“It just… makes my heart hurt…”

Posted October 23rd, 2009 by Sarah Francis

“I can’t keep from crying at the thought of how I’m going to take care of my little girl, who, thank the Lord above, has no idea how bad it really is for us,”

–Rebecca, CA.

Imagine what it’d be like to get up early each morning, apply to every job opening possible, not get any responses, care for a two-year-old daughter, and know that your last unemployment check will come on the 31st of this month. Your very last check. That’s Rebecca’s story.

A vote that could happen in the U.S. Senate as soon as next week which would help Rebecca and the now 5.4 million Americans who’ve been out of a job for six months or more. Right now, a total of 1.3 million people will run out of unemployment insurance by the end of December 2009.

What’s the plan do? Under the Senate plan that is coming up for a vote, unemployed workers in every state will be able to collect 14 weeks of extended jobless benefits. The proposal also extends benefits an additional 6 weeks (to a total of 20 weeks) in states where unemployment is 8.5% or higher.

For many families, time is running out. Hopes of getting a new job are slim as an average of 6 people are competing for each job opening. All of these numbers add up to thousands of families facing cold weather without jobs or income.

When Rebecca told me her story, she ended her email with this:

“I have never cried in front of her, never shown her an upset face, while I sit here in silence worrying about all of this. Hopefully she’ll never know. There are people out there that are far worse off than I am, and I think that makes me even sadder. These people, especially single moms, who have been without benefits for months…It just…it makes my heart hurt. Not just because I’m soon to become one of them, but because they’re human, just like me.”

We can stop this–tell your Senator to support the extended unemployment insurance benefits for these families, just like Rachel’s in need!

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/t/9251/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27314

And PS– Thanks to NELP for all their great work on this issue!

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3 Comments

October 30, 2009 at 2:13 am by puma working shoes

nice tips!
thanks for sharing

[Reply]

October 29, 2009 at 1:52 pm by Judy Pinero

I understand what you are going through — I was raising two children in a bad marriage that ended leaving me with full responsibility for our children’s welfare — It was difficult to stay in school so I just worked — I remarried, and still had to work after having a child with husband #2 and now that the economy is in the pits, I’m 60 years old and still can’t see retirement in my future. I wish all young women would try to understand that the times we’re living in now demand that they be educated beyond high school. I’m working and not able to save money after trying to give my husbands “head of household” roles. I can’ stress education enough. And with the job delima now, you need to be bi-linqual, and not over qualified. I hate what’s happened to America. And quite frankly, don’t know how to encourage you. Because even though there are now more women in the work force, there are not enough jobs. I’ve been working since I was a kid, and that’s the honest to God truth.

[Reply]

October 24, 2009 at 1:12 am by DENISE

THANKS FOR GETTING THE WORD OUT! MY STORY IS A CARBON COPY OF REBECCA’S, I’VE LOST MY UNEMPLOYMENT GOING ON THREE WEEKS NOW AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I’M APPLYING FOR JOBS EVERYDAY AND NOT GETTING ANYWHERE, ITS TOUGH, BUT EVEN TOUGHER WHEN YOU HAVE A TWO YEAR OLD TO CARE FOR AS WELL. I WISH THEY WOULD FOR ONCE CONCENTRATE ON THE PEOPLE HERE AT HOME WHO ARE SUFFERING

[Reply]

“It just… makes my heart hurt…”

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