Group Pleads With Kingston to Extend Unemployment Benefits

(Savannah, GA) "We're not a bunch of lazy people out there living on the dole," says Susan Morris. 

She's one of about half a dozen people who went to Congressman Jack Kingston's office in Savannah Thursday morning to ask for Kingston's vote to extend unemployment benefits.  Kingston wasn't there so they met with a staff member.

Three of those who sat in small room have been unemployed for months.  Morris has been looking for a job on and off for two years. "It's tremendously demoralizing, it's very hard to keep up your spirits," she told Kingston's staff member.

Morris, who's in her 50's, says she had a good life and career.  Since losing her communications and marketing job, she's been living on her savings and investments.  But she says due to the financial meltdown caused by the mortgage crisis, she has very little left in investments or savings at this point.  "I can't find a job, I have sent out hundreds and hundreds of resumes," she said.

Brett Hulme, president of the Savannah Regional Central Labor Council says up to 70,000 Georgians could lose unemployment benefits if Congress will not approve an extension.  He says in most cases, the average recipient gets about $1,200 per month.  "That's not enough usually to pay everything but it does help people feed their kids and keep their lights on," he said

Jeff Eardley is an electrician but hasn't had steady work for up to two years. "I have a wife and three children now and I am trying to find some kind of job so my kids' letters to Santa Claus won't go unanswered this year," he told those in the room. 

Eardley went on to say he and his wife have lost their house and didn't have enough money to keep up repairs on their cars.  Now they've had to move in with his parents. "What I get from unemployment is small at best. I hope that Jack Kingston will consider those looking for work..who don't just represent themselves but who represent their wives and their children," he said.  "I've become a burden on my parents at my age and I'm ashamed of that."

A few in the room were near tears when Eardley finished telling his personal story. 

Kingston's representative promised she would pass on the concern of visitors.  Eardley also took exception to recent talk from politicians and others that getting unemployment benefits prompts some people not to look for a job as diligently as they might if they had no money coming in.  "To say that to someone like me and the others here is a slap in the face," he said.