If It's Thursday...

New jobless claims up, continuing claims down.

531,000 new jobless claims this week, but continuing claims down to 5.9 million. Sadly, the reason why continuing claims are down is the fact that the Senate is holding up legislation to extend jobless benefits, and 7,000 Americans a day are falling through the cracks while the Republicans in the Senate screw around, trying to determine if people haven't gotten jobs yet and still need benefits because they're stupid, if they're just terribly poor (unlike your average Senator) or because they're just lazy. They object to extending benefits to people that might end up being grateful to the government. Republicans can't have that, you see.

Meanwhile, the bickering has cost people like Crystal Jordan of Dolton, Ill., their benefits. The single mother of three ran out in late September.

She is one of the 1.3 million people set to lose their benefits before year's end if Congress doesn't act, according to the National Employment Law Project, an advocacy group. In October alone, more than 200,000 people will fall off the rolls.

Lawmakers twice lengthened the time people can receive checks to as much as 79 weeks, depending on the state.

Jordan lost her administrative support job in the spring of 2008. She had never been unemployed before and hasn't been able to find work since, despite sending out 10 resumes a day.

Jordan is also finishing her bachelor's degree in business management. She hopes that will give her the edge she needs to find a job in 2010.

The $1,000 check she received every two weeks allowed her to pay the rent and feed her family. Now, she doesn't know how she'll cover next month's bills.

"I am fearful we will all end up on the street because I can't find a job and have no income," Jordan said. "Everyone's household is extremely tight at the moment so I cannot lean on friends or family for any support."

After all, Senators are all employed and just give people jobs whenever they want. Why can't regular Americans find jobs?

It baffles them, you see. A single mother of three like Crystal Jordan might want to vote Democratic if her benefits are extended. If they're not, she might be angry enough to blame the Democrats instead.

That's how Republican math works.