Slashdot Mirror
OddTod Laid Low by the Law
nickynicky9doors writes "The International Herald Tribune has a NYT article on the recent woes of Tod Rosenberg who started 'Laid Off: A Day in the Life'. Mr. Rosenberg started www.oddtodd.com to tell the tale of a laid off guy who spends days watching TV and eating chips. Oddtod became so successful Mr. Rosenberg reaped cash donations and national TV exposure. Unfortunately it also brought the attention of the Department of Labor who have explained the catch of having to be actively looking for work while collecting unemployment benefits. Another dot com bust."
I bet the Department of Labor just wishes they were as successful as this "unemployed" guy.
"Will work for 15 minutes of fame"
Money for nothing, pix for free
Maybe if he sends the Department of Labor a box of fudge stripe cook-ayes they'll forgive him. :)
I would love to see a slashdot interview of todd... what i really want to know is does he really talk like that? For those of you who haven't seen it, definately check him out. I was even going to by his "Home Of The Whopper" underwear, but I had already bought my novelty clothing item of the month... So maybe later!
Once upon a time...
This guy really needs to get a real job. Director of Business Development for a dot com, huh? Good luck, sucker.
Displayed on the site is the cyberspace version of a tip jar ... the unemployed are generally allowed to accept donations. If they are acknowledging that he was getting by on tips, why bust him?
"$405 a week..."
That's about 4x as much as I make as an employed college student. Somebody sign me up for unemployment!
Mr. Rosenberg started www.oddtodd.com to tell the tale of a laid off guy who spends days watching TV and eating chips.
I didn't know CowboyNeal's first name was 'Todd'....
I wonder if the same argument would apply to someone collecting donations on the street. While it is likely that these people are not collecting unemployment how do they define "earning money". On the same note would gambling also be considered "earning money", I know in Canada winnings are not taxable yet there are some professional gamblers that Revenue Canada is attempting to tax due to the fact they consider it a job.
I stole this Sig
I've been (mostly) unemployed in NYC for almost 8 months now. I've spent much of that time on a new web project:
http://subintsoc.net
If someone actually buys the t-shirt we've got for sale on the site, the Dept. of Labor could come after me for making money while collecting unemployment benefits. Then again, technically, it's not a dot-com...it's a dot-net. So maybe Microsoft will come after me instead...
If you visit, try the new do-it-yourself Terror Warning Generator!
And remember, Cogito Ergo Rebello...
yah, if you are doing your dream job, nothing, and making money doing "nothing" hey, that is what alot of the fall out dot coms did too. but what an idea to have your life, sent all over the world..... wait wasn't that all ready done before, with that guy that had to live in that house and stuff..... hmmmm something new would be nice.
You also have to be looking for a job, it says so in the article.
man
No manual entry for
When unemployment dries up, and your dot-com fails, I've heard that prostitution pays off pretty well.
Maybe he should try that?
The world really needs more shitty internet cartoons.
The "Department of Labor" have the right idea, he should get a fucking job instead of pratting about.
"Information wants to be paid"
oh what's the problem .. put in a link to his resume on the page and then he'll be "actively" looking for a job by advertising his skills on the web ! The labor dept and everyone will be happy ! Well he might as well get a few job offers that way ;-)
It sounds like a lot, but it isn't. I have relatives who live in NYC were the rent is over a $1000 a month for a modest apartment..
BTW it sounds like he better get a lawyer. Government as a general rule can play pretty rough when they feel like it.
Companies are paying attention to TV now?
Doesn't that mean we should expect more free wifebeater t-shirts for the stars of Cops? Wouldn't it be great to see a Polo logo or a Nike Swoosh on the next drunken, pantless, 3-toothed hick?
------
Today's Top Deals
Nobody is better at doing nothing than me. To prove my point; he's doing a show about him doing nothing while I'm doing nothing about me doing nothing.
There, I beat him fair and square.
So this guy actually made quite a bit of money from being laid off. I suppose its only fair they take any unemployeement benefits away, being that he now successfully has a (paying) job being jobless. Saddly the people who donated money to him are probably the same people who cast their eyes away from homeless people or those who are on welfare and can't afford a computer and a web diary. Guess being in the media does pay.
can't sleep slashdot will eat me
Leave it to our good ol' Merkin government to make sitting on one's ass and eating potato chips a crime punishable by back taxes.
Looking at some unemployment requirements, most of them require you to be making "contacts looking for work". If his web site has had a million visitors, well I think I could argue that he's made a million potential work contacts. I suspect if times weren't so bad in his chosen field, he probably would have had dozens of job offers by now.
After all, isn't looking for a job simply marketing? I think he's done a pretty good job at marketing, although I'm not sure what type of picture he's portrayed of himself...
Answering emails all day could also count. Perhaps he was answering emails to prove to people he could be useful. Perhaps each email is a job contact.
I could go on all day. Someone could really have fun with this....
You too can be a drain on society! Join one of our groups listed below. Be as funny as possible while you're at it and no one will think poorly of you.
1. Rich people who file for bankruptcy
2. Able people who file for unemployment
3. Healthy people who abuse insurance claims
4. Smart people who don't apply themselves
Seriously, unemployment benefits are a lifesaver for many people who don't have the ability or the opportunity to quickly find new work. Don't be surprised if one day it gets as screwed up as medical and car insurance by people screwing the system. YOU ultimately pay for it.
That is not his [normal] voice. He is interviewed by NPR, and you hear him about half way into it.
m pa ct/wnyc/raotl/otl022502g.ra
http://www.realimpact.net/rihurl.ram?file=reali
I my self was collecting unemployment from september til mid december. And remaind jobless up until just this week. I stoped collecting because i figured it would help modivate me. ive been living off left over x-mas and birthday money.
But i have been orderd to repay my unemployment bennifits of 2,020. When i was actively searching for work. So im in the process of appealing that.
But leave it the government to give you a helping hand and then knock you ass back down. When you decide to try and help your self.
As somebody currently collecting unemployment, I can say that it's bullshit. First of all, the "maximum" is ridiculously low. Secondly, unemployment benefits are taxed. Thirdly, you don't get to collect unemployment if you earn a fraction of your measly unemployment check. Meaning, I'm bored to tears. They want me to be employed. But, if I get a MINIMUM WAGE job while I'm waiting for a REAL job, then I'm ineligible for unemployment. In essence, instead of getting some grunt job while I'm waiting for a real job, I'm encouraged to stay COMPLETLELY unemployed. It's complete bullshit.
Could be worse:
You could have a job where you try to find people who do not have a job and then see if you can't increase their misery.
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&q=author:odd todd%40sprintmail.com+
matt.
The guy can get off pogey and go work at McDonald's. No sympathy whatsoever. He'd better not get any better treatment than they'd give a typical blue collar laborer.
It's about $10.00 / hour...
considerably above minimum wage.
--
RumorsDaily
Give us your tired and your poor, so I can sit on my ass all day and collect unemployment while I make a website that badmouths my government officials. If comedy was a goal for that Terrorist warning generator thing, maybe try reading an original Mad-libs first. What a total waste of time!
Myth 1: You make that much on unemployment? You lucky fuck!
Reality: If you filed after Jan 6th, 2002, the California state employment maximum is 330.00 a week, for up to 26 weeks. You can't file again for a year, and you have to have worked a substantial amount during the benefit year to be able to get more. That's 8580.00 to last a year, before taxes. Yes, it's taxable. That's well below the national "poverty line".
Myth 2: Well, still, it's enough to live on, you lucky fuck.
Reality: Maybe where you live, but not everywhere. In most major cities in the US, it's not enough for basic living expenses. Move to the country? Well, there aren't any jobs there, either, and less infrastructure. Oh, and if you have any other expenses, you're pretty much screwed. For example, I pay 100.00 a week in child support (a very modest sum), so I have to live on 230.00 a week. If I had a car payment, student loans, or other debts, I'd be toast. As it is, my lease locks me into over 1500.00 a month in rent. Hey, you do the math -- it's pretty grim.
Myth 3: You're better off getting a job at Wal-mart or something.
Reality: A "good" basic job might pay the same as the unemployment, but it'll also eat 40 hours a week of job-hunting time -- and management at that McJob isn't going to let you go on interviews every other day, either. Even if the McJob might pay a little more, it may hinder your ability to get Work In Your Field, which is a net loss in the long term.
Myth: People on unemployment are lazy anyway.
Reality: A lot of people treat job hunting as a full time job in and of itself, spending hours a day sending out resumes, querying employers, researching, etc. Do they sometimes get depressed and do nothing? Sure -- and that's perfectly normal for such a demoralizing, life-changing event.
Myth: You're supposed to take any job you can get.
Reality: In California, at least, there is no expectation that you will "take any job". The state expects you to look for work in your field, and to accept a reasonable offer of work, or explain to their satisfaction why you didn't. A job offer asking you to move 2000 miles is not reasonable, but one with a 20 percent cut in pay may be.
I could go on and on here, but the bottom line is, it's not a day in the park. I'm one of those people trying to do the best I can to get a job, while working to improve my chances -- which can be tough. For example, I had to get special permission from the State to take college credit classes -- they had to be things that would help me gain job skills, and I couldn't take the classes during any time that would prevent me from working or looking for work. I ended up taking internet-based community college courses that required no deadlines or class meetings.
People have asked me, "So, that Odd Todd thing, is that how it is?" and I've told them that it's a lot like that, yeah. I get up and I feel crappy that I can't find a job. Like many of my unemployed friends, I don't go out the way I used to because it costs money. There's a lot of inertia involved -- but it's not about laziness and it's not about "scamming the system." It's just about unfortunate economic realities, folks.
Since you run a web site, it's pretty safe to assume you've got at least decent PC skills, probably better than the average clue-deprived end-luser, right?
SO, go get one of the entry-level Help Desk positions I see Monster.com has listed inside the borders of NYC. They currently list 18 such positions. Most of them are around $40k. Not a great NY salary (compared to my $110k), but it beats unemployment.
Hell, you could drive a cab and make more than unemployment. You know, there actually is a market for cab drivers who not only know the city, but actually speak GOOD, CLEAR ENGLISH.
Get off your ass and get a job. No more of this "Boohoo, the economy sucks." crap. Take some responsibility for yourself and get a job. Got laid off? Sorry, I've been there too. As recently as October of 2000. I had four weeks off while I interviewed, hired and started at my current job. My 2 weeks severance plus my 2 weeks of vacation more than carried me through that time.
Excuse me, but do you think that such a simple statment will allow you to live forever? You must work with the most diligance possible. Probably you will soon be cremated and placed in an urn, but until then try to have something inter4esting on file when you get a FP.
I give your FP an F.
You submit to the spackling of dough.
[[Ay fukkand lyke ane furious Fornicatour]]
Once again, an ally in the quest to humiliate all those who deserve humiliation comes to my aid. Thank you for insulting an incompatant jackass and winning my favor. You most likely have a bold and interesting odor.
Enjoy fruitful labor my sparkling friend.
[[Ay fukkand lyke ane furious Fornicatour]]
Maybe he was starting a new computer animation business, and oddtodd.com was an example of his work.
So, if I win the lottery in Canada the man won't take 39% of my winnings? I need to move up there! (Not that I'm expecting to win or anything)
Reality: A "good" basic job might pay the same as the unemployment, but it'll also eat 40 hours a week of job-hunting time -- and management at that McJob isn't going to let you go on interviews every other day, either. Even if the McJob might pay a little more, it may hinder your ability to get Work In Your Field, which is a net loss in the long term.
What? Walmart isn't open at night where you live? Here in NJ, there are several that are open 24 hours a day. So, jobhunt during the day, and then work evenings/nights at WallyWorld. Look at that, I've already solved one of your problems. You're also (understandably) concerned about lack of social interaction with your friends (who are also unemployed). If they'd join you in taking the McJob in the evening/night, you can interact there at work. Let's face it, the work ethic at WalMart isn't exactly high. You could goof off a bit and still be the best person in the place. Man, I'm full of solutions today!
Myth 3 is dead.
Blowjobs.
You have spent far too much time replying to a comment on slashdot. Please try to remember that people on slashdot frown upon hard work, and will think LESS of you now that you have spent so much time crafting a response. Next time you get angry, try to sum all that anger in about 50 words or less. Comprehension is not paramount to this, and cuss words are accepted.
Thank you for playing, see you tomorrow.
[[Ay fukkand lyke ane furious Fornicatour]]
Ah, I will with great fortitude take credit for this post. You see, before I acquired my employment as critic of the slashdot community I worked as a Troll. Trolling lost its 'zest' in the long run, so now I just berate everything around me. I find this to be very helpful to my spelling and writing skills and therefore a valuable thing.
But I still love penis.
[[Ay fukkand lyke ane furious Fornicatour]]
Cry me a boat load of tears you worthless mooch. Jesus I'm getting tired of listening to the unemployed whine about not having a job. I see several Mexicans everyday working 3 jobs to pay the damn rent. Get off your duff and quit complaining the internet revolution is dead find a real job doing something that people want. What a pussy...
I would set up a repayment plan, since they can't get blood from a turnip, and in my next episode I would talk about my blunder, and why it was wrong.
Oh, the new donations!!!
--- Grow a pair, liberals... stop letting the Republicans bully you!
First of all, I actually have been doing freelance web development gigs here and there during this period. So I haven't really been unemployed the whole time.
/. and get back to whatever YOU'RE supposed to be doing. :)
Second, as an NYC resident, I pay some of the highest taxes in the nation -- city and state taxes as well as federal. My taxes went into the government's coffers when I worked full time. Now I'm just getting some of that money back.
And I have looked for work. Tonight in fact I spent a couple hours cataloging my job search (I have an interview w/ the Labor Dept. tomorrow, and rest assured they'll cut off my benefits if I don't prove to them that I've been looking for work.)
Now, to all who call ME a shirker, stop reading
Geez, people, relax. Lose the wage slave mentality.
So you shouldn't have signed a lease for $1500 a month working in an industry that everyone knew was unstable. Declare bankruptcy and be done with it.
You know, that's something that I found odd when I moved here; in the South there are 24-hour Wal-marts everywhere, but in the bay area, I don't know of any. when I mention this to people here, someone always says, "I think there's one over in ", but no one can ever confirm one.
No Waffle Houses, either. *grump*
C'mon, guys, give him a bit of credit. He's followed the dotcom business plan to the letter and made a few bucks!
Step 1: Register domain name.
Step 2: ??????????
Step 3: Profit!
Hey Taco! Looks like you're using the "infinite monkeys and typewriters" scheme to generate Ask Slashdots again...
.
i
w i n .
Here in NJ, there are several that are open 24 hours a day. So, jobhunt during the day, and then work evenings/nights at WallyWorld. Look at that, I've already solved one of your problems.
He'd have to make $8.25 an hour to make the same amount as unemployment. Maybe he could do that, but why would he?
He is OWED those benefits. They were paid for by him and his employer. Not having to take a minimum wage job is part of the benefits provided to you by unemployment insurance. This isn't some slush fund where he's taking money from someone else who probably really couldn't get ANY job. No; that's money that he rightfully deserves to claim while he looks for a good job in his industry.
Would you not claim a dentist bill on your health insurance because "I could just rip the tooth out myself and be done with it." No. He paid for it, so he gets the benefits.
hah! i am more foolish than all of you! i have been unemployed for nearly 2 years! i was a programmer in the great, white north! the company i worked for went hairy-banana broke in about 3 days, thereby screwing everybody out of a month's pay, severence, and vacation pay! on top of that, i was even a contractor! no way in hell i can get unemployment! i've made about $15000 (canadian money!) in the last 2 years doing itty-bitty contracts, and the government has taken almost half of it for taxes! i've been bent over and done dry by every government agency that exists to help the jobless (and very nearly homeless at one stressfull point)!
:)
fortunately, i am not a complete loss. in my spare time (of which i have a great deal), i have somehow managed to complete (or very nearly) 3 new projects aimed at generating an actual income! haha! you can't touch me! i haven't been leeching the system! i haven't borrowed money from banks! i own my own car! bwah-ha-ha-haa!
and what sucks most is that most companies won't hire me because i'm self-taught (ie. i didn't have $50000 for computer science degrees and such things) and i have a chitty looking car (but dammit, i own the thing - it's MY chitty looking car).
you have been 0wned
Dammit, I meant to post that anonymously!
Compared to around £50 (c.$75) a week in the UK (with higher cost of living in London than in most US cities), this sounds great.
Quit moaning.
guy in Chicago won't be in any sort of danger. Perhaps spam is the answer...
:wq
I know I am prolly going to get mod'd down to flamebait for this, but here goes:
I actually *agree* the labor deptartment on this one. I mean, the purpose of unemployment benefits is to cushion the edge of being laid off and give you a little something until you get back on your feet. If you aren't looking for work, you're cheating the system and the community -- what's to stop everybody from freeloading? Hence, the rule seems a sort of necessity. He should have expect the man to come down on him from the time his website became popular - I mean, don't they always?
Just my $.02
To make laws that man cannot, and will not obey, serves to bring all law into contempt.
--E.C. Stanton
"Odd Todd" Rosenberg does out-of-work programmers a big f*cking favor just when they most needed it.
So stop eating those chips and send Todd the money you save. And while you're down at the post-office, stop off at Starbucks and get a real job so you can afford to send the poor guy more because, for cryin' out loud -- he deserves it.
Seastead this.
Oddtodd's animation is obviously fictional and hyperbolic. It isn't a videotape, and there is no guarantee it matches reality. I hope the Department of Labor has better proof than the Flash file.
:-)
Besides, setting up a website that generates lots of traffic in order to promote oneself is in my opinion an EXCELLENT way to seek employment.
Myth 6: The benefits system has any kind of internal consistency.
Reality:
I was pretty young and naieve then, you can tell. The trouble was that I didn't understand that the system is set up to support binary states: In work. Out of work. Nothing in the middle, no gray areas. You practically have to lie through your teeth (with the state's tacit collusion) to get enough to live on, and at some point when you get a job that pays a living wage, you're expected to stop lying.
Trouble is, once you get used to the idea that pretty much everybody in the benefits system is involved in a huge scam (and that the benefits office colludes out of compassion), it begs the question: at what point exactly does it become wrong to lie, when at $1 a week less, it was OK?
If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
This guy was supposed to have been head of business development at a dot com but you'd never know it from looking at his Web site. His sad sack sense of humour may have gotten him some sympathy and attention but I doubt if an employer would hand him responsibility based on what they see at his site.
If he's in business development you'd expect him at least to use the success of the site to promote his skills to a potential employer. There's not even a resumé. He actually has some ads at the bottom of the home page and buried behind a link called Odd Todd Officials, but even when you find them they're so poorly done you're not sure what you're looking at.
From the point of view of getting a job, his site is worse than useless. Let's see how his goofy outlook holds up after another few months of eating potatochips.
Because when his unemployment runs out, he'll be making $0/week? Also, I don't know the structure of benefits under unemployment, would working at Wal-Mart give him better health care, etc?
If it ain't broke, you need more software.
AllCaps(Its easy to Linktify!)
That this guy has managed to run a very successful dot.com. He gets lots of visitors who are willing to fork over a bit of money here, a bit of money there... and it all adds up.
:)
What does that mean? He probably was a good director of business, who was screwed because his superiors were idiots. He's actually demonstrated real good business sense here and a company would probably do well to hire him to run their dot.com.
Why bother.
It's not public money, it's money taken out of our own paychecks and "put away" by the US Gov't so they can keep operating normally, and to give the unemployed a cushion so they don't have to live out of their cars until they find a new job. If you don't put the money in, you don't get the money back. What did you think the purposes of taxes were?
Karma: Dyn-o-mite!(mostly affected by Jimmy Walker reading your comments)
Sorry, but any MacDougals or WalMart here (mid-Michigan) is going to pay you $5.25, and you'd be lucky to get a job there.
The article said "unemployed people are supposed to be actively looking for work, not spending all of their time answering e-mail, drawing cartoons and getting interviewed on television about being unemployed."
Well, what does Todd say on a page behind a like entitled "Gimme a JOB"? "you'd have to really pay me alot to take me off schedule on producing cartoons for this site."
Sounds to me like they have a case.
Cheers,
Philip
Esli epei etot cumprenan, shris soa Sfaha.
I had something similar happen a few years ago. It went sort of like this:
Welfare Social Worker: Okay, so you're filing for aid because you are unemployed and denied compensation, so you have no income and no assets.
Me: Yes.
Social Worker: Under Welfare rules, you're an "ABOD", an able-bodied worker. So you're ineligible for aid.
Me: But I'm not getting Unemployment because I was fired for being disabled. Disabled people can't get unemployment.
Social Worker: Are you disabled, or can you work?
Me: I can work, but I'm covered under the ADA, the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Social Worker: Then no benefits for you! *bam*
Cut to State Unemployment office
Unemployment caseworker: So you were fired because you were disabled.
Me: Right.
Caseworker: Well, if you were fired for being disabled, then that would count as an unfair firing, so you'd be elible for benefits....
Me: *dazed hungry look* Yes?
Caseworker: But if it *was* unfair, then you must really be disabled. If you are, you don't qualify for Unemployment Compensation.
Me: And if I weren't disabled?
Caseworker: Then you were fired fairly. Either way, NO benefits for you!
Me: Ummmmm.....
Caseworker: Have you tried the welfare office?
Back at the Welfare office...
Welfare Social Worker: Good news! You don't qualify for most aid, but we CAN give you food stamps.
Me: Well, that'll help. Now if only I can find a way to pay my rent before I get evicted...
Welfare Social Worker: Oh no! If someone gives you money to pay rent or utilities, that will affect your food stamps. You have to report any money over 25.00, and we'll deduct that from the food stamps.
Me:So, I qualify only if I promise not to pay the rent or utilities?
Welfare Social Worker: Exactly! Have a nice day!
Completely fucked. *laugh*
$1500.00 for rent... Holy crap.. I strongly reccomend moving to the midwest or other technical center and get your cost of living to a reasonable level. My house payment is Less than $700.00 and I live in a upscale neighborhood, (not rich buttheads that all drive SUV's and live in houses that are less than 5 years old) My house is 50 years old, It is a very nice place, awesome, quiet neighborhood that is heavily police patrolled on Foot because of the higher taxes I pay. to the point that my car is rarely locked overnight. granted I drive 45 minutes every day to work (many of my friends in chicago have a 45 minute commute to work and they only live 2 miles from work.. I live 36.) and I dont get the insane $150,000 a year job as a sysadmin.. but I live very comfortably, I can buy whatever I want on Ebay, or thinkgeek.com,bestbuy,whatever most all the time, my daughter has it very well. (yes a man with custody of a child... the HORROR! to all the feminatzi's out there)
basically my point... Live somewhere where the cost of living is sane. No-place in california is sane.... Hell where in california can you live on waterfront property for less than $700.00 a month?.. they wont rent you a campsite for that. my suggestion is to pack up and get the hell out of that state. your chances of a better life rise dramatically when you start driving east.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
In fairness, though, unemployment is meant to keep you afloat from week to week while you look for a job. It's not not meant to be a long-term anti-poverty program (those exist but unemployment isn't one) and it's misleading to talk about as a year's pay.
Not to disparage you or anyone who is out of work -- some of my friends are going though the same thing and it breaks my heart to watch. I wish I could be more positive, but I think the reality is that the days of high-paying web development and admin jobs for high school dropouts and liberal arts majors are over, and they're never coming back.
What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
I gave OddTodd a buck a few weeks ago.
I watched his cartoon about a dozen times between my original viewing and subsequent showings to friends. The guy genuinely cracked me up, and gave me a great voice to add to my impression repertoire, to boot.
I was giving a small gratuity to someone who made me laugh. I'll also drop dollar bills in the hats/boxes/instrument cases of competent NYC street performers. In all cases, it seems decent thing to do for someone who, rather than just holding their hand out (and, optionally, hassling me), is making a genuine attempt to entertain in return for the donation. Does the fact that he uses a computer instead of a saxophone make him less deserving?
I am 100% sure he did not pay for the right to use a Def-Lepard and Staind Music Clip, nor did he get permission from Nickelodeon for the spongebob theme clip. Granted I think it was neat, and bits of it were funny, but many sites get giged hard by the lawyer leaches on silly things like that, and it takes a little effort to find royalty free music out there. (Or how about a Independant band that would happily let you use their music?)
although, on a similar note... Does Spongebob Squarepants fall under the MPAA balloon? or would Nickelodeon just go to his house and fill it with that green-substance they keep pouring on people?
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
I have no way of knowing, but I am wondering about the people complaining about their meager benefits, and talking about how they can't afford to pay their bills with their unemployment checks, and how they can't afford living in a $1500 apartment (but would never get a roommate).
I am wondering if they are the same people who, a year and a half ago, were all buying copies of The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged and constantly posting to slashdot that government has no business taxing the wealthy (and therefore deserving) to help out the poor (who should just get up and start their own businesses).
The reason I wonder is that there seem to be fewer Randroids, "you don't work... you don't eat" people, people who complain and whine that underemployed people complain and whine. And there are more people talking about inadequate unemployment benefits, and how the government should help people pay their rent and food while they go to school to improve their job skills.
I know that it could be a coincidence, but I keep wondering if they are the same people.
God is real unless declared integer
But this guy is more important than the rest of us, so . .
The disgraceful behavior by the government here isn't demanding the stolen money back, or the penalties for not responding to proper inquiries ab out the theft, but that there was no criminal prosecution . .
hawk
Don't reply to trolls. Then they win.
Nowhere does it say that one must spend all waking hours looking for work, so he can simply say it's his hobby, and that he did it in additon to looking for work as required. Anything he put on the site stating he was goofing off can be chaulked up to the concept of fiction and poetic liscence (or does the DOL think there really is a guy named Charlie Brown who keeps falling on his back when Lucy pulls the football away?
This ones a no brainer
Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
Doesn't the unemployment office require documentation of your quest for work? I know the last time I was drawing unemployment (12 years ago, in Michigan), I had to turn in a form every week listing at least 3 "contacts". E.g., go to that small business in Cadillac that's in my field and looks like a great place to work, and confirm that they're still firing, not hiring. Hit two other places in the same industrial park at random. Fill in the form. That's done, it's 10 am Monday, and I've got the rest of the week for _real_ job hunting...
In Washington, "actively looking for a job" means making 3 contacts a week. I have collected unemployment three times in my life (when my contracts ran out), and saw the evolution in the process.
The first time, everyone had to apply in person for the first week. While waiting for the office to open, I stood outside and talked to some people who had collected unemployment a lot before. They talked about cheating the system; they copied business names from a phone book to make them their contacts. Due to widespread scamming of that system, the agency gave up for a while and just said that you had to be looking.
My last time of unemployment was in summer 2000. The system had changed again. You had to list your three contacts every week on a form that - in theory - could be audited. I wasn't. Three contacts a week didn't exactly take long. If Tod was as worried about his situation as he said he was, I'd be surprised if he didn't try calling a recruiter or two a week. Do that and all of a sudden you're legal.
You heard it here folks. He just confessed to committing fraud against the government.
I did nothing of the sort. Of course I didn't claim benefits during the weeks when I was doing freelance work, dummkopf!
Anyway, the Dept. of Labor says my paperwork is A-OK, so I've got 13 more weeks of unemployment checks coming!
Eat your fully employed heart out.
Look, I hate to break it to you, but we are in a RECESSION. Despite your Reaganomic assumptions, those who are not working (or not working full time) are not just lazy. I've looked for work, and sometimes found it. But it's a very tough job market. Count your blessings if you have a job.
I still don't get it.
You get laid off, but still expect to live the same lifestyle?!
I seem to remember doing just fine supporting myself through college. No my apartment wan't that great. No my car wasn't that great.
But I had friends who were all in the same boat so we didn't care - plus: college chicks!
Besides, with what is left after the market collpasing, you're not missing anything special at all.
I'm a 2000 man.
See my posts near the top of this topic (about how I've spent a lot of time on my personal web project during my 8 mos. unemployed).
I've battled the blues almost every day of this depressing time. It didn't help that my city (New York) was ATTACKED and virtually shut down during the month of September. Also, my grandfather died right after I was laid off, my wife and I had to move to a lower-rent apartment, I injured myself during the move, and one of our pets contracted a life-threatening illness. Of course I have nothing to complain about compared to the people I know who lost someone in the World Trade Center. But this whole city has been a really rough place for the last several months.
Working on Subintsoc.net and other non-paying web projects (such as MiamiStories.com) during times that I couldn't get paying work has really helped preserve my morale and sanity, as well as honing my skills and adding to my resume.
It sucks not to be able to do what you're good at, and what you used to get paid well for. Sometimes doing it for free, and hopefully providing some entertainment to the world in the bargain, is a good way to go.
If you want free health coverage in the state of Oregon and are a single person, the maximum that you are allowed to make is $712 a month. I suppose someone pulled that figure out of their ass in the late 80's and it hasn't been adjusted for inflation, but hey. . .
It just pisses me off that I am being encouraged by the government not to work, or even work less hours.
bah.
1q2w3e4r5t6y7u8i9o0pqawsedrftgthyjukilo;p'azsxdcf
On the north cost of the state. But be realistic. In San Diego you can live on the cost in a 600 sqft 1 br aparatment for 1200. Cheep. But I live inland in a 2k sqfoot house for only $280,000. But i can afford it and my wife is working on her phd in pyscology.
.sigs suck, thus nothing here.
Interesting - there is a new Wal*Mart warehouse/distribution center opening in rural Missouri that starts out clerical or blue-collar employees at $10.65, with raises totaling 14% after a year.
There is some funny stuff on that site. It was worth it to give him a dollar. I'm supposed to give a bum on the street a dollar because he just asked? screw that... let him get a top-hat and a cane and dance around for tips or something.
Hey, 330 Canadian Dollars a week? That's UKP 144! Check out The UK Rates - Maximum UKP53. So you're getting nearly 3 times what we get in the UK. In short: Quit bleating.
Author, Shell Scripting : Expert Re
is downright depressing.
I would know.
You send 3 million resume's out to the world no one calls.
As a goof I listed as experience:
God/Emporer Of Networing
One company called and wanted to know what that entailed...
"You know, setting upsacrifices, virgin burning, the usual."
I don't blame this guy for blowing off a little steam.
This
Stop waiting for the government to solve your problems for you.
In California unemployment is only $230 per week, and it has run out for me and most people I know anyway. Everyone is spending their retirement money now.
You have hit the nail on the head - Bay Area types who think owning a 3-series BMW and having their own apartment in the Marina District constitute the lowest acceptable standard of living. $1500 a month? You can move to Milpitas for $750 a month and still be in driving distance to all the same jobs.
I am wondering if they are the same people who, a year and a half ago, were all buying copies of The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged and constantly posting to slashdot that government has no business taxing the wealthy (and therefore deserving) to help out the poor (who should just get up and start their own businesses)
Amen. This site gets so pompus and smug about its so-called agenda, its very amusing. You can boil it down to one theme:ME ME ME ME ME. Whatever is best for ME ME ME ME ME right now is what constitutes the /. agenda.
And don't give me this shit about breaking a lease, I can't remember one time in recordd history that a landlord has wasted the time to pursue a lease breaker.
Your plight is your problem - you could change it today if you wanted.
Due to fortuitous timing in joining a major software firm right out of college, he was a double-digit millionaire (in stock of course) within a few years. During the boom time, his job was of course utterly cushy (total slack time, work when you like, not a lot of supervision, plenty of toys, various nice benefits, etc.) After working the absolute minimum for a long time, they started asking him to show some dedication or to take some responsibility. He said they didn't "respect" him so he'd go somewhere that they understood "just how hard good engineers are to come by". This is of course still during the boom, when engineers are in huge demand...
So he leaves this very nice, mature company that's treated him very well, and has headhunters place him at the highest bidder... A small, hot company just about to IPO, where he'll get nearly a percent of the company in options. BOOM! The company IPOs, and now he's almost twice as rich again.
So here he is just a couple of months into a new job, having been compensated enormously for having so far done... nothing! Rather than contribute back to this company, which has shown right up front that they hope he'll be worth it (rushing through his employment so he's on staff the day before the IPO lockout), he loafs. If he slacked before, it was nothing compared to this. He goes to work maybe three days a week for a few hours in the afternoon. He's never around for meetings. He does this for *months* with them starting out with gentle reminders and then finally getting angry and confronting him about it. Meanwhile he's going to the beach when he's supposed to be at work, taking time off whenever he feels like it, all the while saying how shitty this company is because they have no dedication to quality engineering... all of their engineers are rushing out hacks; why the fuck should he work hard for them, they disgust him?
Finally they oust him. Their fucking loss, he says, they don't know how hard it is to find a good engineer; I'll just go do it again. Nope, sorry, here comes the hammer. Suddenly all of these options he's been expensively living off of and using as margin for other investments are in the toilet; the market has taken a shit.
California has this (truly unfortunate) law called the Alt-Min Tax, which has decimated thousands of lives in the San Francisco Bay Area... This guy is among the unfortunates... His tax bill is calculated according to the huge value of the stocks he never sold, and now he's utterly broke because he's unable to pay them. He barely manages to squeak out, but he's set back to zero, plus some savings. Oh yeah, and suddenly it's really hard to get a job.
Any normal person would be humbled at this point. They'd say, "Wow, this is the price of hubris... I have learned my lesson. I blew off responsibility in the good times, and everything I had is now gone. I'll never take a decent job for granted again."
But NO! This guy makes some feeble attempts to apply for some jobs, but mostly just hangs around, plays Counterstrike, whines about how he's too important to work for anybody else now, no job is good enough for his picky taste, etc. He gets on unemployment as money starts getting tight. Wait, did I say "tight"? No, not *really* tight... He's off to Taiwan twice in two months, ostensibly to look for jobs, but really to hit on Asian chicks and party with friends. But the money's tight, right? "Oh yeah, it's just awful, but if I didn't take a big trip before the end of he year, I'd lose my chance at the next higher frequent-flier bonus! Hey, you guys want some of my coke? It's not like I'm going to start a habit or anything; it's just helpful to keep my self-esteem up during the down time; this whole "not being a millionaire anymore" thing has been such a bummer, you know, money's so tight; at least unemployment is helping subsidize my blow. Hey, this chick I met in Taiwan? I'm going to go woo her in Europe for a while. You guys can file my unemployment for me while I'm gone, right? Why not? Fuck the system, man, they're just trying to take things from us people! Information (and my cushy lifestyle) wants to be free! Fight the man! Screw you, MPAA, you're not going to make us little guys take it up the ass!"
I know plenty of people hurt in the dot-com bust, and there are plenty of awesomely tragic stories out there. Yet I think for every hundred tragedies, there must be one or two like him, sucking off the system like a tick while doing nothing in particular. I used to think people were being cruelly harsh in saying "You fucking dot-commers, you got yours! That'll teach you to be so fucking full of yourselves!" Unfortunately they're forced to stereotype because they see him and not the rest... With so many more millionaires, it's easier to see the people like this guy and paint every single engineer in Silicon Valley witht he same wide brush. But he's the exception that screws it up for everyone else... Screws up the compassion that people across the country *could* have for the very real tragedies going on here due to AMT, screws up the unemployment system for people who truly, tragically are in need of help, screws up the respect that was afforded to him for *free*, not just by companies taking a gamble on an unknown, but by his friends.
Wow, feels good to get it out, though shitty to be this disgusted. With any luck he'll read this between Counterstrike levels.
$9K since April is not a lot of money. In fact, it's considerably less than homeless people can make on welfare.
If any of Todd's other contributors are like me, they are giving money because they have found themselves in his shoes recently and want to help out. I realize that computer geeks are not currently recognized as humans, and that if he were anyone else, the department of labor wouldn't have said a thing, and your post would not be here. While I believe you are entitled to your stereotype and bigotry (who the fuck is in the media? They guy has a computer! WTF?!), I take issue with anyone seeking to punish actual generosity and human compassion, even if it is directed toward someone you don't consider human.
And now they won't get you a suitable job? The cads! When will it stop? When will the promise, nay, the guarantee of low-cost (actually, NO cost) cradle-to-grave care be realized???
I have a good job. I like working here and my coworkers are great. But I'm a bit too far from the University to be able to take night classes and get my MBA. So I, too, am job-hunting.
With almost 15 years in the industry and a broad background (not to mention people skills and the ability to write in a semi-literate fashion) I have never had a problem finding a job before now.
The problem is that the positions often get filled before they're even advertised (I'm in Seattle, if you're curious).
There was a tiny little position at a non-profit which I was interested in and they got almost a hundred resume's before the position was even posted!! Bigger, "real" companies get 400-500!!
I've got my resume' at one of those resume re-writers right now (say that 5x quickly) just to try to stand out a little more...
If you're out of work, I feel for you - good luck!
What's more, almost no Wal-Mart or K-Mart or any other retail store is going to give you a full-time job. You'll be stuck at 25 hours a week, maximum, because if they let you work any more they'd have to pay you benefits--and they'd rather have twice as many half-time workers and not pay the benefits.
Editor Emeritus and Senior Writer, TeleRead.org
Maybe he got dumped by his wife. Maybe she cheated on him and then got a nice settlement. Maybe it's a she, and these conditions are reversed. Or maybe they never got married. You can't know what the truth is simply from the fact that the poster pays child support - but yet you rush to judgment about his (her) lifestyle choices.
Lots of people shirk their child-support responsibilities (and not just the "deadbeat dads" the media like to talk about). Here's someone who is trying to be responsible!
sulli
RTFJ.
It takes time to make sense of something as life-shaking as being out of work for a while. I'm not going to hold it against anyone if they're still getting it figured out.
I have dropped some change in oddtodd's tip jar. His episodes give me a giggle and a reality check when I feel like whining about my still-employed existence. The cheesy Valentine's Day episode for us single chicks completely made my day. I agree with other posters who compare giving him "mon-ay" with tipping a street performer or supporting public broadcasting. One should consider showing some support to the few content providers that provide you with information, entertainment and do not spew ads at you. I also send sizable donations to local organizations who serve the homeless and hungry. Callous yuppie me, I'd rather know that my money is going towards food, shelter and services than receive some self-serving fuzzy by providing handouts to somebody who may or may not be truly in need or suffer from substance abuse issues.
When I was able to do my own spam-armoring, you got a chance to email me. Now you can only hope I see your reply.
as much as oddtodd did, they would be getting more than a kick in the ass as I walk past them.
this is advertising in it's best form - he's got talent and shows it in a form that makes people WANT to see it. I sincerly hope he gets hired... and I hope that dollar I sent him (hey that's a buck and 62 cents Canadian!) bought him another cup of java.
In San Diego you can live on the cost in a 600 sqft 1 br aparatment for 1200. Cheep.
As a fellow in Chico, CA where the going rate for a nice apartment is about $320/mo (with roommates) or $700 (without), I can say that that's quite certainly not cheap. Last year, that same $1200/mo you mentioned for a 1br apartment in San Diego paid the rent on a 4-bedroom house in a good neighborhood with a big yard and a shed 'round back -- and by Chico rates, we overpaid.
Further, I've had no trouble finding work around here -- indeed, some of my time has been spent trying to find folks to replace me for local consulting clients I don't have the time to work for but would rather not alienate. The pay for local jobs isn't as good as in the Bay Area (which is part of why I'm presently telecommuting), but not having big bills lends itself to a lower-pressure lifestyle.
Move out to somewhere where the rent's truly cheap, then you'll understand what we mean when we say 'yall city dwellers overpay for rent.
$1500.00 for rent... Holy crap.. I strongly reccomend moving to the midwest or other technical center and get your cost of living to a reasonable level
I see this working...
Welfare Social Worker: So you got laid off in California and you moved here to collect benifits?
Me:Yes, A poster on slashdot told me it was cheaper to rent here.
Welfare Social Worker: You know you have to live and work in THIS state for X months before you can collect benifits from our state?
Me:You mean that poster didn't think seriously about it before he said it?
Welfare Social Worker: Exactly! Have a nice day!
iRepairIT - iPhone, Mac, & PC Repair
it will take you 3 months to locate suitable housing in a differnt location.. In fact, you can find a job in a differnt location faster than you can fine a sutibale house to buy,rent,etc... Then yes they will Viemently deny you unemployment based on the fact that you are employed.
Sorry, the The united states is quite large, if you expand your geographical area of job hunting your sucess rate goes up at a massive rate.
I apologize at not being more specific in my post, I assume that slashdot readers are the top 1/3rd of the population in I.Q. and such simple things shouldn't need to be explained. but you obviously proved me wrong.
so yes, be sure to suck your unemployment benefits dry before moving...
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
The only Wal-marts are in the outer part of the Bay Area *sniff*. The closest ones (to San Francisco) are in Pleasanton, and in San Mateo. I know for sure the one in Pleasanton closes at 9ish, not sure about San Mateo. In Manteca (my hometown) it's open 24/7, and all of the high school students would go there to hang out (very dull town, but at least we have waterslides! [/sarcasm]).
I recently went to buy a pair of sneakers, and the person ahead of me at the register had a stack of the extra-expensive Nike shoes. As she went to pay, I heard her ask the cashier "do you take food stamps?" Not everyone getting help from the govt is that way, but it kind of makes you wonder...
I assume that slashdot readers are the top 1/3rd of the population in I.Q. and such simple things shouldn't need to be explained.
/. advice without a grain of salt deserves to be unemployed, I was trying to bring out the humor of following such advice word for word.
And I assumed most slashdot readers could understand humor if they saw it and such simple things shouldn't need to be explained.... quess I was wrong.
BTW, For the record, I AM unemployed, I AM NOT collecting any benifits, I AM searching nation wide for a job (world wide actually). I actually qualify for military disability too but I didn't take it either, I figure save it for someone who really needs it.
Anyone who takes who takes
iRepairIT - iPhone, Mac, & PC Repair
If you haven't already, I think you'd really appreciate reading Joseph Heller's "Catch-22", IMO the finest novel yet written. Sounds like you could relate to it, at least...
QED
and I also donate frequently to the homeless and charities. I'm not in the USA, but I thought Todd had made an effort, and gave him a tip for it.
You asked.
For every overpaid loafer sitting cushly on stock sold at the height of the market, I know probably a thousand that have worked for company after company that bailed, went bankrupt, or dwindled away. I go for interviews with companies that stress how they are looking for long term workers, when I know the division if not the company will be toast within 3 or 4 years, if not 3-4 months when management wakes up to reality and you will be out looking again.
The only contract positions are those paying employee wages which amounts a 50% cut in pay due to all the additional costs one incurs but are still desireable just for a networking opportunity to find your next real job.
The few positions available are for experienced workers at entry level jobs, but if you actually have the experience you are clearly overqualified for, if indeed they are available as they have generally not been filled even after a year of being open.
One networks with everyone you have worked with over the years only to find they are anticipating layoffs and it will only get darker before beginning to turn. I know people spending their retirement, or spending all the equity in their homes to stay afloat. I am not in that situation but so easily could have been had I not saved -half- of what I earned. How many of you dipshits can say that?
he's doing a show about him doing nothing while I'm doing nothing about me doing nothing.
You're posting on slashdot about you doing nothing while I'm doing nothing about...oh wait...never mind...
"I don't care about the Constitution!" --Bill O'Reilly, November 17, 2009
That is such a scam. If the job you're doing would qualify for benefits if you worked full time, I think they should have to pay the fraction of benefits that you work for. (5/8ths in that example.)
Reality: A lot of people treat job hunting as a full time job in and of itself, spending hours a day sending out resumes, querying employers, researching, etc.
Yes, let us not forget Bernard Shifman.
--
"Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
I sincerely hope that the next time you try to eat a cake, it is in fact a huge piece of your mother's shit, and you notice this sad reality halfway through the meal. That is the extent to which I hate you.
visit the hwky website for a lyrical genius infusion.
I have a policy not to give money to homeless people. You know they're just going to waste it on booze and cigarettes.
If anyone is going to waste my money on booze and cigarettes, it's going to be me, dammit.
I had a very similar experience. The first claim form, I sent in I answered the questions as honestly and completely as possible. The result was that I had to be interviewed by an EDD rep to determine eligibility. The rep reviewed my case and said that I was entitled to benefits afterall. He admonished me for being "needlessly exact" and on the form.
I was counseled by the EDD representative to intentionally lie on the forms to help "streamline" the process and reduce paperwork. I was told to only give the "standard" answers to the questions on the claim form because anything else just wastes man-hours. Only under "extreme circumstances", I was told, should I ever change the answers from the "standard" to "non-standard" responses.
Offtopic:
The World Ends Tomorrow and YOU MAY DIE!
... So says slackoff.org
He is OWED those benefits. They were paid for by him and his employer. Not having to take a minimum wage job is part of the benefits provided to you by unemployment insurance.
Paying taxes is not buying unemployment insurance, disability insurance or medical insurance, even if your government offers programs intended to provide similar services); it's putting money into a general fund. This fund may offer services similar to these to whomever it wishes -- but it's not the same thing. If the amount of money I put in and the amount of services I got out were in some way related, or I bargained (via contract) with some entity to provide the services, then I could see your point -- but with taxes, that's not so! All the services come out of the general fund, and everyone is forced to pay into that fund (some more than others); hence, those who drain more than they add from the fund put a burden on the others. It's not as if some insurance company decided to bear the associated risk of me qualifying for benefits; rather, the risk is forcibly borne by others against their will.
"Unemployment insurance" is when someone offers to take a particular risk for me, in return for a regular payment. When someone forces others to take that risk for me... no, that's no longer unemployment insurance; that's something else -- and just because I happen to have paid into that general fund doesn't excuse it.
I've been unemployed. I've been homeless. In going through college (for which I paid my own way), I refused gov't grants -- because forcing other people to pay for my education against their will(s) is wrong. Some of us care more about our morals than our necks.
As for the "puppets" bit, I've no doubt that if I knew more about your views I could describe you as puppeting someone yourself. Would it be accurate? If the thought process that lead to your views is your own, there's a strong argument to the contrary.
I work at a place that is open 24 hours a day, I get full benefits (medical, dental, life insurance, and more), and make about $12 an hour plus profit sharing. And, the more profitible locations are ALWAYS looking for computer savy people.
My job duties include working with multiple platforms (Win, Mac, Solaris), doing all kinds of geeky stuff as a computer service specialist.
Plus, most importantly, you meet anyone who is anyone in the local companies
I get job offers all of the time, but am holding off until I finish school.
" The pay for local jobs isn't as good as in the Bay Area (which is part of why I'm presently telecommuting)"
So either telecommute or just long commutes are the way to go. Live cheap, Work high, pocket the difference. Wow, what a life.
Don't forget to add "working off the clock" as part of that. And WalMart isn't the ONLY ones who do this.
"Everyone is spending their retirement money now."
Retirement money, what's that?
Even worse. Most people who've left college and started their lives, start accumilating "obligations". That college loan for starters.
Now trying to apply a strategy that was fine for a different situation than the present one will not work very well if at all..
"some of us (like yours truly) get a bill every 3 months for $400 that we don't pay - so we're not covered by the health care system."
And you do what when you have a medical emergency?
If a smart person not applying himself generates as much wealth as a normal person, how would he be a drain on society?
"...and i have a chitty looking car (but dammit, i own the thing - it's MY chitty looking car). "
Would that be the one that's dragging it's muffler, taped with plastic rear passenger window, belches smoke like a chain smoker, steering squeals like a pig on every turn? Nice car!.
" How many of you dipshits can say that? "
You're the ONLY one.
Am I the only one who notices that every time "./" has stories like this. A lot of "go for the lowest job you can find"(Mcdonalds,Walmart,Shoveling horse manure) suggestions pop up? Heaven help the "./" crowd if all the "bottom of the barrel" jobs get filled up. What does that leave? Why of course the "next shittiest jobs". Lather,rinse,repeat. Bet the suggestion maker has this secret wish to be at the top of this "pyramid" scheme. Sorry suckers you should have taken someone elses advise. Hey! Stop waving your fanny at me.
Become a civil servent (oxymoron?).
so far i've been lucky :)
in any case, i will be getting coverage in the near future (i hope).
Dammit, I meant to post that anonymously!
Wrong dumb ass AC, ya think taking Freshman english makes you a linguist? ... but We call...). This is the endpoint (for now) of a historical tendency over the last several hundred years to eliminate uses of the subjective case in ever more syntactic positions. This tendency has been fought tooth and nail by prescriptivists for at least the last couple hundred years, and they don't give up easy, so in some quarters the use of 'us' in your sentence is frowned upon. It is, of course, the natural form to use (compare how unnatural it sounds to say even 'He and I went to the store.' rather than 'Him and me went to the store.'). Anyway, that's the linguistically PC answer, ie, to do what comes naturally to you. But don't go losing your job if that usage aggravates your boss, for example.
------------------
It depends who you're talkin' to/to whom you are talking and how colloquial the situation is. Us linguists call 'we' the 'subjective case' or 'nominative case' and 'us' the 'objective case' or 'accusative case'. The modern colloquial tendency in nearly all varieties of English is to use the objective case everywhere *except* in unadorned position immediately before the verb (Us linguists call
Jim
--
James L. Fidelholtz e-mail: jfidel@siu.buap.mx
Posgrado en Ciencias del Lenguaje tel.: +(52-2)229-5500 x5705
Instituto de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades fax: +(01-2) 229-5681
Benemrita Universidad Autnoma de Puebla, MXICO
Hello? All money that the gov't has comes from someone else, but it's still public money. And as everyone has pointed out, unemployment benefits are a form of insurance, not an entitlement. Just like every other form of insurance, you don't get a payout just by asking, you have to meet the terms. In this case, you have to look for work. The amount brought in by employers is not enough to cover everyone paying into it at the same time, just that fraction likely to need it. By receiving benefits that one is not entitled to, by virtue of not living up to the requirements, one is taking money away from a limited resource that could be better spent on someone willing to play by the rules. Even in basic economics textbooks, if you aren't looking for work you don't count as unemployed. If you are no longer classified as unemployed, you don't receive unemployment benefits. Receiving an insurance benefit when you do not meet the criteria is fraud, exactly the same as if you faked a back injury to get workman's comp.
Your post indicates a basic lack of understanding about how unemployment works. The government doesn't keep track of how much has been paid into an unemployment fund on behalf of each employee, so that said employee can draw down off of their own contributions. That's absurd. There is no umemployment savings fund for you and you alone. Two folks who are laid off from the same job get the same benefits, no matter that one is just a few years out of college and the other has been a full-time worker for 30 years.
And you must live in a pretty damn affluent area if you truly believe that "if you don't put the money in, you don't get the money back". That might, maybe, be the ideal case for Social Security, but for the overwhelming majority of government payouts directly to an individual the most money comes out to those who have put the least in - y'know, the poor? A guy paying taxes on 100K a year isn't going to be getting foodstamps, or running up Medicaid bills. He doesn't need it.
I'm certainly not going to get into a lengthy argument about the purpose of taxes, though with Libertarians in this thread it might be a fun exercise, but you need to be a lot more sure of what you are talking about before you call me a moron.
You're just jealous 'cuz the voices talk to *me*
9:30!!! You guys must be real night-owls over there. Here in Sacramento, anybody out on the streets after 9 pm is obviously a criminal and is shot on sight.