RUSH: Carol in Milford, Delaware. Great to have you on the EIB Network. Hi.
CALLER: How you doing, Rush?
RUSH: Good. Thank you.
CALLER: I wanted to see where you stand on this unemployment extension. I have worked since I was 14 years old, I’m 42, and I recently became unemployed in July of this year, and I’m a worker. I have been out looking for jobs everywhere, and I cannot find anything. Apparently, my unemployment ends at the end of this month, and if the extension does not go through, I don’t know what —
RUSH: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. When did you lose your job?
CALLER: In July, July 1st of this year.
RUSH: You’re in Delaware.
CALLER: Well, they told me that there’s been people on unemployment since 2008 —
RUSH: Well, there have been because —
CALLER: — and it’s not gonna be me.
RUSH: It’s 99 weeks that you are eligible now for unemployment compensation.
CALLER: Well, that’s what I thought, but they’re telling me that, you know, there’s not gonna be any extensions, you know, unless Congress pushes it through.
RUSH: No, no, that’s just for the people — you’ve only been on this six months. Your unemployment’s —
CALLER: Right.
RUSH: — nowhere near expiring. That extension is not relative to you. That’s people coming up on their 99 weeks.
CALLER: Well, that’s what I thought. I don’t understand — that doesn’t make any sense.
RUSH: I don’t, either. There’s no way you should be getting cut off. I mean even if there’s been some change in the 99, and I don’t think there has, you still are easily qualified for a full year. You’re running out —
CALLER: Really?
RUSH: — after 26 weeks. I mean states get 26 weeks. The Feds pick that up. The rest is federal. You’ve gotta find a way to go register for the federal side of this, that’s still out there, still eligible for you.
CALLER: Okay. I don’t understand why they’re telling me that it ends —
RUSH: Because you’re probably talking to people at the state.
CALLER: Okay. Okay, so if I do apply for the extension I should be able to get it extended to 99 weeks or —
RUSH: Now, don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t know how you do this.
CALLER: Okay. Well, I don’t, either. I’ve never been in a situation like this before, I can’t believe that I’m in a situation like this, and —
RUSH: Well, I understand, but like I said, I don’t know how this works, but somebody’s telling you that you’re gonna be cut off?
CALLER: Yes. That it’s gonna end at the end of this month.
RUSH: Well, that means what they or the state —
CALLER: The state.
RUSH: But the rest should be picked up automatically.
CALLER: It shouldn’t just end, basically is what you’re saying —
RUSH: Not with the regulations that are on the books, no, no.
CALLER: Okay. All right. Well, gosh, you just gave me a bit of peace. I’m gonna make a phone call and see if, you know, I don’t have to worry about it because I —
RUSH: Well, they’re telling you right. Delaware does expire. State unemployment runs out in 26 weeks.
CALLER: Okay.
RUSH: But federal unemployment, which is what they’re debating now in Congress, they’re talking about extending people that are running out after their 99 weeks. You’re nowhere near 99 weeks.
CALLER: Okay, well, I didn’t think so, but I thought, you know, I’m interested to hear about what you think about that.
RUSH: Well, no, you’re not. You really don’t want to hear.
CALLER: Well, no, I do. I’ve gotta tell you that I’ve never really been a big fan of yours, but here lately I am being converted. I appreciate your views and —
RUSH: Well, here’s what it’s come to in America. Here’s what it’s come to. People like you, real people are calling me, Rush Limbaugh — the real Rush Limbaugh — to see if I will agree that you need more unemployment benefits. This is Obamaville. What you really want to know is is how I feel about what you’re going to do. It’s almost like you want my stamp of approval that you’re gonna go out and get more unemployment benefits.
CALLER: No, I don’t want that. I want your honest opinion. I’m right on the fence. I don’t.
RUSH: Okay.
CALLER: I’ve never been one to take anything from — I’ve never needed anything like this before.
RUSH: Right.
CALLER: I’ve worked my butt off, and this is all new to me.
RUSH: Yeah. I know.
CALLER: I understand how people can get into a rut, you know, I have worked so hard to find a job.
RUSH: Let me tell you something. Carol, hang on. I can’t answer you here in five seconds. So hang on through the break and we will continue this.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: And welcome back to Obamaville. I’m the mayor, Rush Limbaugh. We are at 800-282-2882. And we go back now to Carol in Milford, Delaware. Carol, I did some research for you —
CALLER: Okay.
RUSH: — during the break. Before I answer your question, I just want to give you a little peace of mind here.
CALLER: Okay.
RUSH: This is from the state of Delaware’s website. Do you have a computer, by the way?
CALLER: Yes, sir.
RUSH: Okay, well, the website’s too long to spell out, but there’s a website that’s gonna explain to you what to do here. The Delaware website, the maximum number of weeks of unemployment insurance benefits that will be available will be decreased by six weeks from 99 to 93 weeks. So in Delaware right now you should be eligible for 93 weeks, not 26.
CALLER: Wow.
RUSH: Now, there’s a state of Delaware Department of Labor website. The root website, if you just go to Delawareworks.com.
CALLER: Okay.
RUSH: Delawareworks.com, and from there navigate — the rest of this website, if you’re not writing it down, it’s too much —
CALLER: Yeah. I gotcha.
RUSH: The Delawareworks.com, go there, and all of this should be explained to you.
CALLER: Okay. I wanted to tell you, Rush, that I don’t know where your view is on this yet, but I don’t feel comfortable being on unemployment because I don’t want to be… I don’t know how to explain it.
RUSH: Well, here’s the theory. For a certain number of the weeks that you receive benefits, theoretically, that is money you’ve earned, you just haven’t seen it.
CALLER: That’s right.
RUSH: Right?
CALLER: Okay. Yeah.
RUSH: But, after a certain number of weeks go by, then it isn’t your money anymore, it’s all of your neighbors and everybody else’s.
CALLER: Yeah.
RUSH: Now, there will be, because this is an election year, there’s going to be an extension of unemployment benefits at the federal level. They will not turn that down, there will be an extension. Every piece of legislation currently pending that has to do with budgetary matters has an extension in it. The argument that they’re having is how to pretend that they’re paying for it. But there will be —
CALLER: Right, I understand.
RUSH: — an extension. Now, here’s the vicious cycle. At that point — I don’t know when it is — but at that point in the weekly unemployment cycle where you are no longer receiving back what’s been deducted when you were working, the employer is paying it, which it takes away from the employer’s ability to hire anybody new when he has to keep deducting —
CALLER: Paying.
RUSH: — for people who are on unemployment. And I’ll tell you this. This is human nature, it’s undeniable, it’s been studied. The longer anybody is on unemployment, the less inclined they are —
CALLER: Yeah.
RUSH: — it is not a full-blown lifestyle, but you can get by on it as an individual. You can’t do a family of four on it, but —
CALLER: With a family you can’t. That’s why I was —
RUSH: But it helps. It’s a tremendous disincentive to work, and then it’s a vicious cycle, ’cause the longer you’re not working, the less qualified you’re becoming, less talent you’re using, the less experience you’re accruing, the less you’re going to have to offer somebody when do go try to find a job. It’s a vicious, vicious cycle.
CALLER: Yeah.
RUSH: And human nature being what it is, there are people in this country who have decided to stay on unemployment as long as they can because it’s so much, in some people’s cases it’s $500 a week.
CALLER: I thought the max was like $300 a week.
RUSH: Depends on where you live and it depends on how much you earned.
CALLER: Oh.
RUSH: It depends on the state.
CALLER: Okay.
RUSH: Some places it could be 500 bucks a week and —
CALLER: Wow.
RUSH: — there are some people who go only part-time work so they can still get partial unemployment.
CALLER: Yeah.
RUSH: It’s just human nature, Carol, when you pay people not to work there are a certain percentage of them that are gonna take the deal.
CALLER: Wow. Oh, man. I guess there’s a lot of people out there like that. I definitely will not be one of them.
RUSH: Well, I hope not. I hope you don’t lose your incentive to find a job.
CALLER: I will not. You know, I’ve worked since I was 14. My parents instilled in me to work, not to sit, and this has just been devastating. You know, I’ve got a family, I’ve got a mortgage, I’ve got a car —
RUSH: Yeah. I hear all that. I’ve been out of work seven times in my life, fired seven times, so I know. I only went on unemployment once. The whole time I was trying to find a job as quick as I could. Back then — this was the seventies — it was a stigma. It was a real stigma. I didn’t want to be on unemployment. I didn’t want anybody to know. There was a stigma to that kind of thing. You had to go to the office, you had to document you were looking for work, you had to prove it. I mean it was not just send in a form or go on the net and say, “Okay, a week’s gone by, send me my check.” You had to go in the office, you had to talk to people, you had to go on job interviews, you had to prove that you had done this. It was a far different thing. This would have been 1975 or 76. I forget which. I know it was in Kansas City.
Look, Carol, all I’m gonna tell you is I hope that you do not lose your incentive and your desire for work. I hope you realize there’s something better for you out there and you keep trying to find it. And I thank you so much for the call.
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