Bah, period.

[mitejen]

My unemployment ran out, but I qualify for the Emergency Extension passed by Congress. I have 9 weeks to find SOMETHING. I have many thoughts on this subject, most of them of guilt, but it's no good dwelling. At this point, I can't be picky, although I really wasn't to start with. I'm afraid to go back to retail or waiting tables though. . .it's

Comments

[mitejen]

I've been unemployed almost 5 months.

I don't know how it works over there, but over here it's sort of like a bank--part of your regular paycheck gets diverted into a fund set aside for you. But it's odd that it ran out so soon--I had a friend on unemployment for 8 months. Honestly I wasn't sure when it would- the system is SO poorly managed and without resources that you don't get any kind of information or update as to how much you have left, you have to call their crap phone line (if you can get through) and talk to a person.

I'll figure something out. I always do.

[mitejen]

But to offer nothing but what you put in, how does that work if you're on minimum wage?

The really suck thing is that there's a fixed amount of what you can receive: between 150 and 275 a week. So someone who got laid off from a job making 50 grand or something would have to try and survive off of eleven hundred dollars a month. And the really, really incredible thing?

The goverment taxes your benefits..

Obama's trying to get that last bit changed, thankfully.

[mitejen]

So what, a fixed percentage is deducted from your paycheck (presumably up to a certain amount), stored up and then distributed back. In one sense, the $50k person would be better off in the US than here

No, it's a fixed rate. So no matter what you made before you file for unemployment, the most you can receive is $275 a week. You have no control over what you put into the fund, the government just deducts it automatically based on your pay grade. So if you made 50k a year, and all your bills/mortgage/car payment were based on that figure, you'd be royally boned