Cutting long term benefits is a hard thing to do.  However, we are in a financial crisis that many do not recognize.  Our life styles and pledges to people are unsustainable and we are going to be in irreversible debt if we do not take some serious and difficult measures.  I am sure this was a difficult legislative decision.  Let us hope that with this pressure Obama will take more seriously the need to create jobs and perhaps the President would make a more concerted effort to put in place a better federal environment for employers so that they could begin to hire again.  The average person doesn't fully realize that the Obama policies and regulations are destroying job creation.  If there is not long term unemployment them perhaps those loosing benefits will put pressure on their Obama to create jobs.  I do not know if this will work as the general media outlets would only blame republicans for all and anything and the jobless people want the easiest place to put the blame. It is hard for many people to face reality of what bad policy does to our nation.