Unemployment benefits extended by President Barack Obama, locals don't feel better

EASTERN IDAHO - Late Thursday night, President Barack Obama signed an $18 billion dollar bill to extend unemployment benefits for another two months.

Will this help the unemployed here in Eastern Idaho? Yes and no. It doesn't change the amount of money you can get from unemployed benefits. But it does change how long you have to qualify.

"I'm hoping to get a job," said unemployed Derek Moore.

"Not so good right now," said unemployed Mike Whitman.

You've heard of the Great Depression, well, the Idaho Department of Labor says this is the "Great Recession."

"This has been the Great Recession. It really has. It's been a really difficult time for a lot of people," said Mike Whitman, a manager at the Department of Labor.

Before the recession, most people wouldn't go 12 weeks without work. But because that number has climbed so high, they've extended those benefits.

"We've had some tremendous people with degrees with many years of training that have been affected in this recession. Those individuals it does affect their self esteem when they normally go back to work within 12 weeks and some have gone almost 2 years without returning to work," said Whitman.

And Obama's signature on a bill that extends unemployment benefits for two months wasn't much of a cheer-me-up to the jobless here.

"I don't see how things are going to pickup anytime soon," said Moore.

"It's rough. It's real tough finding a job right now," said Whitman.

"What sort of job are you looking for?" I asked Moore.

"Pretty much anything I can get my hands on with the way the economy is right now," said Moore.

The Department of Labor believes these job seekers won't have to keep waiting too much longer.

"The bright spot of this, we're seeing some light at the end of the tunnel," said Whitman.

You sometimes hear that unemployed benefits are just a financial strain on the economy, is that true? The Department of Labor doesn't think so. They say people using unemployed benefits are putting that money directly into the local economy.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• unemployment
• barack
• obama
• benefits
• bill