Tag: Benefits

  Allow me to repeat this headline: 236,000 Americans will lose unemployment benefits this week.  Nearly half of them will be Californians.

 According to CBS, the benefits will be cut due to terms of a benefit extension agreement in Congress. It stated benefits would be cut off if unemployment rates fell below certain thresholds.

  According to CNN Money, starting later this year the maximum number of weeks the jobless can collect unemployment benefits will be reduced to as little as 40 weeks in states with jobless rates below 6 percent and to as many as 73 weeks where unemployment tops 9 percent.

Healthy Economies are based on Minimizing Costs, while Maximizing the Social Benefits.   Or at least they should be.

Yet our Corporate-driven Economic system, far too often focuses on Discounting the Costs, while Maximizing their Profits.   Profits for the enlightened owners, NOT for Society at large. Both the long-term and local Costs, generally get swept under the rug, in such a competitive landscape.

And that is a recipe for long-term Planetary Disaster.

Every economic transaction is some sort of trade-off between Cost vs Benefits.   Problems arise however, when most of those Costs (to the Planet and to Society) remain Hidden, just below the surface — completely “External” to any quick-hit P&L calculations and Statements.

The accurate Pricing of such “External” factors — both short-term and long-term — is KEY to whether or not, WE leave the world a better place than we found it.

“Externalities” have a way of creeping up on you, and “extracting payment”, sometimes when you least expect it.  

Today the Obama administration will attempt to make amends to the GLBT community by granting Federal Benefits to the partners of Federal Employees who are involved in same sex relationships. This, as far as it goes, is a good thing. The problem is it is a case of too little, too late. The mounting fervor in the GLBT community over what is, rightly, perceived as a lack of priority on this communities issues has been a bit of a wake up call for the Obama Administration. The problem is they are just rolling over and hitting the snooze button, instead of waking up.

“Originally posted at Squarestate.net”