Another Chapter in the Class War

When the goal of neoliberals in both political parties is the destruction of living standards of American people to the level of people in China or Bangladesh (ignoring the fact it is far cheaper to live in those countries), massive unemployment and desperation are part of a deliberate strategy to reach that goal:

In February, the Obama administration forged a bipartisan compromise with the Republicans in Congress that temporarily extended benefits, but guaranteed that states would cut people off throughout the year. (See, “Obama, Democrats hail deal to slash unemployment benefits”)

The duration of unemployment benefits available varies from state to state and according to the official unemployment rate in each state. The standard duration of unemployment benefits is 26 weeks (though some states have moved to reduce this). There are several tiers of emergency and extended benefits on top of this, up to the 99 weeks.

To qualify for this last tier of extended benefits, states must have an official unemployment rate that is at least 10 percent higher than in one of the past three years. Thus, not only must the jobs crisis be severe, it must be getting worse according to the official calculations of unemployment.
California’s unemployment rate, for example, is 10.9 percent, but this is not 10 percent higher than in the past three years. In some parts of the state, unemployment is much more severe, but this has no impact on eligibility for extended benefits.

Neolibs refuse to read their history. Revolutions occur when people believe they have nothing left to lose.