Just prior to Veterans Day, Congress appeared to actually find the will to act responsibly and with bipartisan support overwhelmingly passed a veteran's jobs bill. President Obama applied his signature and the legislation is now law. While the feckless media touted this legislation as indication that both sides of the...

President Obama recently addressed the nation during a joint session of Congress and the main theme of that address was the need to create jobs, lots of jobs, millions of jobs. The Great Recession has cost US workers millions of jobs and those jobs have not come back as quickly...

Originally posted at AlterNet

Where are the jobs? That question is on the minds of millions of Americans who have lost jobs during the Great Recession. During this historically lean jobs creation period, finding a new job often requires thinking outside the box. And you can't think much...

"Hope is gone. The future is terrifying." Those were the sentiments of D.V. from Modesto, CA, concerning her and her husband's job situation. She was a Case Manager and he was a company representative; both were laid off in 2009. Since then, "My husband and I went from making $150K...

The May BLS jobs report was discouraging for millions still seeking a job in a weak jobs market. Only 54,000 jobs were created and the unemployment rate increased to 9.1%. About 125,000 jobs need to be created each month to absorb new entrants into the workforce. With that in mind,...

The latest BLS employment report showed a gain of 244,000 jobs for April, which was trumpeted by the Obama administration and the media as a continuation of a rapidly improving jobs market. While job growth is important, it's also important to realize the jobs hole that needs to...

The March Employment Report was again pumped as another victory in the war against unemployment. But for millions of long-term unemployed, it's still a brutal battle to find work. That's why it's unfortunate that most main stream media outlets and politicos seem incapable of understanding, or chose to ignore the...

Over the past couple months Americans have seen protests erupting from Egypt to Wisconsin. The protests in the Middle East/North Africa and the U.S. have few similarities; one is protesting corrupt, authoritarian and despotic governments along with high food prices and in some cases extreme unemployment, while the other is...

Back in December 2010, Alexandra had taken the initiative to organize "Letters to Bernie" where the unemployed could write Sen. Bernie Sanders and share with him their long-term unemployment struggles. A couple of weeks ago I published a story of Alexandra Jarrin, who was battling against the odds...

During December 2010, Alexandra Jarrin, an unemployed Vermonter, organized the "Letters to Bernie" campaign, where she encouraged the long-term unemployed to send their unemployment stories to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Sen. Sanders had courageously filibustered President Obama's and the Republican's tax cut compromise as well as supported the...

According to Gregg Rosen of the American 99ers Union, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) will be reintroducing The Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act next week. Part of Mr. Rosen's statement follows:

Today as promised, I have an update to provide with respect to the reintroduction of The Emergency Unemployment Compensation...

Letters from those affected by a tragedy often have more impact than simply discussing the facts and data associated with the tragedy. That's the case with the tragic consequences of long-term unemployment.

While statistics and data illustrate how long-term unemployment shatters confidence, destroys finances and disrupts family stability, those suffering...

January 7, on the House Floor, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL) asked the unemployed to send him their resumes so he could put a face on America's continuing unemployment problem.

"In order to show the huge need for jobs, I'll be collecting resumes from Americans who are...

Many 2010 year end employment stories focused on job creation and how jobless claims are less now than at the end of 2009. In reality, job creation is still meager considering we are supposedly rapidly recovering from the Great Recession. But without seeing the real jobs picture, it's impossible for...

In replying to ABC's Jake Tapper's question about 99ers and what can be done to help the millions of long-term unemployed, Presidential Press Secretary Robert Gibbs offered a baffling, disjointed, mishmash answer chock full of clichés and lacking any substance. Gibbs-speak, shall we say? First let's look at the unedited...

While Congress spent the lame duck session passing tax breaks for the wealthy, DADT, START, and 9/11 responder assistance, it did not address one of the more tragic consequences of this jobless, slow-motion recovery, the growing population of 99ers -- those who have exhausted all available unemployment benefits, in some...

The latest legislative effort to move forward 99er unemployment legislation, H.R. 6556, appears to be at a crossroads, but more realistically -- a dead end. On background, a congressional staffer indicated that Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) were hoping that their bill would be taken out...

This is a follow-up to the 99ers send their appeals for help to Sen. Sanders in "Letters to Bernie"

Alexandra Jarrin, a 99er from Vermont started a letter writing campaign aimed at helping the growing population of 99ers -- those that have exhausted their maximum available unemployment benefits....

TO ALL UNEMPLOYED AMERICANS AND THEIR FRIENDS.

As many of you might know we are at and have been at a crisis point with the unemployment extensions. Yet again Congress and now the President is talking about extending benefits to everyone but the people who have been hardest hit, the...

"How does someone explain to their child that they can have a place to live and maybe stay warm in the winter, but in order to do that they won't have any food to eat? Or they can eat, but may not have a secure place to live? Just try...