Numerous economists have given testimony to Congress that it will take years for the job market to fully recover. The unemployed in Ohio as any other state need the security of knowing they have a safety net when there are simply not enough jobs. Where are people supposed to turn? There are no jobs.
Jobless are not choosing this situation.
Unemployed persons in Ohio are sharing information and keeping each other up to date on these forums:
Four Pillars Forum: Ohio Unemployment Benefits Extension
See the response one of the contributing members of this forum got from Senator Sherrod Brown:
"My response from Senator Sherrod Brown on a tier 5 Wed 4/28/10" Dear Mr._______, Thank you for getting in touch with me about Unemployment Insurance and for sharing your personal story. I understand the dire circumstances that many unemployed Ohioans are facing through no fault of their own. On April 15th, Congress passed The Continuing Extension Act of 2010, which provides a two-month extension for unemployment insurance retroactively through June 2, 2010. As debate continues on this issue, I will keep pressuring Congress to extend Unemployment Insurance – particularly for high unemployment states like Ohio – through the end of 2010. Additionally, I support a Tier 5 and am working with other Senators to determine how many weeks would be feasible and how to pay for it. To apply for unemployment or to learn more about Ohio Unemployment Benefits, you may wish to visit http://unemployment.ohio.gov/. Thank you again for reaching out to my office on this topic that is vital to the strength of Ohio’s economy and workforce. Sincerely, Sherrod Brown United States Senator
Well, It's encouraging that the Senator supports it and it seems our message has been received. Thank you for being specific in your response Senator Brown but let me tell you how we are going to pay for it so we can save valuable debate time: we're going to tack it straight to the national debt just like every other unemployment insurance extension done throughout history.
The funding is necessary. The need for funding is past due. This situation is an emergency and should be treated as such. Now I'm not being unreasonable. If there are ways down the road that the government can find suitable ways to offset the spending - by all means do it. But don't spend this much time debating, stalling, debating, and stalling to only give the end result of scratching your head.
Print the checks. Find something to cut later. Prioritize the needs of people just like the people are having to prioritize their own needs right now in nearly every household, regardless of employment status.
George Voinovich is the other Senator from Ohio. This is the Republican Senator from this state. To his credit, he did vote "Yes" on the last effort to extend dates. What response is he giving for Tier 5?
Here's the contact information for both of these US Senators: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=OH
Another source the unemployed in Ohio are visiting to share resources is:
unemployed-friends.com - Ohio
(Unemployed-Friends.com has forums for every state by the way. Great place to share resources and vent.)
If anyone knows any other sources for these jobless Americans please post the information in comments.
