Out of Work Obama Voter on Extended Unemployment

Under multiple extensions enacted by the federal government in response to the downturn, workers can collect the payments for as long as 99 weeks in states with the highest unemployment rates -- the longest period since the program's inception.

But complaints that extending unemployment payments discourages job-seeking have begun to bubble into the political debate.

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) argues, "If anything, continuing to pay people unemployment compensation is a disincentive for them to seek new work, I am sure most of them would like work and probably have tried to seek it, but you can't argue it is a job enhancer."

This unemployed worker talks about the governments decision to extend unemployment benefits.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Obama
• unemployment
• 99 weeks

[Pighood]

YES WE CAN!!!!!!!

[orionstarman]

if Odumbo had taken the proper actrion when he became president this depression would be over by now. Instead he listened to turbo tax timmy and Wall Street and doubled down on Bush's failed policies and made things much, much worse than they should be.

[PamelaRP]

Thank God for this comment. They are trying to take this massive lifeline away from people and that is not right. The unemployed are victims and not bad people like the media says we are. Call centers are closing left and right and people are suffering when a business closes leaving people with no where to go to find work. 189 of us got laid off when MSI relocated to Little Rock Arkansas for lower wages and NAAFTA made it legal for them to do it leaving us with no jobs. Thanks for the post.

[brooklynlulu]

It's better then nothing, but barely makes it.

[usery1z]

unemployment benefit only pay like avg of $200 per week.