A State Of National Emergency

[Michael55]

What about the President declaring a State of National Emergency? (New Orleans-FEMA-style, or even Haiti/Chile quake-style?) He could state [by-passing Congress?] that "No person who is long-term-unemployed and receiving Unemployment Compensation shall have their benefits terminated before finding employment". [Thereby solving the 'Tier 5 & beyond' problem.]

As far as the long-term unemployment issue in general, the person in mainstream media who has done the most to address it is NYTimes op-Ed columnist Bob Herbert. Bob is, like Voltaire, fighting an endless one-man battle. His series of columns is singular among big-media types with millions of readers.

[daytonaman]

Received today 8:14pm

Friends -

Last night, the Senate held a cloture vote on the 30 day unemployment insurance/COBRA extension and got the 60 votes needed in order to advance the bill to a final vote. As many of you know, this bill will extend the filing deadline for programs we already have in place (COBRA subsidies, $25 weekly benefit amount, and the current extensions available) for another month while also making these provisions retroactive to the beginning of the month. All Democrats who were present voted in favor of the bill, and Republican Senators Collins (ME), Snowe (ME), Brown (MA), and Voinovich (OH) also voted in favor of the bill. We have heard that there will be a final vote on the bill sometime on Thursday. Once it passes, the President will sign it right away to get the UI program back up and running. The state agencies that handle your checks are watching this closely and will be doing everything they can to get your benefits checks restored and out to you as quickly as possible.

As we learn more, we will continue to update you. Please continue to take action here and call on the Senate to get this bill passed quickly. If you have questions about your benefits or wish to become part of our media efforts on this issue, please also contact us here.
Sincerely,



Your Friends at unemployedworkers.org

[nancym]

Nancy,
Would you formulate a statement for the finance committe hearing. I would gladly co-sign as I'm sure many other members of the forum would...

Hi grandmom!

[Thanks for the vote of confidence, flattery goes a long way with me. ]

I'm sorry, I didn't see this post til after the Senate Finance Committee hearing today (not that they would have viewed any statement from us necessarily before that time anyway), I've had a lot on my plate lately. Still battling a pinched nerve that makes it difficult to walk normally, but I've had to spend much time getting all my WIA/school paperwork and financial aid requirements together before deadlines this month, along with all the other deadlines that seem to have maliciously clustered together this month just to torture me.

I've been flipping back and forth between here and Open Congress every day or two in whatever free sneak peak time I've had. Right now I encourage people here to check out the running discussion on the board for S.1699, along with posting here. (For a while there it was infested with some nasty trolls, but we chased down the admin and he got rid of them, so much nicer now, just in time for the heated up nationwide debate about the Congress re-start.)

As for a statement, I'll try to think of something, but I'm really tied up for the next few days. I posted on OC today my opinion about the possible outcome of those Senate Finance Committee hearings, on a somewhat optimistic note. Here's a link to my post, just my own opinion, no real news here.
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-s1699/comments?comment_id=193122&comment_page=1369

I think we have to see where they go from there. Have you read the testimonies posted on their site? Baucus made a lot of sense, and Zandi laid out some clear recommendations. And from what I heard Menendez verbally slapped down someone touting those outdated stats from the 80's about disincentive to work while on benefits --that made me very happy.

So they didn't specifically say anything using the words "tier 5" but Baucus was very clearly aware of the REAL numbers of people involved in this crisis. I just think any Tier 5 will not be added to any of these stop-gap bills, too much money involved, and it would have to go back to CBO if that happened anyway.

As for cost, I did some napkin calculations based on their current bill, and it seems to me it would take about 3 billion per month to add extended weeks to the current EUC program, that's in addition to those deadline extensions, for however long they wanted to keep paying out those dollars. That's 9 billion plus the 3 billion per month. That's a ton of money, BUT...I also posted some comments on that same page about how one can compare those figures to other less necessary and less immediate stimulus for the economy measures that have been done or are planned. (And need we mention the BANKS!)

The most interesting development I've seen here is that post above about Steney Hoyer working on what Pelosi's office referred to specifically as a "Tier 5." If that's really the case, that's certainly a breakthrough in everyone's communication to all of them. It's as if Pelosi challenged all of us to make those calls when she said they weren't getting enough about more weeks!

But in the end we all know this stuff gets filtered through the Senate Finance Committee, so that group's discussion and statements today make me think any Tier 5 hopes will have to be tied in with their hopefully "innovative" (the word they used) jobs programs targeted to the long term unemployed (and not just "those with a child under 18!"), and that have enough items that at least one or two Republicans might think it worth voting for. They're going to look at the total cost, benefits plus jobs creation efforts, and they've already passed that previous bill, so that's even more spent already.

Zandi's not the only one recommending various forms of work-share. So I wouldn't be surprised if they come out with some variations on the theme of using some of the benefits money for actual work done, as suggested by Miller's HR 4812, and that wouldn't be a bad thing if they can couple that with some emergency money so people can pay their rent while these things get revved up.

[sc4ram]

http://www.allyourtv.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1128:dems-hint-at-plans-for-possible-tier-5-extension-of-unemployment-benefits&catid=118:how-the-media-covers-the-long-term-unemployed&Itemid=46

[Unemployed In Orlando]

Senate passes bill to extend unemployment benefits
[Updated at 7:15 p.m.] The $18 billion bill now returns to the House for a final vote, which is cheduled for later Thursday. The president is expected to sign it into law soon after.

The measure would restore federal unemployment benefits to more than 200,000 jobless Americans who started losing them on April 5 after lawmakers let that deadline pass. Checks would be retroactive to that date.

Federal unemployment benefits, which last up to 73 weeks, kick in after the state-funded 26 weeks of coverage expire. These federal benefits are divided into tiers, and the jobless must apply each time they move into a new tier.

The bill, which was approved by a 59-38 vote, would also extend several other provisions until May 31, including: The federal COBRA health insurance subsidy; the National Flood Insurance Program and the copyright license used by satellite television providers. It also prevents a 21 percent reduction in Medicare payment rates for doctors from taking place until May 31.

Read the full CNNMoney.com story http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/15/senate-passes-bill-to-extend-unemployment-benefits/

[Posted at 6:12 p.m.] The Senate passed a bill Thursday that would temporarily extend unemployment benefits, sending the measure back to the House after rancorous debate over how to pay for it.

[needajob]

There is a plan to Fax resumes to Washington all on the same day. Make yourselves heard lets show them there are people out here in this mess that have qualifications way beyond ditch diggers and waitresses. For months 1000's have been emailing and trying to get attention as you all likely know. Well we are trying something a little different. For all you need to know go to this URL.

Jobless Unite Click on the M-A-Y-D-A-Y tab for all the info you need

This isn't a random thing this is a plan to do it together at the same time. Make an impact Plug up those Fax machines.

Mods if this doesn't belong here I am sorry please move it as you see fit. Thank you.

Peace!

[Unemployed In Orlando]

Wow, that was quick, the President has signed the extension into effect as of tonight.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100416/ap_on_bi_ge/us_unemployment_insurance

By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press Writer Andrew Taylor, Associated Press Writer – 8 mins ago
WASHINGTON – Just hours after Congress passed an $18 billion bill to restore unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed, President Barack Obama made it the law of the land.

The measure comes as welcome relief to hundreds of thousands of people who lost out on the additional weeks of compensation after exhausting their state-paid benefits. They now will be able to reapply for long-term unemployment benefits and receive those checks retroactively under the legislation.

[Hoppy]

There is a plan to Fax resumes to Washington all on the same day. Make yourselves heard lets show them there are people out here in this mess that have qualifications way beyond ditch diggers and waitresses. For months 1000's have been emailing and trying to get attention as you all likely know. Well we are trying something a little different. For all you need to know go to this URL.

Jobless Unite Click on the M-A-Y-D-A-Y tab for all the info you need

This isn't a random thing this is a plan to do it together at the same time. Make an impact Plug up those Fax machines.

Peace!

The Jobless Unite site provides 3 web sites where we can send faxes for free. They also provide all the names and fax numbers of the folks in DC to fax our resumes to. This is a great idea, let's do this!

[Jeff]

Millions will be relieved by this good news. But millions who've exhausted all benefits will not.

[needajob]

The thoughts are that if we all do it the same time the same day we will get the maximum impact.
IN ORDER FOR "M-A-Y-D-A-Y S.O.S" TO HAVE THE BIGGEST IMPACT WE NEED TO FOCUS ON THE TARGET LIST IN THE FAR LEFT COLUMN on APRIL 30th & May 3rd ONLY !!
ALL RESUMES NEED TO HAVE

"M-A-Y-D-A-Y S.O.S" at the very top of the page.

There is a list of fax numbers on the sight to many senators. And links to free online fax services.
Are you tired of being ignored sending emails, faxing, and calling? Then let us try it as a group instead. This is a very large group and hopefully we will get much needed attention to our plight this way.

Jobless Unite
Jobless Unite - M-A-Y-D-A-Y
Unemployment Extensions:Tier 5 to SURVIVE youtube video
ODE to WASHINGTON Tier 5 to Survive youtube video

Please spread the word all you can the more we get the more attention we get folks.

[Sheila]

I wonder if it will include the time I ran out and wasn't working from March 15th until April 9th. I don't think banks are allowed to take unemployment away from you.

[grandmom49]

Thank you. #1 it should show them the fallacy of the perception of the unemployed being lazy that a person who could conceive & organize this event is a member of the long term unemployed. #2 It should demonstrate that if we can organize and act for an event like this we can organize and act at election time.
I RSVP my attendance & will edit my resume so the top is headed appropriately.

[needajob]

Thank you grandmom49 and if you would please help to spread the word around. We want all we can get for maximum impact.

[daytonaman]

After a nearly monthlong tantrum by Republican senators that cost hundreds of thousand of workers their unemployment insurance (UI), the U.S. House and Senate last night finally approved legislation to extend UI benefits through June 2 and President Obama immediately signed it.

But with unemployment still remaining at an official 9.7 percent and more than two in every five unemployed workers out of work for more than six months and more than five jobless workers for each job opening, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says Congress must pass a yearlong extension

so working families don’t face Republican obstruction and uncertainty every single month.

Obama also called for a longer extension when he signed the bill last night shortly after the House (289-120) and Senate (59-38) passed the bill.

I urge Congress to move quickly to extend these benefits through the end of this year…to move forward on legislation to help small businesses grow and hire and other measures to increase the pace of job growth.

Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.), whose home state suffers from a 14.1 percent unemployment rate, blasted the Republicans’ continued efforts to block the UI extension that have included two filibusters, led by Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) in February and Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) this time around.

Holding unemployed Americans, hundreds of thousands of them, hostage to score what some think may be political points I think is reprehensible. Extending unemployment benefits has traditionally been a strong bipartisan effort, yet today some Republicans are claiming that their opposition is rooted in concern about the deficit. They seem to have discovered fiscal responsibility when it comes time to extend unemployment benefits but not when it came to paying for tax cuts for the rich and the Iraq war.

Three Senate Republicans voted for the bill: George Voinovich (Ohio) and Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine. The bill also extends COBRA benefits, which help jobless workers pay for health insurance.

I have been reading another article, concerning Florida in a big way, according to Forbes and Metropolitan Statistical Area's (MSA) Florida has 4 of the top ten Metro area's in Free fall, showing economic indicators that these area's have gone from bad to worse, with no signs of recovery.

Florida is in serious trouble, these 4 in the top 6 never mind top 10, are in every corner of Florida, showing this entire state is in the worst economic trouble in the country, the metro area's are listed in the order they show on Forbes and the yahoo list
# 1 - Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Pompano Beach
#2 - Tampa-Clearwater
#4 - Jacksonville
#6 - Orlando-Kissimmee

Read more here, with links to Forbes full list
http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/us-cities-in-free-fall

[sc4ram]

http://cnmnewsnetwork.com/17931/tier-5-unemployment-extension-additional-2-months-of-benefits/

[Hoppy]

http://cnmnewsnetwork.com/17931/tier-5-unemployment-extension-additional-2-months-of-benefits/

Ok, I followed this link and read the article but I'm confused. Why does the article refer to Tier 5 when it sounds like they are talking about the extension to June 2 that passed and was signed yesterday???

Tier 5 Unemployment Extension – Additional 2 Months of benefits. The Senate passed a bill today that provides for a two month extension of Federal Unemployment benefits. The news will be a relief to many Americans who need the extra time to file between tiers.

"...who need the extra time to file between tiers".?? What are they talking about? Will someone please enlighten me?

[sc4ram]

Happy- the key wording is at the bottom where it says a Tier V has not been passed

[Hoppy]

Happy- the key wording is at the bottom where it says a Tier V has not been passed

Thanks, sc4ram, it's still odd that they start off the article "the Tier 5 unemployment extension".

[SaraJ]

Good short tier V article....at least there is some talk about a tier V

http://cnmnewsnetwork.com/18078/tier-5-benefits-extension-desired-after-unemployment-benefits-extension/

[SaraJ]

EVERYONE
I've been asked by someone at unemployed-friends to pass on information about Resume Days, April 30 and May 3. I've seen this posted on many unemploymnet sites, but haven't noticed it here. They're asking everyone to fax their resumes to their congressmen and to the leaders they've designated, and any others you want. All the info is on the website. Click the MAYDAY tab at the top. Links to free online fax services and Fax numbers to many Senators and the whitehouse. We have lots that are committed but we need all we can get.

Please spread the url around and the info folks. This is targeted at adding to Tier 4 or a Tier 5.
http://joblessunite.yolasite.com

[nancym]

http://cnmnewsnetwork.com/17931/tier-5-unemployment-extension-additional-2-months-of-benefits/

Ok, I followed this link and read the article but I'm confused. Why does the article refer to Tier 5 when it sounds like they are talking about the extension to June 2 that passed and was signed yesterday???

Tier 5 Unemployment Extension – Additional 2 Months of benefits. The Senate passed a bill today that provides for a two month extension of Federal Unemployment benefits. The news will be a relief to many Americans who need the extra time to file between tiers.

"...who need the extra time to file between tiers".?? What are they talking about? Will someone please enlighten me?

WARNING!

BEWARE of so-called "news" sites like the above-mentioned. There are so many blog sites and "citizen journalist" sites cropping up out there that it can be extremely confusing. These sites are a combination of opinion, rumor, and sometimes legitimate news feeds from other sources. It's bad enough that the regular news sources botch a lot of their reporting on unemployment, but these sites, although sometimes a source of questionable "insider" information, can be at best a lead to other better information sources, at worst they can be toxic, giving misinformation that leads to more confusion.

The above referenced article was originally written without that updated explanation at the bottom, and then they didn't even change their headline, obviously to keep their top of the Google listing for the term "Tier 5." That article was written by the "Chief Editor" of their site, and on Open Congress someone reported that after the addendum was added at the bottom, all the comments complaining about the error were deleted! (I didn't witness that part, but I don't doubt it's true.)

These "journalists" for these sites are rarely paid by other than tiny amounts according to the article or ad clicks. So to get any money at all from sites like Examiner.com, WorldNewsVine.com, and probably also this CNMnewsnetwork, a person has to develop a huge following or post things that will garner a huge immediate interest--like a headline that has the words "Tier 5" in it!

Don't trust these sites. Read casually, but beware! If you don't see anything they report elsewhere in legitimate reporting sites or newspapers, just consider it either rehashed news (usually very badly written) or simply opinion or rumor.

[Hoppy]

[quote="SaraJ"]EVERYONE
I've been asked by someone at unemployed-friends to pass on information about Resume Days, April 30 and May 3. I've seen this posted on many unemploymnet sites, but haven't noticed it here. They're asking everyone to fax their resumes to their congressmen and to the leaders they've designated, and any others you want. All the info is on the website. Click the MAYDAY tab at the top. Links to free online fax services and Fax numbers to many Senators and the whitehouse. We have lots that are committed but we need all we can get.

Please spread the url around and the info folks. This is targeted at adding to Tier 4 or a Tier 5.
http://joblessunite.yolasite.com[/quote]

SaraJ, it was posted here on this thread a few days ago but it was moved to the "Off Topic" thread.

[Hoppy]

WARNING!

BEWARE of so-called "news" sites like the above-mentioned. There are so many blog sites and "citizen journalist" sites cropping up out there that it can be extremely confusing. These sites are a combination of opinion, rumor, and sometimes legitimate news feeds from other sources. It's bad enough that the regular news sources botch a lot of their reporting on unemployment, but these sites, although sometimes a source of questionable "insider" information, can be at best a lead to other better information sources, at worst they can be toxic, giving misinformation that leads to more confusion.

The above referenced article was originally written without that updated explanation at the bottom, and then they didn't even change their headline, obviously to keep their top of the Google listing for the term "Tier 5." That article was written by the "Chief Editor" of their site, and on Open Congress someone reported that after the addendum was added at the bottom, all the comments complaining about the error were deleted! (I didn't witness that part, but I don't doubt it's true.)

These "journalists" for these sites are rarely paid by other than tiny amounts according to the article or ad clicks. So to get any money at all from sites like Examiner.com, WorldNewsVine.com, and probably also this CNMnewsnetwork, a person has to develop a huge following or post things that will garner a huge immediate interest--like a headline that has the words "Tier 5" in it!

Don't trust these sites. Read casually, but beware! If you don't see anything they report elsewhere in legitimate reporting sites or newspapers, just consider it either rehashed news (usually very badly written) or simply opinion or rumor.

Thank you Nancy! I thought there was something fishey about that article, it was just too confusing and seemed to have the facts too mixed up. BTW, it's gone completely now.

[SaraJ]

[quote="Hoppy"]

EVERYONE
I've been asked by someone at unemployed-friends to pass on information about Resume Days, April 30 and May 3. I've seen this posted on many unemploymnet sites, but haven't noticed it here. They're asking everyone to fax their resumes to their congressmen and to the leaders they've designated, and any others you want. All the info is on the website. Click the MAYDAY tab at the top. Links to free online fax services and Fax numbers to many Senators and the whitehouse. We have lots that are committed but we need all we can get.

Please spread the url around and the info folks. This is targeted at adding to Tier 4 or a Tier 5.
http://joblessunite.yolasite.com[/quote]

SaraJ, it was posted here on this thread a few days ago but it was moved to the "Off Topic" thread.

Thanks Hoppy! I see it was very very recently moved back to this thread as it should be....it's definitely NOT off-topic. Anyone who is unemployed or can't find a job or is just trying to help the unemployed through this economic mess should want to know about things of this nature. It sure can't hurt.

[SaraJ]

I know I posted this link before, but the petition is really starting to gain a lot of attention. It's all over the internet, especially in unemployment forums...I even saw it on the CBS news website! This past week it has stayed on the front page of the change.org site & it is approaching 15,000 signatures. Again if you're unemployed, it can't hurt....sign if you haven't. Thanks

http://www.change.org/petitions/view/the_99ers_need_a_tier_v_added_to_unemployment_benefits

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