Unemployment claims: I filed mine. Have you?
Filed under: Budgets, Career, Recession
Only 631,000 Americans filed first-time unemployment claims last week. I say "only" because that's fewer than the 645,000 who filed claims the week before.
I should know: I'm one of them.
I filled out an application today through Florida's Agency for Workforce Innovation website. It asked me for some pretty basic information -- SSN, driver's license, how much I made last year, what happened to my job -- and, at the end, said I qualified. Count me as one of the 6.27 million U.S. residents on unemployment.
I took a voluntary buyout from my newspaper job, leaving last week after five years covering hurricanes, crime, food and whatever else came my way. Rules vary from state to state, but in most cases, people qualify for unemployment if they are fired, take a buyout or even just quit.
You have to be actively looking for a job in order to file a claim and collect unemployment insurance, which is typically about half your previous week's pay. So while I string together a few freelance assignments (thanks, WalletPop!) and look for a full-time gig, I figure being on unemployment can only help.
At least I know I'm not alone. Unemployment rates in 109 U.S. cities are 10% or higher, up from just 14 cities that reported that level last year. (El Centro, Calif., earns the dubious distinction of having the highest unemployment rate in the country at 25.1%.)
But, like I said, fewer people filed for unemployment this week than last week, so that's gotta be a good thing.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-30-2009 @ 7:53PM
mainah said...
Five months later I ask..
"How can one pull off the biggest scam in U.S. history, get a six figure income. corporate jet, golf vacation in Tahiti with all amenities and yet still get a stimulas package"?
The extra $25.00 stimulas dollars I get every week along with my unemployment check does not pay for gas, groceries or any of my credit cards, elec or oil bill or the monthly morgage payment nor does it pay for my baseball hat, Levi Jeans and sneakers. It will not pay to get new tires for my car or get it's oil changed and the repair shop demands $100.00 hour cash only no credit. My barber see's me every 6 weeks rather than 4 weeks.
Well thats me I wonder what the wife has to say...?
Copyrighted Material < Hey! Still some Mainah Humor left in Me.
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5-30-2009 @ 3:06AM
RocksFall said...
Evan Benn,
Yes, I see, your figures on unemployment in 109 cities surely do point up the mismanagement and bad intent of the so-called stimulus bill that contained next to no stimulus - - $25.00 a week in Feb. that vanishes June 30? $13.00 a week for those still employed? And, wait until at least May for your $250.00? How do those pittances stimulate much of anything at the time of needs? Well, they don't. And we are supposed to believe that these guys really will lead us out of the recession? We are supposed to believe that these guys will manage the banking system and our medical health care better than the results of their bumbling already shows us? The Congressional Budget Office warned them correctly that this bill wouldn't work, but the Obama-Pelosi-Reid axis did it anyway. Look at where the REAL money goes. And get ready for the hyper-inflation, wage depression and services depletiions due to millions of illegal aliens, triple national debt, and huge interest rates (adding to the income tax increases and the cap-and-trade taxes disguised in our light bills) that are going to ramp up and further cripple the economy this year and for the rest of our lives. Truly, America's chickens are coming home to roost. And they roost above us all, and we all get to let them s--t upon us below.
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5-06-2009 @ 11:03PM
Charlotte said...
Please, Please, Please.....
Taxation without representation is supposed to be tyranny....right???
We are still giving the real crooks and theives our money. I have the solution...Give the damn money back to the tax paying citizens of our country...and make it to the tune of at lease a million a piece. This is just a small amount of the trillions that we have thrown away, (Literally), through all of these wonderful government programs that have helped keep a hell of a lot of people on welfare...whom we know are damned well able to work. Here is the answer...Take away all of the government give away programs...give each Two Million dollars and all of of are on our own.
If we blow it away...too bad....but we
at least had a chance to give this country a real jump start and the good people who work, save and invest will survive...the rest of us will have to live like our ancestors did, (Before all these wefare and give away programs made quite a few polititions, lawyers, drug companies
etc. etc. VERY RICH.....
I am 65 years old...worked for forty seven of them, and am now back to work again......WE NEED TO GIVE A HUGE BAILOUT PACKAGE BACK TO THE PEOPLE OF OUR COUNTRY...OR AS I WOULD SAY...IF NOT....ALL OF US JUST STAY HOME FROM WORK FOR A WEEK, AND THEN SEE WHAT THE HELL THE COUNTRY WILL RUN ON.
I MAY BE OLD...AND I'VE LIVED THROUGH A LOT, BUT, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE COMMON SENSE IN OUR GOVERNMENT IS NOT COMMON ANY MORE.
LOVE AND KISSES
GRANDMA LARSON
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