This campaign is designed to inform Mississippians - and other friends around the country - about Gov Haley Barbour's intended rejection of nearly $60 million in Unemployment Insurance benefits provided to Mississippi as part of the Federal stimulus package.

This campaign encourages people to voice their support for providing every available dollar to Mississippians who have lost their employment through no fault of their own. By standing together we hope to set Mississippi on a path to economic recovery that will lift up the least among us, thereby enhancing the quality of life for all Mississippians.

The federal stimulus package offers Mississippi a $56 million opportunity to update its unemployment insurance system by making more hard-working families eligible to receive greater benefits. These federal funds will help 39,600 hard - working Mississippians weather the recession - without committing the state to any future tax increases.

While the economic recession has created hardships for many Americans, nowhere is the pain more deeply felt than in Mississippi. Thousands of Mississippi families are in desperate need of funds to purchase food, pay for shelter and provide basic necessities for themselves and their children.

Please join us in standing with Mississippi and asking Governor Barbour to accept these much-needed Unemployment Insurance funds. We, in turn, pledge to keep the pressure on our elected officials and hold them accountable for providing every opportunity for a fair and equitable recovery for all Mississippians.