Families must come first
By By Rep. Ronald Grantland, Guest Columnist
Alabama hit another dubious milestone this month when the state unemployment went above 11 percent for the first time since 1984. There is no doubt that the recession that began in 2007 has hit Alabama hard and has done more damage to the job market than any downturn in a generation.
What has the governor done in light of the rise of joblessness? He rejected more than $100 million in additional unemployment benefits offered by Washington. These funds would have increased unemployment checks for workers with children that lost a job through no fault of their own. It would have extended benefits for those who haven’t been able to find work after months of trying. It would have also included some workers that lost jobs that were just under 40 hours a week.
Alabama unemployment benefits are some of the lowest in the nation, offering less than $300 a week. It’s hard to believe that anyone would think that parents want to accept low benefits rather than going to work for decent pay.
The folks that dislike unemployment insurance are the same people that don’t like Social Security, or any other effort that helps regular folks. They have a fundamental belief that government should not do anything at all. The fact is that without Social Security more than half of all Alabama seniors, people who have worked hard all their lives and played by the rules, would be living in poverty right now. Moreover, Social Security benefits contribute to the economy of our state.
Unemployment does the same. It is not charity. It is a way for families to get by during a tough time, like right now. Moreover, it is very much a pro-business measure, something the governor and those advising him seem ignorant of. Economists say unemployment is the best stimulus because it puts money in the hands of families suffering a job loss and they spend it immediately. It keeps people in their homes. It keeps those jobless families as an active part of the local economy.
It also is the right thing to do.
Due to the administration’s inaction, it is very possible that job losses will continue in a vital area: education. The governor has said publicly that there is no budget crisis in education-something that was astounding to anyone who was paying attention to how the recession has decimated school funding.
Alabama will spend $1.5 billion less on schools this year than we did just two years ago. There have been back-to-back years of proration. There is also a looming $500 million hole in the budget for next year. All these things could cause the layoffs of thousands of teachers and education support workers in the coming months.
In an ironic twist, the governor built his entire education budget and his claim that there is no crisis on the hope that a second jobs stimulus bill passes the Congress in the next few weeks. Such a bill would bring $345 million in emergency education funds. However, chances are dim that this new stimulus will pass.
The governor begs for unapproved federal stimulus money for state budgets while he rejects $100 million already approved for the unemployed.
Some elected officials, like the governor, have terms that will end soon, but that shouldn’t mean that they stop trying to find real solutions for Alabama families. There is a crisis and it must be dealt with, which the Legislature knows, and we are working on it every day of this session.
