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State-by-State Unemployment Data Show Economy Still Hurting |
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The latest state-by-state jobs and unemployment numbers are out, and as the experts at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) note we have a long way to go before we can say this recession is over.
Nationally, the economy lost 5.2 percent of all jobs since December 2007. In many states, the story is even more grim: Arizona has lost 10 percent of its jobs, Michigan has lost 9.8 percent and Nevada has lost 8.5 percent.
The official unemployment rate is at a 26-year high, at 9.8 percent, with states like Michigan, California and South Carolina even more severely affected. And the official unemployment rate doesn’t take into account the workers who have been discouraged due to long-term absence from the job market; it’s estimated that counting these discouraged, some 26 million people are out of work.
This is no time to play political games with unemployment insurance, as Republican Sens. Jon Kyl (Ariz.) and Orrin Hatch (Utah) are doing. Unemployment insurance must be extended so the U.S. economy isn’t further weakened. As Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) noted in Huffington Post, the failure to provide unemployment insurance in this devastating recession doesn’t just hurt the unemployed, it hurts families, small businesses and communities:
Without an extension…about a million of our long-term unemployed nationwide will lose benefits by the end of the year. We must not allow this to happen, especially as the holidays approach. As our economic recovery continues to take shape, it’s crucial that we not forget about those families who are hurting the most, still struggling to find work in a very difficult job market.
Extending unemployment benefits is not only the morally right thing to do, it is good economic policy in a recession. These unemployment benefits not only put money in the hands of those that need it most, but they are immediately stimulative to the economy, as families use the funds for the most critical needs.
In addition to the nation’s short-term needs, lawmakers need to move programs that create jobs and train workers so that we can begin the hard work of recovery.
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Facebook event created titled “Unemployed benefit extension virtual march on Washington”
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=156123314182
Holding up this unemployment extension bill is tantamount to taking a gun and shooting 14,000 American families DAILY who have lost this lifeline. More than 500,000 have had benefits expire. More than 2 million people, and by extension their families, will lose this lifeline by Christmas.
Yet the Senate continues to stall on this lifeline help. Republicans twice have blocked consideration on bogus grounds. Now they have loaded on EIGHT amendments — some highly controversial — having nothing to do with the benefits. They also object to continuing a $14 per employee per year tax for businesses already funded through 2011 to fund the benefits.
However, the Democrats won’t formally bring the extension to a vote because they say the Republicans will filibuster.
Huh?
Unemployed people have worked for years in most cases actually contributing to the benefit system intended to aid them in their hour of need. This is life and death.
WE MUST COLLECT TOGETHER IN CYBERSPACE AND IF NEEDED AT THE CAPITOL and tell these insensitive pigs they need to forget about this politics garbage and respond to our immediate needs.
Unemployment is at 10 percent nationwide, which doesn’t count people whose unemployment benefits have run out — 400,000 this month, 1.4 million by December, and those who are underemployed, or working part-time when they need full-time work. The actual unemployment rate is near 20 percent. And as the Jobs Report so clearly illustrates, “employers” continue to cut jobs by the hundreds of thousands each month.
The lobbyists buy these senators left and right. Unemployed people don’t have any money. What kind of nation have we become?
We must band together and collectively call out these insensitive stinking senators — who had no problem in the last month while the UE benefit bill stalled increasing staff salaries in two minutes, funding wars everywhere, giving money to other countries, enabling million dollar bonuses to bank employees and financial people who screwed the unemployed and the economy and a bunch of other stuff about crack cocaine and whatever else, including their own three-day work weeks.
WE DEMAND UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT EXTENSIONS TODAY!!!
Amen. Pass healthcare reform now as well with a strong public option.
Otherwise, Nationalize the entire healthcare industry and sort it out later. I support HR676 (not on the table, thanks Obama and Baucus), but nationalizing the mess and sorting it out is a viable “option” as well.
I doubt the healthcare industry will move to Canada or Europe if that occurs.
Well I hope the people of Arizona and Utah are happy with the actions of their elected representatives. Arizona with 9.1% and Utah with only 6.2% unemployment. and of course, these statistics do not represent the underemployed that work 2 or 3 jobs to make ends meet or the long term unemployed that gave up looking when their UI benefits ran out.
Our leaders at the AFL-CIO and their CTW counterparts haven’t said anything of substance in regard toour trade deficit,which has cost millions of jobs,instead they’re banking on an AMNESTY to fill their pockets on dues from 10$ an hour jobs corporations favor.The surrender and betrayal of these leaders should be remembered as they make a back door affiliation with UNI Global Union. John Buck Regional Organizer American Federationof Citizen Union Workers P.A.C.
And I’ll say it again, The estimates are that 7 million illegal aliens are holding jobs in this country. And our Govt. still gives out 138,000 work visas to people from other countries! The failure to correct this injustice to American workers,just dosen’t hurt workers. It hurts families,communities and honest businesses! This Govt. of ours holds us all in contempt. If they didn’t they surely would do something about this wouldn’t they?