The front page of the Washington Post yesterday features a story by Paul Schwartzman about a couple in Indiana who were laid off from an RV plant and are receiving unemployment insurance (UI) benefits to the tune of about $700 a week ($268 for her and $390 for him). Buried deep into the story on the third page of the article it mentions that the wife, Kelly Nichols, actually got offered a job as a bookkeeper for a chiropractor. It paid $8 an hour for 28 hours a week. Kelly …
Title IV, Subtitle B, Part 2, Section 426 of the Waxman-Markey cap and trade legislation: An eligible worker (specifically, workers who lose their jobs as a result of this measure) may receive a climate change adjustment allowance under this subsection for a period of not longer than 156 weeks…80 percent of the monthly premium of any health insurance coverage…up to a maximum payment of $1,500 in relocation allowance…and job search expenses not exceed[ing] $1,500.” Climate change adjustment allowance? Seriously?
Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA) took a lot of criticism last week for declaring his intention to turn down the unemployment insurance parts of the Obama Administration’s economic stimulus aid. Jindal noted that the legislation written by the leftist majorities in Congress required states to permanently expand their unemployment insurance programs which would raise taxes on struggling small businesses today. Jindal urged other governors to actually read the bill so they knew what they were getting into. Well Gov. Phil Bredesen (D-TN) has done just that. The Chattanooga Times Free Press …
Congress is considering increasing the length of time unemployed workers can collect unemployment insurance (UI) benefits. Normally unemployed workers can collect UI benefits for up to 26 weeks. Congress changed the law to allow 39 weeks of benefits. Now many in Congress want to allow 46 weeks of benefits. One of the reasons Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) give for this change is the fact that long-term unemployment has increased. This is true: The number of workers unemployed for more than 26 weeks has …
