WSJ:

2,153,700: The number of jobless people currently receiving unemployment benefits who will lose them by Feb. 11, 2012 if an extension isn’t enacted by Congress by the end of the year.

While Republicans and Democrats continue to spar over the best way to inspire job creation, millions of recipients of unemployment benefits may get caught in the cross-fire.

It will cost $44 billion to extend those benefits. Almost all of that money will flow (not trickle) right back into the economy. Lowering the deficit will not help the economy one bit. What the economy needs is for the dollar to circulate. So let the dollar circulate.