Regarding extending Unemployment Benefits, more time for long-term unemployed finding jobs isn't the source of the problem, it's the hiring managers thinking of a stigma to long term Unemployed.

I think there's a misconception regarding individuals who have been unemployed since 2008 or early '09 that by just extending UI you'll be providing the individuals with a means to get a new job.

Working in the staffing industry, I see every day the ugly truth of a common misguided idea of people who are long term unemployed shouldn't be given a chance at a new job. Every day, I see candidates that may be in a niche market type of job, exactly in line with an open job from a large corporation, however the person has been unemployed since 2008 and are looked over ONLY for that reason. These people drop their salaries to extremely low figures and still have very low chances of getting a chance at the same type of job as they had before.

The hard truth is that extending unemployment, while it will keep the families afloat, will not change the real problem, which is the companies who carry that frame of mind towards unemployed.

I had heard a few months back about a bill that would credit employers to possibly hire those long term unemployed with a tax break. I haven't heard anything else since then about it, though I feel it's a step in the right direction.