Senate passes $149 bln for jobless aid, tax breaks

Here's a statistic I have not heard before:

"More than 40 percent of unemployed Americans have been out of work for at least six months, the usual cutoff for jobless benefits. Congress extended the program to cover those out of work for nearly two years in some high-unemployment areas, but millions could still exhaust their benefits starting next month without a further extension."

http://bit.ly/9lFvcR

Unemployment benefits: Jim Bunning relents, Senate passes extension When Sen. Jim Bunning lifted his block, the Senate approved a 30-day extension of federal unemployment benefits. More than 200,000 unemployed Americans were set to lose benefits, half of whom already had stopped receiving unemployment checks.

http://bit.ly/aSpjcR


Who among us doesn't know people who are unemployed? This particular episode of senate wrangling scared a lot of people. Without unemployment checks coming in, people would need to turn to other forms of public assistance. Would this represent progress? Probably not.


It remains to be seen how the jobs bill will play out, and if it will, in fact result in job creation. This is important not only to the ranks of the unemployed, but also the overworked employed folks who need help.