On the recordNovember 16, 2011
As families gather this next week for Thanksgiving, some 6 million Americans will be left wondering whether they will be able to secure a job before their Federal unemployment coverage expires. They are people like Jesse, a retired Navy veteran in San Antonio who has applied for over 300 jobs unsuccessfully. Sadly, some Republicans continue to blame the unemployment problem on the unemployed, even though there are about four people for every job opening in America today. Too many remain jobless, not for lack of wanting to work, but for a lack of work. Let's continue to encourage more job creation. But for those who lack a job, we also must preserve the lifeline of extended unemployment benefits. It's only the turkey that ought to be carved at Thanksgiving, not the unemployed's ability to share in the bounty of America. ____________________
