I dont know. Is the unemployment rate of 10% real, or not? You're right about less pay, but give the American working person credit, he's been doing that for years now.
There is no need to be a punk about it. Judging by your story, you're still fairly young and you had a larger cushion than most to fall back on. Good for you. Most others may not be as lucky in their misfortune. That doesn't mean they didn't work hard and try their best. So why the nuanced schadenfreude?
In reasonably normal circumstances, that would be the correct course of action. In unprecedented circumstances, your commentary showcases Third World first-order thinking. Many households have already stretched and compromised and have yet to make ends meet. Fuck 'em, right?
because you went off on the assumption that i didnt know what i was talking about, and i resent that assumption. i feel for the underprivileged. really. being in consumer products, i see the articles first hand and the stats about food stamps. i read the stories about the single mother with two kids who runs out of food two days before the last day of the month, and as a result she and her two children go hungry. the article goes on to detail how the mom tries to make a game of it and they count down the hours until the money is deposited on their card so they can go get the food they need to make it another month. my heart weeps at such detail. then i read the story of the couple in LA who cheers when benefits are extended because they're living rent free (the bank is backlogged and cannot foreclose) and this means the husband can go out and get that ipad he wanted. they're both unemployed, collect food stamps (the SNAP program) and they spend most of the day watching tv together. they even comment about how it's made their marriage tighter. and i pay for it? fuck that.
until you can provide me a statistic that shows reliably what percentage of those on unemployment benefits have exhausted all possibilities, you have no ground to stand on in this argument whatsoever. none. because the reality is that there are probably more people in the other camp, the camp where they haven't done all they could because they dont HAVE to. and every time i read another dumbass article about how now California has to put a block on the government assistance cards at casinos, because people were using the money deposited to gamble, i get more and more pissed off. and so do all americans who foot the bill. welfare, food stamps, housing assistance, medicaid, public transit assistance, etc. - all of that is just fine and is not part of this discussion. extending unemployment benefits for another year and making it 3 years is sheer liberal stupidity and solves nothing. nothing at all, and just gives another handout.
Now pre-school and college is out because of the evil rich people! "CNBC's Erin Burnett initially whined that "We can't afford it" but then went on to tell viewers that if Congress were to forego tax cuts we could afford "universal pre-school for free and provide free college tuition for half of the college students."
privatize all education, get rid of unions, and take the money saved to return to those who need it based on income and this is solved.