I am going non-partisan here. I hear the Republican arguments against extending unemployment benefits and they cry foul. They state it allows people to rely an an entitlement instead of looking for work. Others just claim the US can't afford it. Both are erroneous arguments.
In Feb I was laid-off in Feb. Ten loyal years at the company, great performance reviews, but after 10 years someone at the top of corporate need to meet a bottom line and eliminated my position. I received a huge severance package and was able to find a new job in about a month and a half at a nice pay increase. 80% of my severance package has gone into my savings, so my personal story ends well.
But I digress. I have never been on unemployment and I was SHOCKED, by how little it pays. I figured out quickly it's a safenet for essentials and not one for someone keep up their life-style on. When I applied for unemployment, I received the max allowable amount and I got extra for my 4 kids. The total amount was well less than HALF what I made and it obviously didn't include healthcare (my former employer's severance package paid for 3 months of COBRA for me).
I found out quick that it only paid for essentials when someone was at their lowest point and it was not intended to pay for extras or keep up one's life-style. If anything it provides HUGE incentive to seek out new employment. It gives a strong sense of urgency.
The we can't afford it argument is illogical. Unemployment is expensive, but affordable. We need to cut other places not it.
It's a losing argument.
In Feb I was laid-off in Feb. Ten loyal years at the company, great performance reviews, but after 10 years someone at the top of corporate need to meet a bottom line and eliminated my position. I received a huge severance package and was able to find a new job in about a month and a half at a nice pay increase. 80% of my severance package has gone into my savings, so my personal story ends well.
But I digress. I have never been on unemployment and I was SHOCKED, by how little it pays. I figured out quickly it's a safenet for essentials and not one for someone keep up their life-style on. When I applied for unemployment, I received the max allowable amount and I got extra for my 4 kids. The total amount was well less than HALF what I made and it obviously didn't include healthcare (my former employer's severance package paid for 3 months of COBRA for me).
I found out quick that it only paid for essentials when someone was at their lowest point and it was not intended to pay for extras or keep up one's life-style. If anything it provides HUGE incentive to seek out new employment. It gives a strong sense of urgency.
The we can't afford it argument is illogical. Unemployment is expensive, but affordable. We need to cut other places not it.
It's a losing argument.