Tier 5 Unemployment Extension Bill: 99er and Benefits, Resources to Help
July 26th, 2010
The Tier 5 unemployment extension bill could help 99ers get benefits crucial to their financial survival – if it existed. The recent jobless benefits legislation that made its way through Capital Hill only extends the time to file for tiers 1-4 of unemployment benefits. It does not provide an extension – or a Tier 5 – for those who need it.
There are a lot of great resources out there for the 99ers to use while they are waiting for Congress to finally catch on to the necessity of Tier 5 legislation.
Perhaps the best way that the lack of Tier 5 legislation is expressed is on Jobless Unite, which is also an excellent resource for the long term unemployed. They say “The LONG TERM unemployed are the ones who need the most help. We have already lost our homes, our credit is shot, our retirement savings gone. And what does the Government do? They Wall Street bankers over $5 trillion dollars…so they can give out huge bonuses and maintain their company jets.”
That’s the frustration felt all over the country, as people are dipping into their retirement savings, living off of credit cards, selling their belongings, foreclosing on their homes, eating dinner at the soup kitchen, and finding other novel ways to survive.
Change.org also has a lot of great resources, including various petitions to sign to let legislators know that you want a Tier 5 extension. Click here to view the various items on this site available to the 99ers.
Sources:
Change.org
Jobless Unite
People dont let the labels get in your heads. You know your worth your not lazy. Its the greedy people that spread the rummors there afraid someone is getting something for nothing.I challenge all workers to step out of there jobs give them to us and see if we complain you fools.your all greedy this is costing some of us or life do to no medical insurance ,oh thats my fault to ,well live your happy lifes ,dont miss church ,and ill see you in heaven.
People dont let the labels get in your heads. You know your worth your not lazy. Its the greedy people that spread the rummors there afraid someone is getting something for nothing.I challenge all workers to step out of there jobs give them to us and see if we complain you fools.your all greedy this is costing some of us or life do to no medical insurance oh thats my fault to well live your happy lifes dont miss church and ill see you in heaven.
let me tell all the politicians something, u were voted in and can as easily be voted out. When u guys cash your check and go out on your boat or buy a new car or even go get a cart full of groceries maybe u will take a minute to think of us the 99ers who can’t even buy tolit paper and use napkins to wipe. I am appaled to see what goes on in the u s a maybe if we moved to a foreign country we would get help for the good old u s of a hope none of u need my vote in nov, I vote for none of u
Remember, remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason, why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
I am one of the unemployed 99’ers (that we have affectionally been dubbed). I am going on 56 years old, (have worked over half my life) have diabetes (which now I cannot get the medication I need because of no funds and haven’t since April), my home is in foreclosure and now living between homes. To make a long story short, what is going on within this country? We can allocate BILLIONS for a war effort, which will never be resolved; we can give millions immediately for disaster relief efforts without a second thought where the money will be allocated from. We can bailout Wall Street for the second time in two and a half years which they used to give huge bonus’s to CEO’S. They look at the statistics and say well unemployment is decreasing. In my state it rose again in june now we up to 10.2% . When people deplete their unemployment benefits it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that with fewer claims filed each week because their isn’t any more benefits available to us, it appears that the rate is going down but in fact it is increasing. I love this country with all my heart and I use to have faith in this country, when I was young my father always talked of job security and the American dream, and prayed no one would ever have to live through another ‘Great’ depression like he did but we are on the path of that happening again. There is no such thing as job security now. People who have managed to hold on to their jobs always have that fear in the back of their mind everyday now, am I going to be next to stand in the unemployment line, are their going to be chains on the doors when I report to work the next day? I have never witnessed anything like what is going on in Washington as bad as it is now. It is like watching a group of second grade kids squabbling and turning on each other because they do not like each other, and don’t want to give up what they can gain by others losses. The politicians who say no more Tier 5 of unemployment for the long term unemployed need to walk in our shoes for a few months, see how they like wondering where the next meal is coming from or when the gas and electric will be shut off in the middle of night or selling your furniture to make ends meet. They need to wonder how it feels when the sheriff knocks at your door and gives you a summons you must vacate your property due to foreclosure, or how you turn around and see everything you have worked and strived for al your life, now gone, or how you are going to get a few dollars for gas to go look for a job. The bottom line it is time the government of this great country needs to stand up and put the American people first for once, we the AMERICAN people voted you in these offices, we believed in you to be our voices in this country, and to fight for what is right for us the people. All I have to say to you that turned your back on the millions of unemployed people, IS SHAME ON YOU and we won’t forget come November.
I AM FROM GREENVILLE SOUTH CAROLINA AND I AM ASHAMED OF MY TWO SENATORS JIM DEMINT AND LINDSEY GRAHAM VOTING AGAINST UNEMPLOYMENT EXTENSIONS.
I too am a “99 er”..After reading the other posts here, I realized my plea’s have been written by others, and in one post I am prayer they didn’t take their own life!! It is that BAD!!! Those in high places may have time to ponder the tier 5..”WE” the people DON’T!!! Fix it…it is broken!!! WE NEED THIS to live….
TIMES ARE BAD, BUT WE SHALL OVERCOME. WE ARE MILLIONS STRONG. IT ONLY MAKES COMMON SENSE THAT THE GOVERNMENT IN THE UNITED STATES WILL HELP THE AMERICANS THAT HAVE WORKED AND FOUGHT FOR THIS COUNTRY FOR SO MANY YEARS. NOT ONE OF US IN THE MILLIONS ASKED TO BE LAID OFF, THOUGH EVERYONE OF US WOULD LOVE TO WORK AGAIN SO WE COULD HAVE HOMES, NEW CARS AND FOOD ON THE TABLE…
HANG IN THERE BOB…THIS IS OVER YET.
WE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE STRONG, OUR WORDS WILL BE HEARD. NOW AND IN NOVEMBER!
WE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT MADE THIS COUNTRY SURVIVE FOR SO MANY YEARS. WE’VE PAID THE REPUBLICANS SALARY MILLION OF TIMES OVER THROUGH THE YEARS, SO THEY COULD HAVE THEIR NICE HOMES AND THEIR RESORT VACATIONS. THESE PEOPLE IN THE REPUBLICAN OFFICE HAVE BEEN TAKING FROM US FOR MANY YEARS AND THEY THINK THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO GIVE OUR TRILLION OF DOLLARS OF TAX PAYING MONEY TO WALL STREET.
SOMETHING WRONG HERE. IT’S TIME FOR US TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS…DON’T GIVE UP!!
whats this blogs deal i just tried to post the truth and it won’t let me
BoB. Please hang in there. I have been there and back. I will say a prayer for you.
They need to pass a tier V. If I won the lotto, I would help all you guys
kh
It’s gone. The house, my health, my dignity. I have been unemployed 18 months. We have lost the house and most of our possessions because we didn’t have the money to move them. I am hypothyroid, have two bad knees from a recent injury and have things floating in my eyes that I can’t blink away. No insurance and the doctors want their money up front, so I don’t go. It hurts each time I tell my 12 yr old son, “I can’t afford that”. Hurts even more because it’s things he needs and not just wants. His glasses are broken, I am holding the lens in with tape. His pants don’t snap shut, so he wears mens shirts to cover the rubber band I attach to hold them up. He is sooo skinny, but I eat only once a day so he can have more and it still isn’t enough. He just says, “It’s all right mom, I had enough…. The pants are more comfortable this way…. I think my glasses look cool this way.” I just love him so much. Do I want more help? Yes, but not so much for me. I can survive, I can live anywhere. What can I do for him??? Not much when there is no more money!
Hello Bob, I just read your comment and wanted to encourage you with words. It is not worth your life. The Bible says, this too shall past. I continually quote the scripture, For I reckon that the suffering from present time is not worthy to be compared to glory that shall be revealed in us. I have been layed off for almost 3 yrs and is in the struggle and Im in a terrible struggle. One thing I know, is that I. Never seen the righteous forsaken nor their seed begging bread.
Well I give up. You win (the government). You will not have to worry about paying tier 5 to me as of about 1 hr. from now. Because you want to play with people and their lives, your gamble has payed off. I have lost everything and was dealing with lack of food,home,transportation,job. but now have lost my wife do to you took my pride. I have nothing left and no reason to exist. I hope somebody will gain from my loss.
Thanks but what ever you do now is too late.
The Republicans are simply leaning the herd. One way to statistically lower unemployment numbers is to refuse an extension. One way to stretch Social Security funds is to raise the minimum age from 62 to 70, which the ‘pubs think is a grand idea. It’s time for a revolution folks. If you have to steal your dinner, then do it. This is a very specific form of genocide the Republicans are proposing. It is truly us against them. And of course they have all the money and the really good guns. If you get busted and go to jail, then make sure the local news knows why you did what you did. Hell, in jail you get 3 solids a day and a place to sleep, which is a lot more than most of us will have in the coming months. Pulitzer prize winning economists predict the job market will not return to anything resembling “normal” until the middle of the decade. That’s a long time when you are out of money, food and luck. If you are forced to steal, then steal for your children first. The media should eat that up. They really don’t care about the misfortune of a bunch of middle-aged losers, but kids, that is another story. Find yourself a copy of the “Anarchist’s Cookbook” and put it to use. We are facing annihilation… this is lifeboat ethics, and they are the ones with access to the boats. Passive resistance ain’t going to work this time.. sorry… we are the lepers, the forgotten ones, but we shouldn’t go out without one hell of a fight!
We just list over 400,000 jobs in June, after modest job growth in the pervious few months. Tier 5 is badly needed, there seems right now no political will in Washington. The DC politicans continue to throw their fellow Americans to the wolves ! I never known a country to not give a dam about it’s working people, then this new corporate America, it’s disgraceful. Sure give the criminals of Wall Street trillions, yet hangle, and filibuster over $300 bucks a week to people who need it.
We see the real Wolves, the Repblican party which supports it’s rich benefactors, it’s corporate paymasters, money has corrupted our system and our politicans.
An open letter to the Republican National Party:
For quite a number of years I have believed in the Republican Party.. it is amazing how I was fooled.. the party has no conscience or concern for the well being of the American people… to play politics rather than adress the real needs of a huge number of people who through no fault of their own are long term unemployed is totally amazing.. to attempt to block efforts to help us in order to make the Democrats look bad is unconscionable. Seems like their is no longer an American people that matter…only rival parties…how pathetic. After working 35 plus years steadily, the economic downturn (gee.. which occurred on the Republicans watch) caused my job to be downsized…next month I will be a 99 er and no one cares how I will support my family.. I am not unemployed for lack of effort in finding a job..believe me life was much better earning $50,000 a year than trying to survive on employment which will soon end.. If the jobs were there, it would be a different story. However 1 opening for every 6 people searching for employment and the added handicap of being 55 years old makes for a pretty dismal picture. I have anxiously awaited the extension just to keep my family a float for a couple more weeks, to see it roadblocked by uncaring and callous Republicans and have currently gone 3 weeks with no income. perhaps maybe I could come over and clean your pools. No that wouldn’t work, I would be told I am overqualified.. oops. Understand that in addition to my employment search, I will be making every effort possible to help influence the elections in November to have as many Republicans as possible voted out of office. I am not the only one… there is a huge number of people in my position that feel the same way. If you think people are going to forget, think about it again….people whose families are hungry, who have lost their possessions and homes and are struggling to maintain their dignity…DO NOT FORGET..Please be prepared for a storm come the Novenber elections… you have created the conditions for a perfect storm.
HELP HELP HELP WE WANT TO EAT AND HAVE A ROOF OVER OUR HEAD. MY KIDS NEEDS CLOTHES LEAVE PAKASTAN ALONG AND TAKE CARE OF THE U.S.A HELP US NOW
my sister and I have lost all of our extentions. we r so in need of help. we each take turns living at my moms so we can eat and use her electric and her car as ours have been taken back. all we want is allitle help. Please give us our money back, pakastan can worry about themselves who will feed us long term. do it now can’t exist any longer
You can bet your ass that you’re not alone. I will be doing whatever it takes to mimic what I’ve seen being done in Washington recently. That is, taking care of myself and not worrying about who I hurt in the process.
Just wait till people see what j do if they don’t pass this.it involves me doing whatever it takes to eat food and keep a roof over my head.keep messing around you old dinasores and you’ll be real sorry cuz I know I am not alone.
Winslow, Burger huts will not hire people that are over qualified. The excuse is that when the economy recovers the over qualified will return to their previous trade and they will have to train another employee.
Keisha, on top of that I have had to deal with credit checks just to get an interview.
Once again…
Here in Reno, Nevada, we are 14.2%, and the National percentage during the great depression was 11.5%!
And that State average does not count me…. as I lost all my UEB as of July 11th!
And the Banks gave them selves how much in bonus’s?
Call me a Lefty if you want!…. but its time to revolt against this system!
Tier 5. Need i say more America!!!!!!!!
The senate is planning another vacation soon. What a job can i get one. After 20 years of working i was getting two paid weeks a year. How many weeks do the Senators get? Does anyone know. And with our country in such shambles wouldn’t they take less time off till they fix some of the problems. Step up big for the people of America. More fat cat politicians doing nothing(Chambliss and Isackson come to mind.) How about a tier 5 big guys. After two years of applying for hundreds of jobs in 15+ states what am i to do. If i hear over qualified one more time i will burst into flames. I applied again for a job at target today in marietta, georgia. Most of their staff are college students i would think someone with 20 years management experience could empty trash, clean the windows, wash the managers cars. Has to be something i can do?? Maybe not!! Have another nice vacation wonderful politicians. You can find us americans out on the street begging for change anytime you need us.
I used my tier 1-4 and from June 6 I live on my little saving. I am 50 years old singl woman from NYC and I have very popular experience (medical biller) with 10 years experience in NYC hospital. It is not help me to find a job. Now I get 20 weeks EB from unemployment but strange things happen. I got 6 weeks retroactive paymant and I see on my reminding ballance only 7 more weeks. I spent all day today to calling NY unemployment office to ask where is my another 7 weeks but they don’t answer and don’t pick up phone from 8am to 5pm.
Unemployment office it is a place where you can’t get help. They have a goverment job and don’t care about us.
What I need to do to find out how my 7 weeks was stolen from me. Unemployment web site under my ss# show I have 99 weeks.
I applied for a job last week and they sent me an email and said they were interested but my phone wasn’t working. My phones were cut off last week. The HR person won’t return my emails. I lost a job because my unemployment stopped and i couldn’t afford to pay phone bill. Thanks Republicans for a job well done. I am a 99er and i might have finally had a job. Not this year.
The good Americans who find themselves now starving, losing thier homes, exhausting any savings, ARE DOOMED Americans if our government doesnt see fit to continue to Tier 5. They NEED to pass tier 5, to help these people, REPEAL the NAFDA agreement and brings ALL of the jobs BACK to America that you politicians TOOK out of America. I don’t really CARE WHOSE portfolio is getting FAT because of CHEAP labor. You people in Washington are DESTROYing America and the American way of life. You should be the people that bring it back into line for ALL Americans, Not just the “golden few”.
The goverment knows that millions more are out of work. You look on yahoo finance and read the article about the big companies like Harley and GE. They are making record prfits without hiring anyone. If you think the jobs are coming back you are living in make believe. They have no incentive to hire. The tax cuts for these rich money mongers neeeds to end this year. I think tax breaks can be useful but not with todays companies because they don’t care about the workers only profits. There are no gold watches given at retirement anymore. The writing is on the wall. We have to reinvent, keep your cash at home forget the banks, buy anything cash, walk or take bus instead of drive(save gas costs). Live with less, who cares about the joneses. Come on people lets take our country back and make the fat cats really worry. If we use only what we need we can make a difference. I have been out of work two years and am making a difference in the lives of others. Unemployment will never come back to good levels. Find a better place to live and cut costs and you will survive.
I am very passionate about the passage of HR 4213 with Tier 5 and the Cobra Premium Assistance Program…I sincerely believe that Washington has failed over 4 Million hard working unemployed fellow Americans. This bill was to be passed before the Memorial Day vacation, and as of the middle of July is still being thrown around Pennsylvania Avenue. The unemployed are now not only black and blue but bloody from being kicked to the tune of the old Potomac Congressional soft shoe containing lots of spikes….The unemployed cannot accept the unacceptable!!
The unemployed are not a football we are a group of long term faceless citizens who have exhausted all available weeks of unemployment benefits. Some have been without any income since March, (some January and February) and are still unable to find employment. We spend every day sending out resumes and applying for jobs, 90% of the time we don’t even receive an acknowledgement that our resumes and applications were received. There are well over four million of us, and that number continues to grow each week as more people join our plight. The statistics reported by the Department of Labor, are not accurate. They do not include exhaustees, underemployed and people who have given up looking for jobs because they do not have to funds to do so. Lots of us have no health insurance… Many of us have gone through all of our savings, and have had to pay penalties to withdraw our retirement IRA’s in order to try and survive. As a last resort, some are selling their blood to blood banks so they can feed their families. Congress has made our American dream become an American nightmare.
Age discrimination has played a significant role in not being able to land a job. Most of us are in our late 40s, 50s and 60s. That, coupled with being over qualified for any low paying job we apply for is destroying the baby boomer middle class. Lately, there have been temporary agencies that have told us their clients do not want to hire anyone that has been unemployed for a long period of time. What are we supposed to do?
Congress has bailed out the banks, auto manufactures, AIG and Wall Street, they have sent money to Haiti, they have spent billions on two wars and no one worried about the deficit and the money that was being spent. Now, to help people who elected Washington into office, Congress argues over where the money will come from and forcing us all into poverty. We want to be recognized as the hard working Americans we once were. You have taken away our dignity, our love for our country and the faith we once had for the lawmakers we voted into office.
This country desperately needs this bill to be passed immediately with tier 5 and the Cobra Premium Assistance Program. The fact that unemployment is at an all-time high, there is a good possibility that without Government help, there will be a double dip recession. Not something we need now or anytime. Nobody wants to be unemployed anywhere in this country. As you know unemployment is only $22,300 before taxes per year in New York State that is if the person gets the maximum including the extra $25. This is hardly a living. There is no financial incentive to stay on unemployment any longer than necessary. There are very few good jobs out there and the people I know positively that do not have a job are trying very hard to find a decent position…How can people concentrate on the duty of seeking work in such a market if they worry they won’t have a roof over their head, a phone that may be disconnected, food for their family or their car to get to the interview while dodging the repossession man… No one needs funds more than all the hardworking Americans who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own and are having difficulties finding a new job.
Extending Tier 5 and extending the Cobra Premium Assistance Program would benefit those who, despite their best efforts, have been trying to find employment for over two years now. Yes, that’s right – two years. Flipping burgers at McDonald’s is not a job to keep ones head above water, and if this bill is not passed, we will have half the population serving burgers to the other half….It would be a very sad commentary for all of us!!! .
Christine Owens, executive director of the National Employment Law Project said today that, according to the Congressional Budget Office, unemployment insurance is the most effective form of economic stimulus, creating $1.93 in GDP for every $1 in benefits. “Our real deficit is a jobs deficit,” she said on a conference call with reporters. “It is urgent that Congress act to restore the extended unemployment and COBRA programs as quickly as possible.”
We need this bill passed immediate with Tier 5 and the Cobra Premium Assistance Program!!!! We cannot accept the unacceptable!!!!
Sincerely,
A very concerned and worried unemployed American
Every burgerhut is hirn grease cleaner start there
I have been on more job interviews than you ever imagined and I am tired of being rejected when I know I’m qualified. I went to a job interview last week and the company said they’ll call me back for another interview, I haven’t recieved a call yet. I have a son and I don’t know when his next meal is coming from….LORD PLEASE HELP(tears)
The unemployment extension is great unless you are a ‘99er’ like me.
I have had no income since May. I do not qualify for public assistance or PRC since my daughter just turned 18. I can not get help with rent or mortgage since I do not have an income. I have drained all my funds and my mortgage is now 4 months behind. I posted my resume the day after I lost my job with the state job database. If they can’t find me a job how can they blame me for being out of work. My resume is posted in all the available databases and I have alerts for any job I would qualify to send me emails. I check email all day and respond to every lead. I have been up at 2 am filling out online resumes account to apply for a position. Every business within an hour driving have a copy. So how is I am labeled lazy?
There are online articles say that unemployment will be a problem until 2012.
So what about the millions in my shoes?
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