Do it. You've been paying into the system you whole working life. Do you want to end up in the gutter, along with your sick wife?
I am almost tempted to do the same. The business here in Minnesota is not good, with clients asking for proposals on projects, yet projects seeming to be on infinite hold. The nanny staters are giving me the line about “having more realistic expectations in life”, and the business climate in Texas is very good, with some real inquiries. Good thing I have maintained my business contacts there.
We will for somethings. With the state shut down, we can’t do anything on the state level. My job was contract work so no unemployment there.
To get the kind of goodies they have I would have to quit working completely and sell off my business. While it does not make enough to support us (yet) it does pay it’s bills and puts some money in to the household budget every month.
Last time we looked at SSI for the kids (and the wife, she should qualifiy for disability) we where told it’d take years and a lawyer to get it all done.
Still, Tuesday we’ll look in to it again.
We own the house, the land it’s on is rented but cheap enough (mobile home. we’re trying to live with in our means). we won’t be out on our butts but it might be roman noodles for me for a while.