Free Republic

The majority of sleazes in congress and the chief criminal in the White House talk of “doing the right thing” and “having a heart” by their plan to extend unemployment benefits yet again for the millions of deadbeats sitting on their fat rear-ends collecting checks for month after month after month after month after month after month after month…instead of simply going out and, if nothing else, finding and accepting menial or low-paying, humble work. “Waaahhh, if we don’t continue to pay them not to work, they might lose their house, waahhh, they might have to pull their kids out...

Obama Voters Losing Jobless Benefits Due to the Manipulation of Workforce Numbers May 11, 2012 BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Michael in Momence, Illinois. Great to have you on the EIB Network. Hello. CALLER: Thanks a lot, Rush, first-time caller. I'm calling because I was at the unemployment office just yesterday, and they have tables there where people fill out the paperwork that they have -- RUSH: Wait, wait, wait whoa, whoa, whoa, just a second. I need you to go slow here. CALLER: Okay. RUSH: Why were you at the unemployment office? It may seem like an obvious question, but...

Thirty-five percent of Americans name unemployment as the most important problem facing the U.S., the highest percentage since the economic slowdown began and higher than at any point since October 1983 (41%). Unemployment is the most important problem for the second month in a row, with the economy ranking second and healthcare third.From the beginning of the economic slowdown through 2009, mentions of "the economy" in general were consistently the top issue. In the past year, as the government's unemployment rate has stayed in the 9% range, the economy and specific mentions of unemployment have traded the top spot several...

The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits rose last week, signaling the roller coaster ride for the job market has not yet come to an end. There were 454,000 initial jobless claims filed in the week ended Jan. 22, the Labor Department said Thursday. That was up 51,000 from the 403,000 claims filed the week before, and much worse than the 410,000 claims economists surveyed by Briefing.com had expected. "This is definitely a setback," said T.C. Robillard, a senior research analyst who covers several large staffing firms for Signal Hill Capital. Jobless claims often bounce around from week...

One piece of career advice has been ingrained in all of us: never quit a job without another opportunity lined up. It is much harder to get a new job when you don't already have one. In the crummiest economy ever, this advice is losing its luster. More and more people seem to be saying, "To hell with work. To hell with being unhappy. I'll quit and find something I like better." Business Insider created a survey to see if this was a real trend -- and it is. After surveying 225 people, here are the major findings: 93% quit...

The federal agency that tracks unemployment is changing its methods in an effort to more accurately gauge the severity of the nation's jobless woes. Citing "an unprecedented rise" in long-term unemployment, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced it is changing its upper-limit for tracking long-term unemployment from two years to five. Beginning next month, BLS will send out modified forms that will allow people surveyed to mark if they have been without jobs for "260 weeks or over." Previously, the form had only asked if jobless stints had lasted "99 weeks or over." Increasing the reportable limit...

Hawaii has applied to be the 32nd state to borrow from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration to pay state unemployment benefits. That is the beginning of what will likely be an 18-month borrowing streak, says state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations Interim Director Pearl Imada Iboshi, who notes that the state could need as much as $30 million a month from the federal government to cover Hawaii’s fund. States have borrowed an estimated $40 billion from the federal government for unemployment benefits... Businesses – not employees – pay the state unemployment compensation tax on each...