[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 172 (Tuesday, December 21, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2214]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING DENNIS R. FERGUSON

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LINDA T. SANCHEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 21, 2010

  Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to 
honor Dennis R. Ferguson, and to ask my colleagues who are not 
supporters of unemployment benefits to listen to his story and learn 
about the real value of this program.
  Dennis Ferguson lost his job with Douglas Aircraft in Los Angeles in 
1964. He was 26 years old, living in a motel, and had reached a 
crossroads that would determine how the rest of his life would play 
out. He took advantage of California's unemployment benefits program 
for 4 months that year and used that money to go back to school and 
become a computer programmer. Mr. Ferguson thrived in his new field and 
eventually settled in South Carolina.
  Last month, Dennis wrote a check for $10,000 to the State of 
California to repay the state for the assistance it had given him 40 
years earlier. Today, I applaud Dennis Ferguson for this act of 
generosity, but I also share his story to remind the members of this 
body about the real world impact unemployment benefits have.
  Unemployment in California has been at more than 12 percent for the 
past 2 years. There are those in this body who have opposed extending 
unemployment at every turn. I have heard some say that unemployment 
benefits make people lazy. I have heard others say that if we just cut 
them off, people will go out and get a job. Such statements show a 
misunderstanding of what unemployment benefits are for and how they can 
help those--who through no fault of their own--lost their jobs and need 
a bridge to get back on their feet.
  The most recent unemployment benefit extension ensured that 450,000 
people in my home state would not lose their benefits at Christmastime. 
They now have the chance to get back on their feet just like Dennis 
Ferguson did. These men and women don't want a safety net, they want to 
work. They want to be the ones responsible for putting food on the 
table, and a roof over their family's heads.
  Sometimes circumstances arise beyond our control and we need 
temporary assistance while getting back on our feet. That is what the 
unemployment program does. I think if you ask Dennis Ferguson's 
neighbors whether unemployment benefits have a positive impact on a 
community, they will answer with a resounding yes.
  I hope my colleagues who are critics of the unemployment program will 
re-assess their thinking and stand up for their constituents the next 
time this body considers legislation impacting the unemployment 
benefits program.

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