Remember that a LOT of good conservatives were laid off in the past two years. We don't go into soup lines and seek out government benefits. And unemployment does not come close to paying a mortgage or bills. So say you are a good person and had laid up a sum to live off of in hard times. EVEN THAT goes fast.
It was Obama's economy and the fear of it continuing that caused employers to slash their staff. It is no fault of the unemployed.
I wish all of you were a little more sensitive to the many good people laid off. They do NOT get some magical great benefits, and they paid into unemployment all these years. I don't know what length of time is right, but here in the USA they receive a FRACTION, a tiny fraction, of their salaries, whereas when I collected in a European country once upon a time, I was making 90% of my high salary for many months, and it slowly dropped down to 80%, then 60%, etc. (In fact, it was my eye-opener to socialism and I just felt it was SO WRONG to make that kind of money sitting on my couch.) Here, even if you made $10K a month, you get $1200. Big difference.
I know some “good conservatives” who have been laid off... and lulled into a stupor by the ease of obtaining benefits. It really annoys me. Some of these folks could get *a job* but refuse because they think they job they COULD get is beneath them.
Necessity is the mother of invention. Anyone can fall on hard times, but if you subsidize their unemployment too long, they start to really believe that they DESERVE to work in a position similar to the one they held. Truth is, some architects will end up flipping burgers at McDonalds. If it was me, though, I’d be *managing* that McDonalds within 6 months.
Want inspiration? Look at the immigrants from Asia who come over here, work the 7-11 convenience store, live as an extended family, scrip and save, and - the next thing you know - they OWN the 7-11.
A bad economy can be a setback, for sure. But too many people simply REFUSE to let it set them back. They expect to pick back up right where they left off. Screw that. Take the setback, build yourself back up, and reinvent success for yourself. Suckling at the government teat is NOT the answer.