[tabob]

Unemployment varies greatly state by state and rarely keeps up with the reality of the cost of living.

On top of this, it only applies if you lose your job due to "lay-offs". I've been laid off four times in my life, all 3 times the companies claimed they were not lay-offs and fought my claim. 2 times I was denied.

The third time I received unemployment benefits for 5 months. I received $4,000 in benefits then my former employer won an appeal, and my claim was deemed "fraud". I had to pay $8,500 back ($4,000 + $4,500 in "fraud fees").

If you are fired for "cause", "screw you, have a nice day".

8 months ago 10% of my company's engineering department (screw you, cloud passage) was fired "for cause" and replaced with cheap Belarusian contractors. This time I didn't even bother for unemployment, I didn't want to risk having to pay it back + 100% fines. I also do not get covid stimulus, and have had to sell my 401k to keep from being homeless.

America has no social net whatsoever. I do not qualify for unemployment, food stamps, or anything else even though I have been working my ass off and paying taxes for 25 years.

[GVRV]

This is infuriating :( Hope you weather the storm and end up in a better spot soon.

But, this is one of my concerns too. I equate money with time and if, as a law-abiding citizen, I work diligently for a couple of decades and pay my taxes, when circumstances change – I should be assured some sort of a safety net. Otherwise, what is the point of wasting time working to pay taxes? Is this the hard reality that we cannot rely on governments taking care of us and need to come up with more individualistic backup plans in such circumstances? Does paying all of your taxes and being a model law-abiding citizen make you a sucker?

[ModernMech]

Not to mention you have to make enough money to qualify for unemployment. My wife was once denied because in the window of time they use to calculate unemployment her pay was too low. They told her that in order to qualify for unemployment, she had to get a job and make more money, and then lose that job and reapply.

[tabob]

Also, when it comes to the stimulus programs, if you made too much $$ then you don't qualify. Even if I had qualified for unemployment, I wouldn't have qualified for the extra $300/week and the $1200 stimulus plans.

The only thing really keeping us afloat is we fled the USA and move to my wife's town where she owns a home and there's a low cost of living. Luckily I was raised with the philosophy that if I cannot afford to buy a thing in cash, I cannot afford to buy that thing, so I have never had any debt.