Recently, when President Obama was discussing the issue of tax cut extensions and unemployment extensions with Republicans in Congress, to many it came off as if Obama’s main purpose was to extend the unemployment benefits for as long as possible. However, now, Obama and his administration are making it perfectly clear that the real goal is to create jobs so that there is no need for more unemployment benefit extensions.
Millions of Americans have already used up all of the unemployment benefits allotted to them and now they are getting even more.
To address the concerns of those Americans who are struggling to find work in these rough economic times, Robert Gibbs, the Press Secretary of the White House, tweeted, “To 99ers, POTUS extended to 99 wks many have gone past that – we must get econ growing faster to create more jobs 4 u and help.”
The goal of President Obama since he became President nearly two years ago has been to improve the economy. The most important way for him to do so was to improve the job situation, which has seen millions of Americans leave the workforce and into the unemployment line.
Despite Obama’s emphasis on job creation and the expansion of the current job market, the President cannot put all of his time and budget into job creation and simply assume that all of those who are on the unemployment line and receiving benefits will end up getting those jobs fast enough.
As a result, unemployment benefits have to be extended in order to allow millions of Americans to keep their homes and keep feeding their children everyday until they can find a job that will help them pay the bills and get their old lives back.
While Republicans have argued that the spending on the unemployment benefits is highly unnecessary, the logic goes against their own demands. When it came to the extension of the Bush tax cuts, they said it would be wrong of the government to raise taxes on anyone during a recession, including the wealthy. To go by the same logic, Republicans would have to agree that it is only right to keep providing the millions of Americans who have been receiving unemployment benefits because of the recession with those benefits until the economy fully rebounds and they no longer need the assistance from the government.
Makes me feel better… They’ve done such a wonderful job creating jobs thus far.
So the Prez has 11 million jobs up his sleeve abd will release them
within weeks, so the unemployed will have some money in their pockets.
Why has he waited so long to release these great jobs?
Oh and why did he wait so long to realize a payroll tax cut would
stimulate jobs?
Oh, wasn’t he the one who cares more about our health than
than our well being.
I’m dressed and ready to go to work! Hello Obama!
What a bunch of crap his words are . He does not care about anyhing except making a name and a good photo op !!!! I just gave notice to my landlady I have to move out. Problem I have no where to go except my truck. Worked my whole life and find yourself in this bind. Four to Five million like ME Mr. Pres what are you going to offer a bunch of hot air words !!!
“Millions of Americans have already used up all of the unemployment benefits allotted to them and now they are getting even more.”
This is not true. If someone has used the full number of weeks of benefits available to them in their state, there is nothing more for them at this time. The “extension” only pushes out the re-authorization and funding of the current program to the end of 2011. So in addition to the 4-6 million people who have exhausted their benefits since March, by April 2011 there will be another 4-7 million since that corresponds to the first part of 2009 when job loss was at its highest point. And then Congress has to raise the debt ceiling so the programs are funded properly, which is very doubtful.
Ok. The goverment isn’t that stupid. They allowed the jobs to leave. We are in a world of pain and no one seems to see it. Create jobs?! I see all the trades in here from the top to the bottom… we should all band together and make our own community. People living in their cars and trucks, how can this go on? We really have to do something.
P.S. How about goverment give an account for the 2.+ trillion that was just lost , before 9/11… Oh yea the jet hit that part of the pentagon that held those records.
My,my,my… If those guys would have ot hit the pentogan it would have caused tons more damage than the attack… Kinda has a plot to it? I dunno I guess they were just lucky. “Looking for more B/S to be handed to us… We’re not in Kansas no more Toto “”xIx””
By April 2011, it is estimated that there will be 9+ million people in this Country that will have exhausted all of their Unemployment Benefits. This Tax bill with the extending the deadlines out to December 2011 does nothing for them.
What a bunch of bull. There has been plenty of time to work on job creation. If it was going to happen in a timely manner then there would not be so many people that were 99ers. Every week our numbers increase. I wish there were some way that I could get through to everyone and make them realize that there is nothing in the works for the 99ers, not now and not when they return. They do not care and we are still doomed. Unless by some miracle we can stand together and give them a reason to care. I have been posting a message to try and start that unity. It’s not working. We are not getting signatures. I beg of everyone to please go to this site and leave your first name, email address and the address of your unemployment office. There is nothing to fear by doing this. Can’t you see that the government is not afraid of the 99ers? They don’t fear us because they know we will not stand together. We are allowing them to destroy us. The website is From the Trenches World Report. . After going to the website you can go to the Organized Resistance page and under Nationwide Rally to Extend Unemployment Insurance, leave your first name, state and the address of your unemployment office so we can organize active civil disobedience. This is for the 99ers and future 99ers. By not uniting we are letting them win.
The President is absolutely not addressing the current issue of the long term unemployed (99ers)! Neither the president nor any other elected official will do anything until the main stream media (ABC, CBS and NBC) brings to light the fact that the recent bill passed to help the unemployed is misleading and a shameful LIE, to project the image that all of the unemployed is receiving a 13 month extension. News articles indicate payments for the unemployed were held up only since November 2010. (This was only an extension for Tiers 1 thru 4) Payments for those that have exhausted over 99 weeks (requiring a Tier 5) have been stopped since April 2010.
The statement “Mr. Gibbs, speaking on behalf of President Barack Obama believes the best thing the Democratically-Elected White House could do for 99ers, some of whom have not received any payment assistance since April 2010, is to create jobs”. They don’t give a rats butt what happens to these people right now while were waiting for this mythical job creation to become a reality! Will millions of jobs be created next week, next month, in the next couple of months? We needed jobs back in April 2010 when the unemployment payments were eliminated. What were we expected to do in the meantime?
Also without any income since April 2010, how does Mr. Gibbs expect us to get to these imaginary jobs!
They can care less about other citizens! I say pay Senators and Congressmen minimum wage for the first year, and half of the pension they currently receive until unemployment reaches a certain percentage. Unlike the rest of working America they have no incentive to improve our way of living because they get paid whether they’re in office or not! Politics in this country is the biggest sham going. Having the ability to vote a raise for yourself is ridiculous! (Same as board members of large companies.) Only the people (or share holders) should be in a position to vote for a raise if merit is considered. Our politicians get paid regardless if we are suffering or not. Our system must change!
If the legislation just passed is supposed to help create jobs then why not continue unemployment benefits for at least the first quarter of 2011 until this legislation has time to work?
This is very simple. Government is not responsible for creating jobs. A tax cut does not add to the deficit, spending does. Until the overlords and their cheerleaders understand that, there will be no recovery.
Of course unemployment numbers are decreasing- Those folks who lost thier jobs in 2007/2008 are not eligible for the new extension- so they drop off the radar. The extension only supplied those who had not exhausted thier benifits (Still had monies in thier tier). America needs quality jobs, I’ve met folks who have a Master’s who are working for just above minimum wage and are getting barely 10 hours a week. If you are not the best in your chosen career in the job market-forget about getting a quality job. The market is saturated and companies can be extremely selective and pay next to nothing- oh maybe I should be “happy to have a job”- not if you would make more collecting unemployment! oops, I don’t qualify for that so I’ll just loose the only income and now that the house was foreclosed on last year, they can take the car this year. Hmmm, also know folks who cashed out retirement accounts just to survive- hey that’s “income” and you’ll be paying taxes on that. How about “Bailing out” the people!
Here it is the 13th of Jan. 2011, and 445,000 more people are losing their jobs. I realize it is not up to the Goverment jobs to creat jobs, but if they would take away all the taxes , that companies have to pay for making a product and get rid of all the Unions, just maybe the commpanies that went over seas for cheap labor to make the cheap products , that we still pay high dollar for would come back to this country.
Most all people collecting unemployment benefits have been paying into the system for a very long time. Most of us have been putting into the system for decades, and we only get two years of half our salary, which only applies to someone making 55,000 a year and below, everyone else get’s cut off between 300 and 600 dollars in most states, with 600 being on the very high end of what the unemployed gets, but that is still half of what that person was making before. The “unemployed” are not just sitting around enjoying our free money. By the time the family benefits are taken out, and taxes, the money might cover groceries, or a couple monthly bills, but that’s about it for the most part.
Bottom line, that if our government (which is the U.S. people if we haven’t forgotten…this is our country, and we all contribute to it’s well being, which should return the support by helping the people that keep this country moving)can’t help us, then that is simply wrong. As someone that has paid into the system for over 25 years, and I will only get 99 weeks of support, is not right. 99ers are people that have worked hard and are trying extremely hard to find a job…and it’s just not happening…the jobs just aren’t out there, and people are being left to lose their homes, cars, and many of the necessary support structures to enable these people to be the productive citizens they are. We are quickly becoming a country of unemployed minimum wage workers.
We all pay into the system…and only get 99 weeks of minmimal help. Time for the govt. to get their head out of the sand..and help the 99ers