As reported by Lesley Stedman Weidenbener, so far, the Republicans seem to have the better of the debate on how to fix the depleted unemployment insurance fund. The Democrats have simply declared that there should be no benefit cuts for the unemployed.
Meanwhile, the Republicans have called for restructuring of the system that requires increased premiums to be paid by employers, a front-loaded benefit system that pays more during the first four weeks of unemployment with decreased payments thereafter, and changes in eligibility rules that make certain construction and manufacturing jobs ineligible during planned lay offs.
I’m probably tainted by my collections practice, however. I’ve seen a number of people who are simply using unemployment as a bridge for an unexpected development. But there are others who seem to be constantly in-and-out of work and on unemployment with a frequency that can’t be chalked up to bad luck. The Republican plan seems geared toward helping the former while discouraging the latter. Whether it does so equitably or effectively, I can’t say. But their efforts at least sound more reasonable than the Democrats simple declaration that the benefit side of the equation is inviolable.
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