Thought experiment for Gene Barr, president of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, who, according to the article “Is extra $300 in federal unemployment assistance stopping people from applying for jobs?” thinks we should take “that extra $300 (per week of unemployment benefit) and offer it to jobless workers as a one-time bonus for returning to work”: How well would you fare, working 40 hours per week and making $7.25 per hour? Could you support your family and current lifestyle — and save for things like your retirement or your kids’ higher education — on a gross income of $290 per week, minus income tax? I think not.
Enough is as good as a feast, Mr. Barr. Pennsylvania citizens who, unlike you, haven’t had the good fortune of higher education, are no less deserving of an honest and more comfortable living than you are. Show some compassion.
Susan Wilson
Greensburg