Quote:
Originally Posted by test54
Well I would be surprised if that is what she meant. Anyways Pres. can only do so much good or bad, the rest is up to the people....
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That is exactly what I meant I could not edit my post after i re read what i put.
The Georgia Department of Labor announced positive and negative news in its latest unemployment report.
More than 66,000 first-time claims for unemployment insurance were filed in September, a 17.6 percent increase from last year but a decrease of more than 3,250 from August.
However, the average length of time jobless Georgia workers drew benefits increased to 14 weeks in September from 11.8 weeks a year ago.
The statewide number of jobless workers receiving benefits rose nearly 60 percent in the last year, to nearly
140,000 last month from just over
88,000 a year ago.
Locally, 2,340 workers made initial claims for benefits in September, 643 more than a year ago for a nearly
38 percent increase. Athens reported the most dramatic year-over-year shift, with a
75.4 percent increase in initial claims to over 1,200 in September.
xxx8220;While the pace of new layoffs continued to moderate in September, the average length of time that jobless Georgians are receiving unemployment insurance benefits is now longer than itxxx8217;s been since March 1976,xxx8221; said State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond.
xxx8220;This is a strong reminder that we must increase our efforts to help unemployed Georgians find new jobs or careers. I believe that federal, state, and local governments must invest greater public sector resources in order to stimulate job creation by small businesses.xxx8221;
From the Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009 online edition of The Augusta Chronicle
ATLANTA, Ga. -- Car dealers are asking -- where's the cash?
Countless dealers have not received any cash, yet, from the government's Cash for Clunkers program.
On Wednesday, the feds promised the checks will be in the mail, soon.
But many dealers are ready to quit the program.
"We haven't gotten a dime back, yet," said a dealer headquartered in Cobb County, Steve Rayman.
Rayman owns or co-owns thirteen dealerships.
He has taken, in trade, 260 clunkers, so far.
He's happy for the business, thrilled he's sold 260 new cars.
But the federal government is supposed to be paying Rayman up to $4,500 in cash for each of the clunkers. And isn't paying him.
"Right now, we're somewhere around a million, a little over a million dollars" out-of-pocket for participating in the Cash for Clunkers program, Rayman said.
Rayman serves with the Metro Atlanta Automobile Dealers Association, and said he gets calls every day from dealers who have extended themselves financially to participate in the program.
"And I've never talked to a dealer that's been paid a dime."
Rayman doesn't know what options he has.
"I can't, in my right mind, think we're going to call these people [who traded in their clunkers] to have them bring back their [new] cars."
It's the same problem at other dealerships across the country.
So far, 435,102 vehicles have been traded in since the program began July 27. Those transactions will account for $1.81 Billion of the $3 Billion that Congress allocated for the program. At the pace at which people continue to trade-in even more clunkers, the program is on track to run out of money by early September.
The government owes dealers tens of millions of dollars, at least, of the $1.8 Billion. No one seems to know how much.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Wednesday that the government is tripling the number of claims processors, to speed payments to dealers.
"They're going to get their money," LaHood said, "we have the money. Congress provided the money. They're going to get their money."
Steve Rayman said -- Show him the money, because right now he's having to use his own cash to make payroll.
"We've got to pay the bank off within three days if we sell a new car to pay it off... I've had to put cash in the stores, so help me I did it today, 'cause we're not going to miss a payroll for our people."
Not that he's complaining; he's just getting impatient.
"We're doing more business than we've done in such a long time, but it's not going to work if we don't get paid," Rayman said. "This weekend's going to be a weekend where I'm going to make that business decision if we're going to go forward" and continue taking clunkers, "because, you know, I can't be an open pit for all these stores."
Complicating the program and causing even more delays, according to LaHood -- dealers failing to fill out paperwork correctly or not providing proof the trade-in qualified as a "clunker."
Rayman said he's had to hire people, full-time, at each of his dealerships to do nothing but handle the Cash for Clunkers paperwork, and they've been working late into each night "like they're cramming for a final exam," making sure the dealerships have satisfied the requirements for reimbursement.
"We did everything exactly like the program [requires]," Rayman said, "to, hopefully, get paid. And they find loopholes over loopholes" and reject many claims pending further review.
The Georgia Automobile Dealers Association does not keep track of how much money the government owes the 580 member dealers, statewide. The association's president, William Morie, told 11Alive News many dealers will decide in a few days whether they can afford to continue with the program since, in his words, "the dealers have been left holding the bag."
Charles Cyrill of the National Automobile Dealers Association told 11Alive News in an e-mail that the government "must prioritize prompt dealer reimbursement because the delay in dealer reimbursement is creating a financial hardship on many dealers across the country."
I could not find the news article that was in the AJC
