Is an extension of unemployment benefits really going to help the economy?

You don't get it. See, first we take money from some people. Then we subtract a small government fee and give the balance of that money to some other people. Then we're all better off, right? You can do this in your own neighborhood, boys and girls. Have all the people on the odd side of the street give a hundred dollars each to their neighbors on the even side. The people on the even side will be so grateful AND, more importantly, the neighborhood economy has been "stimulated"! Except, of course, for the people on the odd side who now each have $100 less to use than before. But you can ignore that detail because, as we all know, odd people just bury their money in the back yard. They never use it to expand their own businesses or to loan it to others to use. It just sits there looking pretty.