The Safety Net Will Not Catch the Poor This Time

by The Arse

Thu Dec 04, 2008 at 07:50:00 AM PST

Warning: Policy Wonkish post below.

I have been meaning to blog about this NYT article on the recession and America's safety net for quite some time:

Unemployment insurance is not as generous now. Yet the unemployment rate is at 6.5 percent and some forecasters say it could top 8 percent next year. It hit 10.8 percent in the early 1980s.

This is also the first severe economic slump since President Bill Clinton overhauled the welfare system and made it tougher to qualify for, and keep receiving, benefits. Many people who lose their jobs now and fall into poverty may not qualify for public assistance. Other programs designed in part to counter hard times — like job training and housing subsidies — have also been cut back.