"We need to align education with opportunity," he said, just as the Senate was voting in Washington to extend unemployment benefits.
Corbett, addressing a crowd of about 75 at Central Pennsylvania College near Harrisburg, said he did not oppose extending those benefits if the money could be redirected from the federal stimulus program or other existing funds. But, he said, he did not support the Democratic plan approved Tuesday that would mean going further into debt to pay for added weeks of unemployment compensation.
The bill that cleared the Senate would extend unemployment benefits for 170,000 of Pennsylvania's half-million unemployed. About 14.6 million people are unemployed nationwide, according to government statistics.
It was Corbett's comments about jobless people and benefits that generated heat earlier this month. At a campaign stop July 9 in Lancaster County, he said that several employers had told him that people were saying they wouldn't seek work until their unemployment-benefit checks ran out. "The jobs are there," he said in part, "but if we keep extending unemployment, people are just going to sit there."
His comments drew criticism from Democrats and labor leaders. Corbett later said he misspoke and knew that most unemployed people wanted to work.
In his speech Tuesday, he did not refer to the controversy. But a student in his audience did, saying during the question-and-answer session afterward that she shared his views.
Dara Smith, 30, of Sunbury, said she agreed "wholeheartedly" with Corbett on the subject of unemployment compensation. "People are not looking for jobs when they are receiving benefits," she said.
