Give hope to the long-term jobless

Give hope to the long-term jobless
By John D. Sutter, CNN
updated 11:29 AM EST, Wed February 13, 2013

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/13/opinion/sutter-sotu-unemployed-without-hope/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Here is another opinion piece about long-term unemployment, but it offers few solutions that any party will agree to.

"It seems each policy solution comes with additional problems.
Laws aimed at preventing discrimination against unemployed people could backfire. Job training programs might not provide the right skills. Investing in a new stimulus package, including federal contracts to build roads and such, might end with employed people being rehired, said James Sherk, a senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation. Giving tax breaks to employers who hire the long-term unemployed seems smart to me, but Gary Burtless, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, writes that some employers may be turned off by the extra paperwork.
Extending unemployment insurance is a political nonstarter. A raised minimum wage, which Obama proposed on Tuesday, helps only if you're working."

The unemployed are constantly critized for making excuses for not finding a job. Looking at this piece, it appears there are just as many excuses for not helping the unemployed!

And now North Carolina will throw 170,000 unemployed Americans under the bus by cutting off or drastically reducing their unemployment benefits. This is necessary because of all of the tax breaks for businesses and the reduction of unemployment funds to pay the unemployed.

"...Many states had neglected their unemployment funds during the economic expansions that preceded the bust, cutting taxes on businesses and reducing balances."

North Carolina lawmakers move to slash unemployment help
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/north-carolina-lawmakers-move-to-slash-unemployment-help/2013/02/12/92eedea4-7538-11e2-95e4-6148e45d7adb_story.html

North Carolina Approves Steep Benefit Cuts for Jobless in Bid to Reduce Debt
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/14/us/north-carolina-approves-benefit-cuts-for-unemployed.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130214&_r=0

absolutly the wrong thing to do...beyond speechless..

Well most of the long term unemployed are not receiviing any kind of unemployment. I don't really know how they think people are surviving out here but whatever.

As far as Tuesday night went great ideas but Congress does not give a damn about the unemployed. Go ahead and raise the min wage but what difference does it make when most employers out there don't and won't consider anyone that is long term unemployed.

Until the goverenment makes the long term unemployed important then most of us will not get any kind of jobs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

John Sutter continues with more points about being jobless:
There's no 'magic wand' for jobs
By John D. Sutter, CNN
updated 9:12 AM EST, Fri February 15, 2013
http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/15/opinion/sutter-unemployment-magic-wand/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

What we do know is that the unemployed are on life support.
Who provides the life support?
Family and friends sometimes provide housing, money, food, emotional support to the unemployed. Some can get food stamps.
The government provides unemployment compensation for a number of weeks that varies from state to state. The amount of compensation and the length of time that it is provided is decreasing in many states and after the recipient's allotment is used up then there is no more.
Local charities and churches sometimes provide food. Housing is sometimes provided for a limited amount of time from various sources.
Other government programs such as welfare/general assistance may provide temporary help, which usually has to be paid back.
The unemployed are expected to cash in their retirement accounts and pay the high tax penalty before any help is given. After selling their home, car, and possessions they are expected to find a job or hit the streets. Since there are 3.4 unemployed for each job opening, the job of finding a job is nearly impossible for some job seekers.

Can we assume from the voting records of politicians that Republicans in general will very rarely become unemployed, they won't need unemployment insurance, welfare, food stamps, job training, or any government help to get back to work or else Republican lawmakers would support job programs instead of fighting against them?

Is the unemployment problem simply a matter of class warfare? Is this a matter of the rich Republicans simply fighting against the poor Democrats? Are the more industrious Republicans simply holding the line against the lazy Democrats? Should the unemployed simply accept that the majority of employed Americans do not care that there are simply not enough jobs to go around?

The President's solution to the lack of jobs is to let illegal aliens keep the jobs that they have and offer them a path to citizenship. The jobs done by the illegal aliens are referred to as jobs that Americans don't want to do because they are low paying. So the implication here is that the jobs done by illegal aliens are too low paying to be done by unemployed Democrats, who are often referred to as lazy druggies who wouldn't take an honest job because they can live in tent cities and eat free at soup kitchens. The government's solution is to build more FEMA camps and buy huge stocks of ammunition for the coming Zombie Apocalypse. All that the unemployed now need to know is that they are being turned into zombies and that this will be their apocalypse.

I have not been on this site for a long time. What is so wrong is that most states that I know of robbed Unemployment benefits years ago when things were going good. They transferred the money that employers paid into the fund to other areas. Now they want to blame lack of funds on some one else and you know who pays the price !

Unemployment benefit deductions should be kept in interest bearing funds that can't be raided by politicians who are often controlled by business.