The Senate, more than 30 minutes ago, FINALLY got the Unemployment Extension Bill out of the Senate today, after THREE WEEKS of blocking, by the party of NO, the GOP. This is needed and necessary in Michigan and many other states of this country. Next up, the Obama Administration need to create jobs for the many millions Unemployed across the country.
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Oct. 27, 2009, 6:28 p.m. EDT · Recommend · Post:
Extending unemployment benefits clears Senate vote
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Alert Email Print Share By Rex Nutting
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The Senate moved closer Tuesday to approving an extension of unemployment benefits by an extra 20 weeks. The Senate agreed on an 87-13 vote to bring the measure to a final vote. The House has approved a similar extension. Usually, unemployment benefits are available for 26 weeks. A private group has estimated that as many as 1.5 million people will exhaust their benefits by the end of the year. A total of 9.3 million people are now claiming benefits, including 3.9 million collecting extended federal benefits. In September, more than 5.4 million people had been jobless for longer than six months.
Thank you the Senate Democrats, in particular, our state Senator Debbie Stanbenow, for being a WORKHORSE Senator for Michigan for pushing that the Unemployment Extension Benefit be passed out of the Senate. Shame on the GOP for STALLING the bill in the Senate for THREE WEEKS by bring up stupid amendments like the defunding of ACORN that had NOTHING to do with the millions of Americans, out of work for months, on months....trying to feed their family, take care of their mortgages and have gas available in the tank to look for a job.
The Unemployment Benefit Extension will provide 20 more weeks of payments for many people in my state, where the Unemployment Rate is a SHOCKING 15.9%.....right 15.9%. Count the people that just give up reporting to the State of Michigan...the real Unemployment (and/or Underemployment) Rate in Michigan is about 25%. This is crazy when you think long and hard about it.
Hopefully now, the Obama Administration will allow some of the Stimulus money to go directly towards JOB CREATION in this state and many others. Our state, in particular, has been destroyed by the declined in the Automobile Industry, the Illegal Actions of the Banking Industry will the Mortgages that are worth more than our homes and the fall of tax revenue. Our Governor Jennifer Granholm just signed a bill to take on a average $215.00 (per pupil, per district) away from Public K-12 school programs because our "JUST SAY NO" GOP State Senate refuse to raise the sales tax rate up from 6.0% It has been 6.0% since I was a young adult (i.e. forever)....it is high time to raise the tax rate to support our Michigan schools. There is NO MORE MONEY to cut in the budget due to the decline of tax revenues in this state....No surprise....people are leaving Michigan left and right just to survive.
Thank you again Senator Stanbenow and Levin (both Democratic Senators from Michigan) in your efforts to help us in Michigan today, by voting YES for the Unemployment Extension.(