Just In Case You Missed It - The Long Term Unemployed Hit Mainstream Media

Here is what aired on the Ed Schultz Show thanks to the many of you out there who emailed him and let him know about the plight of the long-term unemployed. 

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This was a very quick exchange between Ed Schultz and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI).  But just this small amount of coverage is better than what the long term unemployed have not been receiving from mainstream press. This is without doubt, progress and a major leap in the right direction for those who have exhausted benefits.

Everyone, help US Unemployed Blogsite and so many others who are advocating for this keep this story alive by continuing to contact Ed Schultz.  A simple thank you for starters for even covering the story to begin and ask him to please keep asking these Senators the tough questions such as:  when will those who have exhausted benefits see relief? 

As posted previously, it is looking more and more like that relief will be coming in the form of a second stimulus act.  Congress is not going to amend $200 billion (or more) to H.R. 4213 for persons who have exhausted benefits.  At the risk of a reader perhaps thinking that I am rude for saying this, I must tell you politics is something that I personally have followed for a long time - during the Clinton Administration even.  This large-scale amendment has not been through the Finance Committee and they would not hold up the benefits that are scheduled to sunset on June 2, 2010 to wait on any amendment.  Doing so would cause them to miss the deadline again this month and it is just not feasible that route would be taken.

Those who have exhausted benefits are making major breakthroughs in just this past week.  More coverage and signals of action within this past week than in the past two months combined to be exact.

Keep up your work.  Keep spreading the word about the petition at Change.org.  Keep sending off the Senate and Media SOS emails and faxes.  Keep calling members of Congress.  There is a door that is barely hanging on one hinge and with a little more push we can knock that door down.