OP: The social injustice for long term unemployed still exists and continues to fester

The "Jobless In America" series of articles began one full month ago when the first state that was covered was California.  Having written about only 10 of the 50 states thus far, with Illinois next on the list, it is without saying that these articles are moving at the pace of a glacier.  But at least they are moving.  And sadly it seems that even with the slow pace at writing these articles, all 50 states will be covered before the United States government takes up the needs of the long term unemployed.  As many of you are increasingly taking notice, it seems that it is easier for the United States government to give money and resources to foreign countries than it is its own citizens. 

Of course the efforts of the long term unemployed to gain congressional recognition began many more months ago.  Nearly all is lost for some - including hope.  Long term unemployed need to know there are people fighting with them on this issue and will be here until the problem is resolved through job creation.  There are reasons to remain hopeful.  There are many reasons to politically fight and plea for extended unemployment benefits.  This is just the absolute least thing that should be done for the unemployed and as more and more exhaust benefits - the least is not being done.

There are many questions to be answered which right now the answers do not exist and it is just not useful to the immediate needs of the unemployed.  For example, I would like to know why a 20 acre shopping facility in my community has received nearly $300,000 of stimulus funds but there are no construction workers on the site.  That shopping complex alone would create hundreds of jobs in a rural area of Tennessee - but day after day when passing by that facility there is no movement.   In fact, this one particular county alone received nearly $2 million in stimulus funds to create jobs.  Answers are going to be sought for this - but for right now the country is still in a triage stage. 

The long term unemployed who have exhausted benefits need money now to not just prevent a double dip recession but also for the more moral reasons such as so they can provide for their children and themselves with the most basic necessities such as housing and food.

To a person without a job right now, this is not just a case of a political malpractice.  Each and every day, it seems like this is social holocaust.  Let me be clear with my readers, in many ways it is.  Members of Congress know this.  What they are not counting on though is the majority of American people knowing this.

The issue of unemployment has now become too politically safe for democrats.  Democrats need not do anything  for the rest of the year for the unemployed and they can all safely prove to be a better candidate on the issue of unemployment insurance to the majority of Americans who vote than the republican candidate who opposes unemployment insurance altogether.  And then there's another half, perhaps some from the same half of others, of the United States population under the spell right now that if more government spending occurs it will cause the sky to fall from the heavens and the entire world as we know it to come to an end. 

A deficit is still a deficit and a debt is still a debt - the amounts are arbitrary and considering the circumstances, what the hell would another $200 billion do in the long term as far as paying down the debt?

Nearly each and every state in the union is facing budget problems and is making cuts to necessary functions as the first (and only) stimulus for Main Street fades.  Additionally, more and more persons will fall into the ranks of the unemployed as these cuts escalate.  As this is being typed right now, there's a teacher that knows that he or she will not have a job next year and is planning for it.  At least these persons are being forewarned.  The long term jobless right now who have exhausted unemployment insurance were given no notice and more voices need to be advocating for the hardest-hit in this Great Recession.

Some politicians are feeding fear to the people demanding resolution to the deficit.  For whatever reason, these persons have completely forgotten that the country is still healing from the greatest financial collapse since the Great Depression and are buying into this fear.  This fear of the deficit is why the issue of unemployment is so politically toxic and it is taking months for important and time sensitive legislation to clear Congress. Both political parties are playing the safe card through the 2010 election cycle.  Pelosi's answer stating that they will take up the issue again in November seemed to be code for if democrats still have a majority and these problems are still ours to correct then we will do something, of course.  Right now we choose not to be on the causing controversy about the deficit.  This is an A-list political card republicans could use against democrats - if only they did not already make their stand opposing these extensions.

Some persons who have not been impacted as badly by the financial collapse are seemingly discarding the immediate needs of up to 20% of the United States population.  There's a reason that main stream media is called "main stream" media.  It reports the stories that the majority of the viewing audience want to see.  Slowly, the persons who were victims in this Great Recession are being counted.  It should be in the interest of each and every person who is unemployed to want and help retain as much and as many sources reporting on this as possible so that larger audiences of Americans see the message. 

The recent news of the House Ways & Means starting a subcommittee hearing on the issue of the long term jobless is encouraging, but shouldn't this issue be on a faster track?  The entire country is a hospital right now in the sense of healing from the financial collapse and it seems like the persons in the ER are being quarantined rather than treated.  Some disgusting companies are even being so blatantly discriminating to state in their job ads that they will not hire anyone who is currently unemployed. 

If a true and organized boycott were to occur, it should be on these companies discriminating against the unemployed.  Such a boycott is simply consumer choice, right?  Just as there's no specific law on the books for the companies who are discriminating hiring unemployed and mostly displaced workers, that's the power of consumer choice if an organized boycott occurs.  As more and more of these stories surface, a list is being created and documented for these companies denying their fellow Americans any opportunity for a job. 

My only advice to the unemployed is to continue the fight.  Take comfort in knowing that you are documented and being recognized by some of your fellow Americans.  Advocacy is happening and results are waiting. Waiting until November is not the solution.  No one can promise when relief will come but the promise of the emergency flare being fired and seen can be made.  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the 111th Congress does have the "99er petition" found at 99erspetition.com.  It is my sincere hope and the relentless advocacy of this blog that action is taken as soon as possible.

The Need For A Second Stimulus Exists As Dow Dips Below 10,000

 If you do some digging on the net, the need for a second stimulus is documented even as early as last year in 2009.  We are only recently hearing more calls for a second stimulus; but the case for a second stimulus is mounting; especially when one considers that the last stimulus did not take into account any fiscal problems for state and local governments.  In addition to Paul Krugman's recent assertion, many have long argued the need for a second stimulus.  Most in fact the very day that the first stimulus was passed.  It was recognized that the first stimulus would not do enough to create private sector jobs. In January of this year, it was recognized by The Christian Science Monitor that the need for a second stimulus exists. 

The last stimulus package didn’t take into account the fiscal problems the recession would create for state and local governments.         -The Christian Science Monitor

On January 22, 2010, The Christian Science Monitor reported at this link:  http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Global-Viewpoint/2010/0122/US-economy-needs-a-second-stimulus that the U.S. economy needs a second stimulus.  The article references Keynesian economics which is the key that China is using to get out of their recession citing the construction of high speed rail in China.  Something that this government is not truly doing.  Not in the way that the Republicans are saying that we are not doing .  The Republican model for economic policy is an all out spending freeze. 

The United States mastered macroeconomic management, wrote the textbooks, and the Chinese are currently using our own playbook to have a faster recovery in this Great Recession with an economics model created by the United States.  The article referenced by the Christian Science Monitor was written from the assertions of Joseph Stiglitz, who was awarded the Nobel prize for economics in 2001 and has published the book, Freefall: America, Free Markets and the Sinking of the World Economy the link to this book is posted below for anyone interested in the assertions made by Mr. Stiglitz, an economist who the federal government needs to be listening to and passing a second stimulus. 



Below is an excerpt from that article in the Christian Science Monitor: 

The US stimulus has made a difference. If we hadn’t had the stimulus, unemployment would be 11 or 12 percent. Yet, it was not big enough or well enough designed to bring employment back to normal levels.                     

This is a tool for the unemployed.  This is a talking point and this is a reason to petition again to Congress, this is another reason to continue advocacy.  Perhaps Congress does not have the political will for a "Tier 5" because of the name.  Let's just call it EB2 then.  Call it the "Funding States That Are Broke Act of 2010".  Call it whatever you want to call it.  Write the legislation and pass it NOW!

Readers, we need input! 

It is obvious persons are exhausted over everything.  Frustrated.  At the tipping point, if you will...   Scared.

Would it be worthwhile to start a campaign for a second stimulus or is everyone too burned out at this point?

You wouldn't be calling Congress for a Tier 5, you would be calling for a second stimulus to prevent the double dip recession which is inevitable without it.  Investors are not going to invest unless they are certain the economy is going to create jobs and increase consumer spending.  Naturally, cutting the safety net from 10% or more of the United States population is not a very smart way to increase consumer spending.  Doing nothing is not a solution.   Waiting until November to take action is not a solution.  Ideas anyone?

The unemployed might win their argument for a Tier 5 by making this a case about the economy rather than just unemployment insurance extensions.

New Jersey Unemployment Rate 9.8% - 853,358 Jobless In New Jersey Are Depending On Tier 5 Unemployment Extension

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division, the total population for New Jersey is 8,707,739.  Based on the data from the Department of Labor, BLS, the total percentage of unemployment in this state is 9.8%.  These equals a total of 853,358 who are jobless in the State of New Jersey.

The Senators for the State of New Jersey are Robert Menendez and Frank Lautenberg.  The contact information for these United States Senators is located here:  http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=NJ

As reported earlier by US Unemployed Blogsite, Robert Menendez was the only Senator on the Senate Finance Committee who challenged Doug Holmes' assertion that continuing to provide unemployment insurance to jobless is less incentive for work.  Senator Menendez clarified for the record that there are simply not enough jobs for the unemployed in the country.  He cited that there is only one job for every five applicants.  The link to this Senate Finance Committee Hearing which took place on April 14, 2010, is located here.

The official page for the State of New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development is located here:  http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/

Unemployed residents of New Jersey who are sharing information and resources (apart from this blog) are doing so at: 

Unemployed-Friends - New Jersey

Money Smart Blog (formerly known as Four Pillars) - New Jersey Unemployment Benefit Extension Information

If any reader out there knows another source or any information specific to the unemployed residents of New Jersey, please post that information in comments. 

Jobless In America - Making The Case For Tier 5 Unemployment Assistance

This map represents the current unemployment rate ranges for each state in the country.  It is courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_unemployment_rate and open for distribution to the public under the permissions to distribute clause posted at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_us_states_by_unemployment_rate.png.

It is the goal of this blogger to continue posting the known unemployment rates as they are updated for each state.  This is an effort to illustrate and educate the public to the numbers of jobless in America. 

The "Jobless In America" series of articles that have been published are geared to urge the Congress and the United States President, Barack Obama, to address the needs for the long term unemployed through more extensive job creation programs and by adding additional weeks of benefits to jobless Americans who have expired benefits.  The need for this action is real and the urgency is past due. 

All you need to do is spread the word to your members of Congress and fellow unemployed so that the facts remain the facts and the gravity of this situation is appreciated by all elected officials in Washington, D.C..  On the sidebar you will see the links for states under the "Jobless In America" section of this blog.  It is the intent of this blogger to not only cover all states but also provide information to the jobless about the current unemployment numbers, resources, and general information.

Members of Congress and the President, please address the needs of so many jobless Americans who are in desperate need of action from the federal government in these terrible economic times.  Please do so in a timely fashion and avoid partisan bickering in the process.  With so many millions of Americans unemployed, politicizing the needs of jobless is an embarrassment to this great nation. 

When considering all legislation pertaining to the unemployed, do so with admiration, careful consideration, empathy, and please do so swiftly.  With so many factors uncertain for the jobless, the American people need to know that the federal government plans to address the needs of so many millions with the care and the speed of action that these Americans who are unemployed through no fault of their own deserve.