We need a less ideological, more serious assessment of the specifics of defense spending. We should not view the Department of Defense budget as sacrosanct. There are many areas where cuts should be seriously considered.

Wage insurance would supplement, not replace, traditional UI, which provides bedrock financial support to help tide workers over a spell of unemployment. But UI needs strengthening and modernizing.

The proposal would keep the 44-year-old financial aid program from getting too far off from the cost of college.