The Complicated Equation Of Extending Unemployment Benefits
Printer-friendly versionSend to friend  On Tuesday, Congress
refused to further extended long-term unemployment benefits,
keeping the cut-off at 99 weeks. That doesn't mean the fight is
over. Democrats continue to argue for more time, while
Republicans say the country can't afford it.  But underlying
that political left-right debate is a complicated question, when
should the unemployed be able to find work more easily or, more
succinctly, when does a recession become a recovery? And the
answer, as viewed through Patchwork Nation, is it depends where
you live.  There have been marginal improvements across the
board in the unemployment rate, but some communities are still
struggling, some are rebounding and some never really got hit
that hard to begin with.  In other words, the back and forth in
Congress may largely miss the point. There are some places in
America where an extension is sorely needed and others where
there might be a better argument fo