For example, the prime minister suggested it was unfair that an unemployed school leaver can claim housing benefit whereas one who finds work or who goes on to university is unable to claim housing benefit.
If any member of Congress thinks there are no unemployed workers or no down-on-their-luck neighborhoods in their district that would benefit from the proposals in the jobs bill, then they better think again.
Analysts expected claims to increase by 9, 000 to 400, 000 for the week, leading to some questions about what a large number of unemployed Americans have done: whether it be giving up on looking for work, coming to the end of their unemployment benefit period, or indeed, found jobs.