benefits. when the trust fund is exhausted, after that social security would pay 75 cents on the dollar in promised benefits, but that is not the way to run the social security system. reporter: as you know politicians have a habit of waiting until difficult actions can no longer be avoided but they say the sooner changes are made the more modest the impact and longer we wait the more drastic the choices would be made. jon: the number of americans filing for unemployment benefits rising to the highest level since late october. labor department reporting last week s first time jobless claims jumped by 35,000 to 3445,000. news coming after a report last week showing that employers added fewer jobs than predicted. dow was off 24 and nasdaq s$p