Should Congress extend unemployment benefits for the long-term
unemployed?
THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:
“Should Congress extend unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed?” Yes: 7 No: 3
? Karen Anderson: “Not in its current form. The extension is longer than I have ever seen through all our many recessions. And oversight is thinner.”
? Dave Appling: “Yes. This program continues to be a key element in our recovery from the 2008 financial crash.”
? Bert Berson: “Yes, $1.56 goes back into the economy for every dollar spent.”
? Bob Chidester: “No. This only encourages more people to become dependent upon the government. If the government would get out of our pockets and let the free markets work, we probably wouldn’t need unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed.”
? David Cohen: “Yes, as long as the recipients follow the normal rules and responsibilities for receiving the funds.”
? Dennis Kennedy: “Yes! These benefits are needed until the job growth is sufficient for the unemployed to get back to work.”
? Henry Miller: “Yes. What we don’t need are more homeless, solid members of society who are unemployed through no fault of their own. Keep them optimistic and when the economy improves, their contribution to society will, also.”
? Lisa Pampuch: “Yes.”
? Emily Shem-Tov: “Yes, it seems like one of the best things they can do right now – both for those directly affected by the downturn and to generally stimulate consumer spending and recovery.”
? Jeff Smith: “That’s a tough one since there are so many people out of work who need it, but at the same time continuing to spend money we don’t have is foolish. Instead of adding to our debt why don’t we use the billions of unspent stimulus dollars, that didn’t really stimulate anything, and use this money to extend unemployment benefits for a limited time.”
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