Mr. Obama wants to blame all of that on his predecessor, and no doubt the recession that began in December 2007 reduced revenues and increased automatic spending "stabilizers" like joblessinsurance.
In fact, research shows that unemployment insurance helps keep jobless workers attached to the labor market so that they're not dropping out and giving up.
Employment, however, was less positive. (See: "Uncle Sam's Jobless Line Longer") The Labor Department said initial claims for unemployment insurance rose by 35, 000 in its latest reporting week and the number of workers remaining on jobless benefits climbed to a four-year high.