Wow, Braddock. I can’t even believe there is a disagreement about this. You want me to feel sorry for people who have been sitting around collecting my tax dollars for doing absolutely nothing? Let’s get this straight. These peole had a job at one point and failed to save a single dime the entire time they were employed. Yet they had money for cable TV, cigarettes, beer and trips to Vegas. This despite the near certainty that one will lose their job at some point in their career and require some cash to fall back on while out of work. These are the same clowns that also save nothing for the inevitable medical emergency, not to mention retirement. They spend recklessly, have no savings and expect me to pay for it when they run into trouble. I don’t think so. They’re not simply lazy, they’re also thieves. People on the dole are nothing more than common criminals stealing money from people who work for a living. They want a hot meal? Lock them up in debtors prison so they can break rocks all day for three squares and a cot. I couldn’t give a damn about the fools who have nothing to live on because they only have themselves to blame. The fact that you give them a voice makes you no better than they are. You should roundly condemn these bums at every turn..

A few things, “texmln”:

1. Jesus said “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” So, Jesus was for you and me paying our taxes. In our republic, it’s up to our duly elected representatives to adjust the rates.

2. The unemployment benefits are paid through federal taxes yes, but those are *payroll* taxes. The 47 percent you refer to are people who don’t pay *income* taxes. Those are different and I’m pretty sure you know better, so it’s a pretty flimsy piece of evidence on which to base your entire argument.

3. Sure, they were planning on only 30 weeks of unemployment, but as others have pointed out this is the worst downturn since the Great Depression. You’re being an ideologue when realism is what’s needed.

“The pessimist complains about the wind; The optimist expects it to change; The realist adjusts the sails.” — William Arthur Ward

Let me remind you, texmln…..heaven forbid, if you were ever laid off, it would be my tax dollars partially paying for your benefits. Furthermore, it’s people like you and your ignorant and prejudiced attitudes that condemn and morally convict unemployment recipients like myself (up to June 5, that is…) without ever personally knowing any of us and our situations leading up to our needing and lawfully applying for unemployment benefits.

I’m a law-abiding, tax-paying, election voting American citizen who DID save while NEVER taking Vegas vacations…or any vacation for that matter…nor do spend money on cigarettes or beer because I don’t smoke or drink as well as never frivilously spend my hard-earned money. Not to mention, I’ve always given 10% of my earnings to charity upon being hired after graduating college (which I worked and paid my own way through without the help of loans…ultimately earning a bachelors).

Nonetheless, even with steadfast saving, investing in my 401k, and faithfully working hard everyday, I was laid off from a major financial institution two years ago and have since been unable to find even somewhat comparable work while (unsuccessfully) conducting daily exhaustive work searches with nearly one hundred resume’s sent/emailed.

Unfortunately, I’m not rich nor have I earned a lot of money which, in turn, allowed me to save a lot of money from which to live in case I had been laid off…which eventually happened. Moreover, a large majority of unemployed Americans are just like me…hard working, smart budgeting, saving, and responsible. We do not place blame on the previous administration for putting America in the recession we are now fighting out of. Nor, do we place blame on anyone else that got us to the point of being laid off without means to pay our rent or mortgage, utilities including water/electricity/gas, food, medicine, health insurance, car payments, car insurance, renters insurance (if applicable), doctor co-pays and remaining percentages, and emergency maintenance/upkeep spending. Yet, you have the gal to wonder why the unemployed are unable to sustain ourselves merely on savings without unemployment??? I’ll tell you how far my savings got me…three months. That includes prematurely cashing out my retirement that earned me a huge tax penalty for which I had no income to pay for, either. Contrary to your gifted thought process, few of us make enough money after paying the aforementioned expenses to put a healthly amount away for a rainy day.

Do us all a favor, texmln, before you go mouthing off about people and things of which you have absolutely no clue, step in our shoes for over two years without being hired while you and your family’s lives depend on the government’s already limited hand-out. However, I honestly don’t think you have the capacity for intelligent thought or compassion after reading your premature and ignorant supposition.

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