Special Letter to the Detroit News

By John Cherry

Congress should extend jobless benefits

For too many Michiganians, as summer comes to an end, so will the unemployment compensation benefits that have carried them through these toughest of hard times. The 15.2 percent of our citizens who are unemployed can expect to take a terrible economic hit as a result.

On July 27, 2,522 individuals in our state could no longer count on unemployment benefits to provide for themselves and their families. That number will grow to 18,629 citizens by the end of August, and reach 21,955 by Nov. 30.

The statistics tell the tale, but the unemployed in Michigan are not statistics. They are real people struggling to provide for their families, struggling to meet the everyday challenge of putting food on the table. Today, Main Street Michigan needs immediate help and has every right to expect government to come through. It is essential that government do so -- every bit as important as aiding the banking and insurance industries after the credit freeze last fall.

With resources ever more limited by falling revenue, the state of Michigan is working to provide assistance to unemployed families. What is needed, however, is federal action. Legislation has already been introduced in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate to provide an additional unemployment insurance extension to people in states with high unemployment. When Congress returns from its August recess, extending unemployment insurance ought to be at the top of its agenda.