>> Valerie Mcallister
The U.S. government is in complete disarray. Many Americans remain jobless and therefore, are financially unstable. Thankfully, our government is “of the people and for the people.” Despite what some Americans believe, one of our government’s top priorities is coming to the aid of the less fortunate.
They do this in numerous ways, but the prime sources of financial assistance for the jobless are unemployment benefits. Last week, the Senate voted 59-38 in favor of passing a bill that would extend funding for unemployment benefits for five months. According to Sen. Chuck Schumer, “Many of the people who would benefit from this bill are out of work through no fault of their own.”
Many Americans have been laid off from jobs or sought employment but have failed in finding such.
Democrats, who made the majority of the votes for the bill, said they refuse to pass any jobs bills or bills that would allow the creation of more jobs.
However, Republicans are finding problems with extending the handouts but are not providing opportunities for employment. There are Americans who milk the system and file for unemployment, but either do work under the table or continuously end jobs in order to seek unemployment benefits.
However, the majority of Americans seeking assistance rightly deserve it.
Unemployment benefits are payments made by the state to citizens who recently lost their jobs from being laid off or fired. Unemployment benefits should be extended, since that the majority of people who receive these benefits are the prime caregivers and money-makers of their household. While seeking a job, these citizens should be provided assistance to feed and clothe their families.
By extending these benefits, recipients are able to live comfortably while searching for a job. However, with any pros, there are cons.
By extending unemployment benefits, the Senate may be disabling citizens and removing their motive to find employment. Why seek a job when you can be paid continuously not to have a job? Ryan Flippen, junior accounting major, said he “believes recipients may halt their job search for as long as possible to get the most use of the benefits.”
I do agree that recipients may allow unemployment benefits to become a way of life and may choose not to work for as long as possible. I do, however, believe these extended benefits will do more good than harm. Allowing household leaders to continue to be able to provide financially is of good interest to the members of their families. However, there should be stipulations. Recipients of unemployment state benefits should be required to obtain employment within a certain amount of time. This keeps the system fair and allows those who receive benefits the opportunity to seek employment. TAS
