Senator Debbie Stabenow along with (9) Co-Sponsors has introduced the Americans Want to Work Act S.3706 (http://stabenow.senate.gov/infocus/AmericansWanttoWork.html) into committee on August 4, 2010. Much need support will be needed to get this bill out of committee and out to the Senate floor for a vote. Action is needed by all to contact your Senators to make sure that there is no question that we want this bill passed and that we want it passed quickly. The 99’ers have been suffering for far too long already and they cannot withstand having this bill held up in committee or subject to a string of Senate filibusters delaying passage of this critical relief. A Senator contact listing with websites and phone numbers for all active Senators can be accessed at http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5596964/2010_unemployment_extension_state_by.html?cat=9
With the worst recession short of a depression in our history already deeply upon us, and job growth inching along at a snails pace, this action is way past due. Many 99’ers have already been suffering for many months without financial support. Many more once hard working Americans will soon be joining their ranks at a clip that is estimated to be around 100,000 people a month. This is not your “normal” recession and it cannot be treated with “normal” economic policy. Special conditions require special considerations and with an estimated 5 applicants for every job there is no way that new job creation today will come anywhere’s near meeting the need to reduce unemployment from record levels.
Randy IIg, an economist in the Division of Labor Force Statistics, Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics states in his paper Issues in Labor Statistics June 2010 that “Among the unemployed, 4 in 10 (6.1 million) had been jobless for 27 weeks or more, by far the highest proportion of long term unemployment on record, with data back to 1948.” We need to get past the knee jerk reaction that says these people must have had it coming to them, for they are truly just innocent victims caught up in a downward spiraling vortex as a result of a sinking economy. They were merely in the wrong place at the wrong time as evidenced by their numbers in total. It is simply statistically improbable that this many people, in such a short span of time, would suddenly decide that now is a good time to start using the system for a massive pay cut just to be on unemployment for a couple of years. It is simply not logical or true.
Millions of your fellow Americans that have been caught up in this unemployment juggernaut are asking for your support and assistance during these very troubling times. They wish you no ill will just because you have been able to maintain unemployment, for they understand many of you have had to accept pay freezes, benefit reductions, and in more serious case’s a cut in working hours or salary. It seems everyone but the rich are being negatively impacted by this recession, but some are being hit harder than others. Now is no time to turn your head, look away, and say I have done all that I can do. You can do more. You can call your Senators and tell them to push to get this bill out of committee and on to the floor for approval and forwarding to the House. As Americans we owe that much to our fellow citizens. Please, do it today!
