Pete Stark: “Last year unemployment insurance kept over 3 million people, including 1 million kids, out of poverty. These benefits…”

“Last year unemployment insurance kept over 3 million people, including 1 million kids, out of poverty. These benefits are due to expire, and without an extension, more than 300,000 Californians will lose this lifeline. Extending unemployment insurance is the smart thing to do. It creates jobs. People spend their benefits, they buy gasoline, groceries, put people to work in the communities, send their kids to school. People scraping by on unemployment aren't looking for a handout. These are people who have been working for a long time. They are employable. There just aren't jobs, and they're out there looking to find one. We should help them. They're not looking for a handout, they're looking for a hand up. Are we going to tell them we had money for wars and bank bailouts, tax cuts for millionaires, and not for workers? I don't think so. A constituent frustrated at the gridlock in Congress wrote, ``America, wake up before it's too late. Our political system doesn't work.'' Let's all work together and prove this constituent of mine wrong. ____________________”