Dems Prepare Unemployment Benefits Plan

Associated Press ^

[RCW2001]

WASHINGTON, Dec 19, 2002 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- House Democrats, seizing on words of support from President Bush, readied a plan to extend payments to laid-off workers through the middle of next year. Republicans drew up their own proposal and the issue of unemployment benefits is likely to be one of the first the next Congress takes up.

Under current law, benefits will run out for more than 800,000 people three days after Christmas, and the last session of Congress ended with the parties blaming each other for failing the needy in a faltering economy.

Incoming House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and other top Democrats are to outline their benefits plan on Friday and press the GOP-controlled House to move swiftly to assist those who will lose their financial support over the holidays.

They picked up an important ally on Saturday when Bush, after declining to get involved in the issue for months, said in his weekly radio address that extending benefits should be "a first order of business" for the new Congress.

Bush's statement came with unemployment hovering around 6 percent, an eight-year high, and Democrats blaming the administration for the sluggish economy.

Congress, in an economic stimulus package passed last March, approved a 13-week extension in federal unemployment aid for people who have exhausted the 26 weeks of payments they typically can receive through states. That program expires on Dec. 28.

In the waning days of the last Congress, the Democratic-controlled Senate approved a $5 billion plan to extend benefits an additional 13 weeks, through the end of March 2003, for people currently receiving them. The House passed a more modest $900 million plan of five extra weeks for workers in a few states with high unemployment rates. They failed to reach a compromise.

The House Ways and Means Committee, chaired by Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Calif., presented data Thursday showing that the Democratic approach was too expensive and poorly targeted. Republicans said the unemployment rate is significantly lower than in past economic downturns, that there are fewer long-term unemployed and that sending federal money to states with strong economies was not fiscally responsible.

The committee also put the cost of the Democratic plan at $17 billion, saying that would eat up more than half of the $29 billion currently in the federal unemployment insurance trust fund, which is financed through payroll taxes.

Democrats said their proposal would cost $17 billion over five years, but only $10 billion over 10 years as the trust fund is replenished.

The Democratic proposal, sponsored by Reps. Charles Rangel of New York and Ben Cardin of Maryland, would extend the federal compensation program until June 30 for workers running out of benefits in 2003, and guarantee that workers in every state would be eligible for 26 weeks of benefits. It was estimated that some 2.5 million workers would receive these extended benefits in the first half of 2003.

Those whose initial 13 weeks of compensation ran out in 2002 would receive an additional 13 weeks under the plan.

On the Republican side, Rep. Phil English, R-Penn., said he would introduce a bill that would also extend the compensation program until June. He said his plan would provide 26 weeks of federal assistance to people in "high unemployment" states and give an additional six weeks of benefits to anyone who has exhausted their assistance without finding work.

By JIM ABRAMS Associated Press Writer

[John Jorsett]

Unemployment benefits help when one is laid off, but they also provide a disincentive to find work. It might be a good idea if we modified the system so that any paid-out benefits are repaid from a worker's future income tax refunds. You'd still get the benefits if you need them, but you'd be incurring an obligation that would have to be paid back. That would encourage people to find work as soon as possible instead of treating unemployment benefits as some sort of paid vacation. You'd be able to avoid paying them back if you managed to avoid ever accruing a tax refund, but realistically, few people are attentive enough to manage their affairs that closely.

[paguch]

The Dem's need to take care of the people whom they have denied an education.

[RLK]

Dems Prepare Unemployment Benefits Plan

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This is becaoming a real task in bipartison cooperation. The Republicans are preparing the unemployment with their kook immigration and trade policies whilde the Democrats are subsidizing the consequences. What a country!

[Wild Irish Rogue]

" Unemployment benefits help when one is laid off, but they also provide a disincentive to find work. It might be a good idea if we modified the system so that any paid-out benefits are repaid from a worker's future income tax refunds. You'd still get the benefits if you need them, but you'd be incurring an obligation that would have to be paid back. That would encourage people to find work as soon as possible instead of treating unemployment benefits as some sort of paid vacation. You'd be able to avoid paying them back if you managed to avoid ever accruing a tax refund, but realistically, few people are attentive enough to manage their affairs that closely."

Food for thought and forward thinking.Kudos.

[vannrox]

.







The majority of the unemployed are white collar technical and skilled folk. Most are between the ages of 35 and 45.

Do you really think that any Engineers, IT Professionals, CAD operators, Software Programmers; Bio-Genetitists, Physists, and Chemists...who are 40 years old...

with families...
holding degrees that become obsolete within 6 months...

want to have over a year of unemployment on their resume? Rush is usually correct, but NOT when it comes to Degreed Technical Professionals who face obsolescence that is directly proportional to the amount of time they are unemployed. Yes, a Pipefitter. He can still fit pipes after being unemployed after a Year. Yes, a Radio Talk Show Host... he can still host talk shows after being unemployed for a year. Yes, a Baker can still bake bread after being unemployed after a year. But not a degreed technical professional in an industry with a technical obsolence half-life.

That is the issue. The many technically unemployed who are now becomming obsolete.

Trust me, all of us are screeching to get work. There just isn't any.








.

[Karsus]

We would have jobs if we would just agree to work for the going (India) rate of 500 USD per month...

[dtel]

We are toast.
Our jobs and our wages are not coming back before there is no need for us.
Downsize, and find something else you love to do, of course for one third the salary, if you are lucky.
We have taken our hobby farm and are going to make a go of it in the beef industry, while taking whatever part time work becomes available.
I know we have contributed at least a $2000 hit to this years holiday shopping, multiply by 1 million and you can see why the season is slow.
Good luck.

[Bob J]

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[RLK]

Rush is usually correct, but ...

-----------------------

Rush is very entertaining but is supficial and has a feather up his behind.

[danny_boy1]

“You can’t eat the orange and throw the peel away—a man is not a piece of fruit.”

- Death of a Salesman

[mrb1960]

You are soooo right. I'm having a hard time convincing a county trustee that there is nothing that pays over 7.00 an hour in my area available. He thinks it's so easy to go out and find work.

I'd like to see him find work in this age where our jobs are either going south to Mexico, or far east to Taiwan or Indo-China.

[danny_boy1]

The tech industry in this country is headed for a graveyard rendezvous with our former manufacturing capability.

The future of America is burger flippers and trial lawyers.

[Uncle Bill]

"Bush, after declining to get involved in the issue for months, said in his weekly radio address that extending benefits should be "a first order of business" for the new Congress."

Limited government George never stops.

Vote socialist, vote Bush

[danny_boy1]

It's triangulation.

[Uncle Bill]

It's strangulation, then a giant sucking sound, then death.

[plain talk]

Vote socialist, vote Bush

Simplistic slogans for simplistic minds.

[Karsus]

Maybe so. But in this case it is true.

How else do you explain the 'education' bill?

[Uncle Bill]

"Simplistic slogans for simplistic minds"

Simplistic socialism from a simplistic socialist president with simplistic followers.

HOW CONSERVATIVE IS PRESIDENT BUSH?

George W. Bush - Socialism

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George W. Bush's LIMITED GOVERNMENT

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President George W. Bush - Biography

SOURCE: http://www.whitehouse.gov/president/gwbbio.html

"George W. Bush is the 43rd President of the United States. Formerly the 46th Governor of the State of Texas, President Bush has earned a reputation as a compassionate conservative who shapes policy based on the principles of limited government,..."

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DON'T BE FOOLED AGAIN

Vote Socialism, Vote Bush

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

Your #6 is dead right. Fortunately for me, I own a lot of property and can afford to just consider myself 'retired" because at 49 and having failed to nab a tech contract in over a year, I'm totally over in that field, even if it comes back in a year or two. Since I've only been an independent consultant, I never qualified for UE anyway.

There's a lot of over forty guys who are plain screwed.