Unemployment Benefits Leave People Out in the Cold
UPDATE 12/6: Congress will continue the unemployment benefits, so this is no longer an issue.
The Associated Press has reported that 2 million people in the United States will lose their unemployment benefits if Congress doesn't rectify the situation before they leave for the holidays. Weather-wise, this is a terrible time of year for this to be happening, because if people lose their houses, they could be literally be "out in the cold."
The A.P. says that analysts have estimated 1 million more jobs could be lost if Congress doesn't act. One economist was quoted as saying "Look for homelessness to rise and food lines to get longer as we approach Christmas if the situation can't be resolved."
Winter has arrived with a vengeance in the Northwest, and this economic news is going to be bad for the population in the East, because, as we pointed out in a recent weather story the East isn't getting a break on the weather in December.
The next month is going to feature brutal cold, which will make heating bills spike, and snowstorms which may keep people from work, or cause additional money problems with traffic accidents. By January, it may be "warmer than normal" but it will still be plenty cold as an increasing number of people are pushed out of their houses by foreclosure. It will add insult to injury.
PHOTO CAPTION: U.S. Army Spc. Ron Washington checks his watch as he stands on the Alaskan Way Viaduct after walking from his Humvee to check on the gridlock on the highway Monday, Nov. 22, 2010, in Seattle. Drivers were stuck for hours throughout the Puget Sound region, as Washington state was hit by its first significant snowfall of the season, with several inches on the ground in Spokane and just enough snow in the Puget Sound area to make traffic a mess. More snow was forecast along with extreme cold in parts of Eastern Washington — down to 19 below zero overnight in some spots near Spokane, with winds of up to 25 mph driving the wind chill even lower. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
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