Alert your unemployed friends

Shame on our dear President for tying the unemployment extensions, the middle class tax cuts and R&D tax credits, to a shameful, budget-busting bonanza for the wealthy and the super-rich, and to a back-door attack on Social Security. But it's done - thank you Jim McGovern for leading our Massachusetts delegation and a majority of the Democrats in the House in challenging it.

This article doesn't mention the reauthorization of the unemployment extensions, retroactive to Nov. 30, a life and death issue for tens of thousands in our state.

Already an estimated 1.1 million people have had their unemployment benefits cut off, including maybe 30,000 here, and have been facing a bleak or desperate Christmas. If recent history is any indication, some of them will not have heard about this reauthorization, some may not believe it is retroactive (these reauthorizations haven't always been), and some won't know to go into the "One Stop" and re-apply for their next extension.

Some may be stopped by shame from even telling their friends and family that that they are now destitute, and some may have already started to give up and have stopped paying attention.

If you know anyone who is collecting unemployment, whether or not they have said anything to you about extensions or cutoffs, you might want to pass this information along to them.