Guess which state gives unemployed people the least amount of money when they lose their jobs?
That would be Mississippi, which gives a maximum amount of $210 weekly. (Most people get much less.) But that shameful amount is followed by my home state of Alabama, now giving jobless workers a maximum of $235, even if it's not their fault because the factory owner sent the plant overseas to Malaysia or China. But wait, there's HOPE! Our fine Legislature gave final approval last week to a package of three bills that raised the state's maximum weekly benefit for jobless workers to $255, starting this July. That's right, you parent of three kids: you can get up to $255 a week when the factory closes. What a relief, eh? But guess what? Heh, heh, heh. That amount of money may be considered TOO HIGH for your kids to get Medicaid health care! So whoopee! The lawmakers in their infinite wisdom have given you a raise and taken away one of your safety nets.
An Associated Press report informs us that Alabama's current maximum weekly benefit of $235 is 49th in the nation. Slightly ahead of Alabama are Arizona (John McCain's home state) at $240 and Louisiana, at $258. Does John know what it means to live on $240 a week if you have dependents? Should he maybe be questioned about this?
The increase in Alabama's maximum weekly benefits brings Alabama's unemployment compensation program in compliance with federal law. THIS MEANS THE ALABAMA LEGISLATURE HAD TO PASS THE LAW. So in case you thought our lawmakers were doing this out of some sense of fair play and enlightenment, fahgeddaboudit. They HAD TO.
Oh, and the law creates a one-week break in jobless benefits. Our neighbors, Georgia and Kentucky, do not make a wage-earner wait for a week to get the pittance.
JOBLESS MOTHER: I need a paycheck. LAWMAKER: You should have thought about that before you lost your job, Missy. JOBLESS MOTHER: They closed the factory. I didn't have a say in the matter. LAWMAKER: You should have thought about that before you went to work at that particular factory. JOBLESS MOTHER: That was 15 years ago. Who knew Vanity Fair bras and underwear would be sent to China? LAWMAKER: You should have known before you had two children, in that case. JOBLESS MOTHER: Well, if you had taught me something useful on that subject instead of ABSTINENCE ONLY, I might have been able to get a higher education and become a surgeon.
By the way, the total amount of benefits that can be paid - 26 weeks - remains the same as before. That would be okay if Alabama had a booming economy and workers could segue from one job into another with relative ease or some months of retraining. But that's not the case. An astounding number of plants have closed here and gone offshore. So an unemployed textile worker or coal refinery worker must drive from one low-paying McDonald's to the next low-paying Burger King to apply for work, all the while spending $4 per gallon. The moral of this tale: Hold on to your job at all costs if you live in Alabama.
Gita M. Smith is a journalist living in Alabama. Her blog may be seen at http://www.Myspace.com/gitahandley
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