Stimulus must hike unemployment pay
The more I read about the stimulus bill, the more I am concerned about its lack of focus on things that will quickly increase consumer spending and/or provide immediate help to folks who really need it.
I am a legal aid lawyer who advises about 1,000 low-income clients per year and, in the past year or so, I've seen a huge increase in the number of hardworking folks who are falling from the middle class into poverty.
In the most extreme cases, people who had six figure incomes are facing the prospect of moving to homeless shelters. And contrary to what some may suggest, this tragedy is almost always the result of an uncontrollable event such as losing a good job or a serious illness.
Based on my experience, I believe middle-class and low-income folks who have lost their jobs are the best bet for pumping money directly into the economy.
Generous unemployment benefits would serve this purpose and also would help the foreclosure crisis by keeping more folks in their homes.
Now is not the time for pet projects or knee-jerk adherence to political ideologies (left or right). Now is the time for politicians of all stripes to put this nonsense aside and focus like a laser beam on solutions, such as generous unemployment benefits, that have the sole purpose of preserving the American dream for more of our families.
Greg Brownfield
Bartlett