Unemployment Extension – Version 2 – Nicole Kurokawa – Townhall Conservative Columnists – Page 1

Passed last week as part of a comprehensive payroll tax cut/doc fix/general handout bill, Congress also moved to extend unemployment benefits.  That’s hardly a surprise, given the reluctance of fiscal conservatives to take any stand that could be construed as incentives to out-of-work voters.

While extending the enhanced federal unemployment program, the bill will scale back the length of time that out-of-work individuals can receive unemployment benefits, from the previously outrageous 99 weeks (that’s nearly two years, for people keeping score at home) to a slightly more modest 69 weeks (that’s still over one year and four months). In addition, two measures were added in order to require recipients to actively look for jobs (that wasn’t mandatory before?!) and enables states to drug test some applicants. After all, we don’t want to make it too easy to receive free money, do we?

This whole debate brings to mind the old adage “tax what you want less of, and subsidize what you want more of?” Based on our unemployment insurance policy, it seems as a nation, we want… more unemployed. Brilliant…

via Unemployment Extension – Version 2 – Nicole Kurokawa – Townhall Conservative Columnists – Page 1.

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