Obama steps up pressure on Congress to extend unemployment benefits

CBS News ^ | January 7, 2014 | Rebecca Kaplan

[yoe]

With the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program facing a bleak future in the Democratic-controlled Senate, President Obama is taking the lead in pressuring Congress to temporarily restore benefits for the 1.3 million long-term unemployed Americans who were cut off when the program (Long-term unemployed face life without emergency benefits) on Dec. 28.

Mr. Obama will continue a public show of support for an extension in a speech Tuesday, where he will be accompanied by Americans who have lost their benefits. In addition those who have already been dropped from the program, 1.9 million Americans will lose benefits in the next six months if Congress doesn’t act.

[snip]...Mr. Obama increased the frequency of his request for a fix, and made it the topic of his first weekly address of 2014.

[i_robot73]

Correct way is to get the gov’t and the employer out of the mix.

Setup Unemployment Savings Accounts (like they used to have, or at least like I *USED* to have, Health Savings Accounts):

- Pre-tax
- Self owned
- Moves with, from job to job
- Ding ‘em for ‘use’ if employed during the year

Course, that would take power and influence away from D.C. so I know it’ll never happen.

Otherwise, I agree with you; they’ve (gov’t) has distorted what INSURANCE means (SSI, Unemploy, etc.)