Jobless Floridians in a panic as political impasse cuts off checks
by Michael C. Bender | July 9th, 2010Unemployment benefits will expire for about 34,000 Floridians this week because the U.S. Senate failed to pass a bill to keep the payments flowing.
Congress might address the issue after it returns from this week’s recess, but in the meantime, job seekers are sweating out the political uncertainty.
“We have some very panicked people,” said Gwenda Thompson, head of Workforce Solutions, the nonprofit agency for job seekers in the Treasure Coast. “They’re still without employment, they still have bills coming in, they still have to eat, and they’re wondering how they’re going to do it.”
The story is the same at Workforce Alliance, Workforce Solutions’ counterpart in Palm Beach County.
” ‘My benefits are running out, I’m not sure what I’m going to do.’ We hear that quite a lot,” said Judy Dunn, a senior career consultant at Workforce Alliance.
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Sentenced to die for crimes judged heinous and cruel, inmates await execution in a 9 feet by 6 feet cell.
July 9th, 2010 at 10:35 am
we are being lied to, there are no jobs and no jobs are coming but our property taxes are due soon, its time to take to the streets in massive protest. and begin civil acts of disobedience. there are more of us than of them. its time for wealth distribution in America and war on our streets till the jobs come back from India.
July 9th, 2010 at 10:38 am
The Reicht Wingers plus one did this purposely to sabotage any economic gains Obama’s administration has made…you think your property values have dropped due to foreclosures already…you haven’t seen anything yet.
July 9th, 2010 at 10:39 am
There is no reason why anyone without job skills to go to work if they can get welfare, medicaid, food stamps, etc. That sets a base for all pay. If a business cannot pay more than that base they can’t hire unskilled labor. It is a structural impediment to productivity, competition and makes small business less able to competing in the U.S. and internationally.
I constantly hear that we have increased our college graduation level. Sadly, many haven’t learned marketable job skills. People aren’t successful by luck; it takes effort.
Helping people to learn a new skill is fine. There are dozens of free programs. Unfortunately, many of those who need these programs refuse to take the time, energy and dedication to use them. People didn’t learn job skills by watching Oprah.
There must be a limit on entitlement benefits or the economy, if it already hasn’t, will crumble. The world economy is competitive and most of us have learned to adapt to the reality of focusing on our “needs” not our “wants”.
July 9th, 2010 at 11:21 am
RDC, get your facts straight. It was not passed because the question of using existing funds for recovery (700 billion package that has passed already)or putting our country more in debt by using new funds. Now which will hurt us more New Funds (Democrats) or use existing funds (Republicans). How long do we keep paying the unemployed? Remember to vote out all incumbents which party you replace with I don’t care just let our voices be heard we have had enough of the stupid s..t, work for the people.
July 9th, 2010 at 11:23 am
I have plenty of eduction and skills, but in my field jobs have either gone overseas or technology has made it obsolete. Yet I get turned down for low pay jobs as being overqualified, or the unsaid reason, my age, as I am 58. I had one employer tell me they wanted a long term employee, I told him I expect to work at least 7 years and a younger employee will probably move on in 2 or 3 years, and I would more likely have better attendance, but I did not get the job. My last check comes this week, if congress approves the extension i get 12 more weeks, then i’m all out anyway. By the way, it was not to give more weeks than was approved 2 years ago that congress turned down, it was money to let people move from 1 tier to next, there are 4 tiers, 3 in most states, now if someone is at end of tier 1 there is no tier 2, no tier 3 for someone finishing tier 2, and it was money that went right back into economy for food, gas, other necessities, i have been supplementing with early withdrawals from IRA for which i owe tax and penalities. Many more people will now qualify for food stamps, i don’t think i will because of my IRA, thank God for that, but a younger worker with a family has nothing to fall back on. Also I have lost out on jobs where it was between me and a young guy with kids, both of us qualified, but I can understand that a young hiring manager would want to help the guy with kids first, he feels more sorry for him.