Pretty much all of us have insurance of one sort or another. We (hopefully) have health insurance. Some of us have life insurance. We have insurance on our cars, on our homes, sometimes even on our pets. Insurance is designed so that you pay a small amount on a regular basis over time. Then, if you need it, it’s there […]

A new state computer program used between October 2013 and October 2015 determined that tens of thousands of unemployed Michiganders were attempting to defraud the state with bogus unemployment insurance claims. The penalties that were assessed created a huge surplus in the unemployment insurance fund so Republicans yesterday tapped that money to fill the budget hole created by years of […]

Rep. Kildee calls for an immediate up-or-down vote on a bill he introduced to restore emergency unemployment benefits. Since last November, Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05) has been at the forefront of efforts by U.S. House Democrats to extend, and then renew, unemployment insurance (UI) benefits. Immediately after the bipartisan passage of a bill in the U.S. Senate on Monday to […]

Rand Paul is a disservice to the GOP’s African American outreach Photo credit: Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog The day after he presided over the opening of the Michigan Republican Party’s office for African American outreach, Rand Paul told Fox News that extending unemployment benefits for workers unable to find work for as long as 99 weeks was doing […]

Here we go again With the impending expiration of federal unemployment benefits for many Americans, the AFL-CIO is holding rallies in front of the offices of key Republican members of Congress in Michigan tomorrow (Friday, February 10, 2012). See their press release below for details. Workers and Community Members to Rally at Michigan Congressional Offices as Jobless Benefits Approach ExpirationBenefits […]

Yesterday during Roll Call Vote 946, my Representative, Congressman Tim Walberg, voted against extending the middle class tax cuts and unemployment insurance for unemployed Americans. The bill is H.R.3630. I just sent him this note and I urge you to do the same: I am appalled that my Representative to Congress voted AGAINST the bill to extend the payroll tax […]

I was reading Reddit’s politics page this morning when I came across this Self Reddit: Thank you unemployment benefits. Because of you I was able to pay my rent wash my clothes, eat, and today was offered a job for over 100k. I’ve been unemployed for almost 2 years. I will happily pay my taxes, and not cry about it […]

Rep. John Shaddeg of (surprise, surprise) Arizona thinks that extending unemployment benefits will basically take money OUT of the economy because unemployed people will SAVE money rather than spending it and that it’s not the spending of money that moves the economy. No shit. Here he is on MSNBC’s Morning Joe yesterday being asked a question by Mike Barnicle: BARNICLE: […]