How Long Should a Person be Allowed to Collect Unemployment?

In case you somehow didn't notice, we're still in the midst of a crippling recession, and the official unemployment rate is still floating dangerously close to the double digit mark. With the holiday season quickly approaching, you'd think that the fine folks on Capitol Hill would put partisan bickering aside for awhile and ensure that those without jobs would be adequately taken care of in this time of need. But nope, as usual, we're looking at yet another protracted ideological battle over tax cuts and unemployment benefits:

The House of Representatives on Thursday voted down a measure that would have reauthorized extended unemployment insurance for another three months, leaving no clear path forward to prevent the benefits from lapsing as scheduled on Nov. 30.

Without a reauthorization, the Labor Department estimates that two million long-term unemployed will prematurely stop receiving benefits before the end of the year.

The bill was brought to the floor under a "suspension of the rules," meaning it required approval from two-thirds of the House. It failed 258 to 154, with mostly Democratic support. Twenty-one Republicans voted in favor and 11 Democrats voted nay.

Even if it had passed the House, it's unclear how it would get through the Senate, where Democrats will need at least three Republicans to switch sides. No GOP moderates have signaled a willingness to support an unemployment reauthorization that isn't "paid for" with spending cuts -- something Democrats have refused to do all year. In most recessions, the cost of federally-funded jobless aid is usually paid for with deficit spending.

It's likely there will be another effort in Congress to reauthorize the benefits before the Christmas break, though lawmakers will be off next week for Thanksgiving.

Read that final sentence again. "Lawmakers will be off next week for Thanksgiving."

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,entry&id=956211&pid=956210&uts=1290191794

http://cdn.channel.aol.com/cs_feed_v1_6/csfeedwrapper.swf

7 Ways To Save On Gas

Find Cheap Gas
Comparison shop. Be a proactive consumer. Don't just pay the high prices at the closest station. Shop around to find the most competitive price in town. For a little help, visit http://gasprices.mapquest.com to compare prices in your area. You can find the best deal by zip code and street name, as well as check out prices by grade of gasoline.

Johnny Nunez, WireImage

BlackVoices.com

7 Ways To Save On Gas

Buy a Fuel-Efficient Vehicle
Consider buying a fuel-efficient vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or an alternative-fuel vehicle. It could save you a lot at the gas pump and not to mention help the environment. FuelEconomy.gov offers tips on buying a new fuel-efficient car or truck.

7 Ways To Save On Gas

Slow It Down
Gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph, costing an additional 10 cents per gallon. Aggressive driving can lower gas mileage by as much as 33% on the highway and 5% on city streets, resulting in 7 cents to 49 cents per gallon. Don't get too emotional driving, its supposed to be a time to relax and reflect. Next time you get in your car stay calm, cool, and collected put your car on cruise control.

7 Ways To Save On Gas

Stop Idling
Idling gets you zero miles per gallon. The best way to warm up a vehicle is to drive it. No more than 30 seconds of idling on winter days is needed. Anything more simply wastes fuel and increases emissions. Be conscious of your environment and your pocket.

7 Ways To Save On Gas

Tune Ups
Most motorists don't realize it's the little things that can make a difference. Fixing a serious maintenance problem, such as a faulty oxygen sensor, can improve your mileage by as much as 40%. Dirty spark plugs can cause misfiring which can waste fuel. Replacing a clogged air filter can save gas mileage by as much as 10%, saving you 15 cents per gallon. Tune your engine; it'll increase gas mileage by 4%. Also, damaged, loose, or missing gas caps, under-inflated tires, poor wheel alignment, and worn spark plugs all contribute to poor fuel economy.

7 Ways To Save On Gas

Combine Errands
Instead of making several trips to the cleaners, grocers, post office and the bank, do all of your errands at one time. Before you hop into you car, plan ahead. Keep a checklist if necessary. This will save you time and money.

7 Ways To Save On Gas

Park Your Car
Take public transportation. Walk it'll save you money and help you shed a few undesirable pounds. Carpool. You and some of your colleagues can take turns driving each other to work. Talk to your supervisor about telecommuting one day a week.

7 Ways To Save On Gas

So, instead of working on some compromise to ensure that people collecting unemployment can sleep a bit easier this holiday season, Congress just says "eff' it" and heads home. Lovely. Pass the stuffing.

I should make it clear where I stand here. When you're in a time of dire economic need, it's probably okay to not worry about the debt for awhile. If you're faced with the choice of having no heat, or getting a cash advance on your credit card to pay Con Edison, I'd think the choice would be rather simple. Millions of out-of-work Americans aren't thinking about a freakin' deficit right now, they're thinking about how to pay their rent next month to avoid being on the street come Christmas. And therein lies the difference between the two parties.

Since the GOP is so worried about fiscal responsibility all of a sudden, how about these guys forfeit their annual salaries and live off the mere pittance of the typical $300/week benefit that most of those on unemployment receive a week? I'm willing to bet they'd change their tune on this topic rather quickly.

Related:
+Black Friday Deals: Two Black Friday Deals You Must Avoid
+You'll Get No Gift From Me: An End to Fear-Based Holiday Giving

Then again, maybe not. A recent study revealed that the median wealth of members of Congress was around $750,000, and that about half of those currently serving in Congress are millionaires. I suppose that explains the insistence on keeping those Bush tax cuts for the wealthy in place. And it probably also explains the resistance to extending unemployment benefits. After all, if I've got a cool million in the bank, I'm probably not gonna sweat losing a measly $300 a week either.

If the GOP framed this as a substantive debate about just how long a person should be able to draw unemployment benefits before they're no longer eligible, that might make their argument a bit more palatable. But by claiming this is somehow about the deficit and "personal responsibility" -- when these very same people want to add $700 million to that deficit via tax cuts for the wealthy (aka: them) -- I can't categorize this as anything but politics as usual.

Question: How long should a person be allowed to collect unemployment benefits before they're cut off?

Jay Anderson is a freelance writer from Washington, DC, whose work has been featured in the Washington Post and on NPR. When he's not busy talking smack here, he runs the award-winning blog AverageBro.com. Follow him via Twitter @AverageBro.