Unemployment compensation is not meant to be permanent. It is not meant to replace a paycheck. It is meant to help those who lose their jobs until they find a new one. In this increasingly drawn out recession, it makes sense, at least to some of us, to extend those benefits for longer than usual.

Not so to a couple of high-profile Republicans. Last week Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky) almost shut down the U.S. Senate because of a $10 billion bill that would have extended unemployment benefits._Former Republican House Majority Leader Tom Delay weighed in on Sunday in an interview with CNN.

“You know, there is an argument to be made that these extensions, the unemployment benefits, keep people from going and finding jobs. In fact, there are some studies that have been done that show people stay on unemployment compensation and they don’t look for a job …” Delay said._Sen. Bunning didn’t say unemployed folks don’t bother looking for a job if they have benefits. He just didn’t want to spend the money for that._Delay on the other hand resurrects the old criticism that helping people out in a time of need somehow is an evil thing that rewards lazy people. The “studies” he mentioned on CNN were not cited, and the person doing the interview didn’t press him on it. Probably just as well._Anecdotal evidence from Sunday’s Birmingham News paints a different picture._Alabama Adventure, a theme park in Bessemer, held a job fair on Saturday, looking for employees to work in the upcoming season. Park officials said it appears a record turnout showed up to stand in long lines for their shot at a job in the park. Some 800 showed up last year, but that included rehires. Saturday’s fair was just for new hires; a separate event was held for those who worked last year._Some of the applicants were young folks looking for a summer job. But there were lots of others who were just looking for a job. Some had been looking for a long time. In the Birmingham metro area, estimates are that 49,000 people are out of work. Many of them showed up on Saturday to apply for a seasonal job. Any job is better than no job._Don’t tell Tom Delay that. He apparently believes people would prefer to stay home and cash an unemployment check than work.

Alabama Adventure officials might disagree with that. They don’t have a “study” to refer to, but they know that last Saturday hundreds of people showed up to apply for jobs with them._We wish those applicants the best. For those who didn’t get a job, we hope their unemployment benefits last until they do.