By now California’s unemployment woes have been written about again and again . Like so many other economic problems in the country, this one isn’t getting any better:
California’s jobless rate now stands at more than 6 percent after April: and some reports claim that it takes the average unemployed American approximately four months to find work, and often much longer.
And common sense relief from the federal government is nearly impossible with an administration that refuses to acknowledge the plight of working class America, and encourages others to do the same:
People need help and they need Capitol Hill to respond, but instead of some relief, an extension of unemployment benefits faces a difficult fight in the Senate and President Bush is threatening to veto.
This week, Congress will have another opportunity to rebuke these disastrous Bush administration policies.
On Thursday the Labor-Health and Human Services-Education Appropriations Subcommittee is considering a funding bill for key domestic programs and services under those federal departments.
Hopefully, the Subcommittee will approve a $781 million increase in the Employment Service — basically the people who connect those needing work with those who need work done. This is exactly the kind of stuff that’s critical in a recession.
Unsurprisingly, the Bush Administration is seeking to gut employment services. This bit of wanton stupidity is a nice bookend to the White House's unwillingness to extend unemployment benefits.
Progressive groups are also seeking an $874 million increase for Child Care and Development Block Grant, funding which the Bush administration wants to freeze for a 7th consecutive year. Of course, this will have consequences for real kids:
Years of flat funding have already resulted in 150,000 fewer children receiving assistance." At this rate, it is projected that 300,000 fewer children will receive child care assistance by 2010. The harsh reality is that parents "may have been forced to go into debt; return to welfare; choose lower-quality, less stable child care; or face untenable choices in their household budgets."
Finally the Subcommittee will hopefully approve a $350 million allocation for emergency preparedness in the event of a pandemic flu outbreak. If there’s anything we know about a potential pandemic flu outbreak it’s that we are not adequately prepared for it. As DemforCT has warned us at dKos.
Numerous groups are mobilizing supporters to encourage the Labor-Health and Human Services-Education Subcommittee to support the $781 million increase to the Employment Service, the $874 million increase in Child Care Development Block Grants, and the $350 million allocation for emergency preparedness.
AFSCME is collecting signatures for a petition in support of a $781 million increase to Employment Services, an $874 million increase in Child Care Development Block Grants, and a $350 million allocation for emergency preparedness.
Sign it. The country's in recession and the federal government needs to get the safety net unfurled before we all go splat.