Yesterday, Harvard economist Robert Barro took to the Wall Street Journal op-ed page to advance the familiar argument that the recent extensions of federal unemployment benefits have prolonged unemployment for many Americans (by theoretically reducing the incentive to find work).  We've previously noted that such positions seem to ignore the stimulative effects of unemployment aid.  But it should also be pointed out that Barro's stance appears to be out of the mainstream.  Indeed, a new survey of 242 economists conducted by the National Association of Business Economics found that "two-thirds of the respondents support the extension of the unemployment benefits recently enacted by Congress."