Recession ended in June 2009, economic panel says

[D_Harvey Schmeckel]

So, the Democrats are white, fluffy angels being abused by the Reps? You make me laugh. You've obviously bought into the load of crap that we either blame the 'left or the right' for whatever bad and spooky has happened.

Wait a minute here. Democrats DO NOT equal "the left" and in fact, via Gibbs and Rahm, the Democratic Party spokesmen have been insulting progressives quite deliberately and emphatically of late. I absolutely blame "the right" which includes all Republicans and enough Democrats to undermine any progressive measures-- like a stimulus big enough to do the job-- that people need.

Guess what? They're both on the same team! Politics are much more complicated than a football game. It's not just team A and team B... both teams are always winning - at OUR expense.[/QUOTE]

If you think the obvious failures of the Obama administration are due to "the left", think again. They're due to a craven "centrism" in which Republicans are honored fellow legislators while progressives are despised "whiners."

 

[maxcok]

A good number of my friends collect unemployment so they feel no need to go look for jobs. Why get a minimum wage job when you can get the same (if not a little more) by sitting on your ass doing nothing?

I'm guessing your friends didn't have very well-paying jobs before getting laid off, don't have children, or aren't trying to keep their house out of foreclosure. Regardless, they wouldn't receive as much as they made in their previous job; typically it works out to just over half at most, up to a maximum ceiling. They wouldn't receive anything at all without a conventional work history. Unemployment benefits vary by state, but the average is $293 per week. Someone laid off from a minimum wage job wouldn't get anything close to that.

There are always some slackers like your friends who scrape by living off the system, but it's like talking about "Welfare Queens" - they're the exception, not the rule. It shouldn't be used to discredit the entire program - a program which right now is keeping millions of people off the street, helping them hold onto their homes, keeping families together, and lessening the strain on other social services that are already stretched to the breaking point. Not to mention that money gets pumped right back into the economy to support businesses and the jobs of working people, thereby preventing more unemployment.