?

[ipaint]

7. They passed an extension of the tier program until june.

That means people can still receive the 4 tiers if they are eligible. It does not extend the tier program to any additional tiers. So if you have exhausted your 4th tier and are still unemployed you are shit out of luck.

[MiniMe]

9. What are the tiers?

I really don't know, and I am interested.

[ipaint]

10. The link in the second paragraph at this site explains the program.

http://www.ows.doleta.gov/unemploy/supp_act.asp

The number a folks in CA who have exhausted all tiers-

"As of April 20, 2010, approximately 92,000 individuals in California have run out of all available benefits and EDD estimates a total of 100,000 to 130,000 unemployed workers could run out of all benefits in the next few weeks."

http://www.edd.ca.gov/Unemployment/Federal_Unemployment_Insurance_Extensions.htm

Given the high number of long termed unemployed this is happening in every state and will get much worse with no additional tiers to help people.

Jobs aren't coming back in any significant number any time soon.

[lib2DaBone]

11. I think this is the way it goes.. I could be wrong..

..dealing with Unemployment is like talking to Martians.. but..

Congress had approved Tier 4.. but that expired back on Feb 13th. (If you were not elgible to take advantage of Tier 4 back on Feb 13.. you lost out.)

So then, Sen Reid wanted to extend the deadline for Tier 4, but of course... the Republicans said "NO" and went on Easter Vacation.

After Easter Vacation they extended the deadline for Tier 4 until June 2 ( a measley 6 week of benefits) .. but that does not include any new benefits. If you are still out of work after the 6 weeks expire.... you are screwed. (it doesnt matter if there are no jobs available.. CONgress is living LARGE along with the Bankers..)

So they claim they have done the great unwashed masses a "favor" by extending the deadline for Tier 4.. but they have done NOTHING to cancel NAFTA, provide new jobs, or bring jobs home from China. Oh ya ya, I hear you.. they gave some trivial tax cut for employers who hire new people. Ques: How can an employer hire new people where there is no new business?

There is no money in the business system. Company A can not pay Company B, because there is no cash or credit available. So we all sit and wait.

All that TARP money is being sucked up by Goldman-Sachs and going into the pockets of the banks and CONgress.... just as they planned.

[ipaint]

12. Not quite.

The extension is for all four tiers. If it hadn't passed whatever tier you were on would be your last, for example someone who just started tier two would not have been able to move onto tier three without the extension.

The extension applies to the whole EUC program. They will have to extend it again at the beginning of june.

If you are done with tier four these EUC program extensions do you no good unless they add a tier 5.

[lib2DaBone]

13. Thanks for updating.. it's all I can do to try and figure out what they are doing...

I'm sure glad to hear that people across the board will benefit.. so many are hurting....

[GreenTea]

8. Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) is a republican! - Did I break any DU rules?

By calling someone a republican...Just look at how runs his committee, a corporate republican fascist would run it no different.