Down And Out In Carolina

Unemployed in the Tarheel State after Sunday?  Good luck getting any unemployment benefits at all:  Gov. Pat McCrory and the GOP have all but destroyed jobless benefits for 170,000 North Carolinians with the state's draconian unemployment law taking effect July 1.

A new law taking effect in North Carolina over the weekend will cut unemployment benefits for new claims and disqualify the state from receiving federal funds for the long-term jobless.

According the The Associated Press, lawmakers passed the bill in February to accelerate the repayment of $2.5 billion federal debt by cutting jobless benefits and increasing taxes on businesses. Because the bill cuts benefits to those who are newly unemployed, the state also disqualified itself from receiving federally funded Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC).

The U.S. Labor Department has estimated that about 170,000 out-of-work North Carolinians stand to lose $700 million in EUC payments.

Under the law passed by North Carolina Republicans, qualifying for state benefits will become more difficult and the payments will be cut from a maximum weekly benefit of $535 to $350. The benefit period will be shortened from six months to no more than five months, and in some cases only three months.

Hope you don't lose your job in NC where you were making more than $350 a week.  You know, more than $8.75 an hour.   Because that's all you're getting from Pat McCrory.  And because those cuts bring the state's maximum benefit down to below the poverty line, the federal government won't kick in a dime.

After all, if you really needed more than $8.75 an hour, you'd go get a job, you scumbag.  And I'm sure the money companies are saving on unemployment insurance will be used to create new jobs for the unemployed instead of being pocketed as profits.  Surely.

Right?

Enjoy your austerity regime, North Carolina.  You voted for it.  Now you're getting it.