John,

In 2010 I was laid off, along with 75 of my coworkers, when my company decided to close our entire division. After I lost my job, I relied on unemployment benefits.

I’m grateful I could get the financial help I needed, but the process itself was time-consuming and complicated. 

Here are just a few things I had to do every week to maintain my benefits:

• Record every job I’d applied to. If I didn’t submit enough applications, regardless of how many job openings actually existed, I could lose my benefits.

• Attend meetings and trainings with the labor department. The content of these trainings was often insulting and framed as if we were incapable of finding jobs.

• Report if I received any job offers. I was required to accept any offer of “suitable work” even if it meant lower pay or a prohibitively long commute.

And it’s not just unemployment. So many voters have shared stories about difficulties navigating the bureaucracy of programs like SNAP, Temporary Family Assistance, and Disability Insurance.

Unnecessary complexity deters people from applying to programs they’re eligible for.

We need to build a social safety net that’s truly universal.

When we means test social programs, wealthier and more powerful people believe they are paying for something they’ll never get. And it leads them to pressure legislators to cut government spending for these critical benefits.

We end up with underfunded programs and hoops to jump through that make it difficult to apply for, and receive, our benefits. 

Instead, we should all contribute and we should all receive. If it’s not a system for everyone, it’s a weak system.

- Jess

PS: Our team has already knocked thousands of doors, and we are hosting 8 more canvasses this weekend! We are having great conversations with voters, but we need to buy more literature to keep up with our canvassers. Can you pitch in $27 to help us cover our next round of lit?