[lit-ideas] Re: The American Poor-The Gulf
- From: Carol Kirschenbaum <carolkir@xxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 24 May 2006 14:16:17 -0700
fyi: Editoriail in NY Times:
Published: May 24, 2006
Like many Americans, lawmakers in Congress plan to knock off early on Friday
to get a jump on the holiday weekend. Then they'll take the rest of the week
off, and while they're gone, federal disaster unemployment benefits will
start to expire for some 80,000 people still out of work because of
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Both houses have only a few days left to extend
this much-needed aid.
Most of the unemployed are Katrina victims who are still living outside
Louisiana. The argument that their jobless benefits are a disincentive to
work is absurd, as well as heartless. The average benefit is $104 a week -
and that is for people who lost everything and, in many cases, loved ones
only nine months ago.
It's distressing that lawmakers even need to be prodded to provide
additional relief. Since their last recess, their biggest "achievement" has
been a two-year extension of investor tax cuts, worth nearly $51 billion,
for America's wealthiest families. Congress hustled to lock in the tax cuts
this month, even though they weren't scheduled to expire until the end of
2008. Yet those same lawmakers are now running out the clock on unemployment
benefits for some of America's neediest families. The estimated cost for a
13-week extension is $125 million.
Two Louisiana Republicans, Richard Baker and Charles Boustany Jr.,
introduced a bill in the House last week calling for a straightforward
extension through the summer. Financing for the additional benefits is
already built into the overall disaster budget, so it requires no special
appropriation. All that is needed is for lawmakers to pass the measure -
before their next paid vacation.
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