Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Do Unemployment Benefits Disincentivize Work?

 No, says this discussion. 

These claims remind me the line from the theme song for "All in the Family.""Didn't have no welfare state. Everybody pulled his weight." 

And it is one of the most difficult aspects of conservatism for me to buy. 


8 comments:

One Brow said...

It depends upon the person, like most things. Most people need status of one sort or another, and the most common form of status-seeking is through having greater wealth. Some people seek other kinds of status, and some seek none.

oozzielionel said...

Perhaps the question is "could..." instead of "do...?"

StardustyPsyche said...

OP
Yes, when the unemployment payment is a substantial fraction of what would otherwise be earned, and emphatically yes, when the individual actually makes the same or more on unemployment.

It is simple economics, why work if one can make as much or even more by not working?

For a while there I was actually hoping I would get laid off. My job got a lot harder because of Covid-19. There were many times where I just hoped I would get laid off so I could collect $1050 a week for sitting on my ass at home, hell yeah.

The usual $450 a week would not be enough to cover expenses, so that would be a problem, but $1050 a week? Are you kidding me? Sign me up!!!

Of course, they send you the little slip you have to fill out each week, you know, did you look for work? Yup. Did you turn down an offer of work? Nope. Check please!

Well, cooler heads prevailed, they were not about to lay me off, and I actually make more than that, plus health insurance would be a problem in the only developed nation on Earth that lacks national health care.

Hence, I owe, I owe, so off to work I go...

But even if you make $20 and hour, that is only $800 a week, so $1050 is gonna look real good to stay safe and sound at home instead of going out to mix it up with the Covid-19 carriers at work.

I mean, why bust your ass at a crappy low pay job working for a dick and getting exposed to Covid-19 by a bunch of ignorant Trumpsters who refuse to wear a mask, when you can stay safe at home kicking back doing whatever you feel like while raking in more cash than you ever made at your crummy little job? Are you kidding me? How is this even a question?

Starhopper said...

Here is something for all you professed Christians on this site who inexplicably still support our current president to ponder.

Let this soak in, and kindly explain to me how you can still live with your choice.

Unknown said...

Since I am on unemployment and was the beneficiary of the $600 stimulus package plus the standard unemployment, I would say it's a good disincentive to get job since you're are making much more than you would at a "regular " job. The $600 a week magically is exactly the minimum wage proposed by certain folks.If you add in the state benefit, it becomes the equivalent of $50K or more per year, if the benefits are extended.

Starhopper said...

I know that I swore to never again interact with the vile racist who posts under the name all too similar to my own (Stardusty). But as usual the real world intervenes when we wish with all our soul that it wouldn't.

So come on, Stardusty. Please tell us all how righteous was the murder of Jacob Blake. Kindly school us on how he deserved his fate. Enlighten us on on what a piece of dung the black man was, whilst the murderous white police officers were just tragically misunderstood, and how they're the real victims here.

Say it with me, Stardusty, and you'll still have a shot at avoiding perdition: Black Lives Matter!

StardustyPsyche said...

Starhopper,
Oh, you mean that violent criminal who stole a set of keys, refused to give them back, so the folks called 911 for criminal trespass, and a warrant was out for this vicious violent criminal for criminal trespass, sexual assault, and domestic violence.

You mean the rapist, violent criminal that the folks called the cops on to be protected from his further crimes.

Oh, but wait, surprise surprise, the violent vicious rapist criminal Jacob Blake then compounded his crimes by getting into a violent criminal fight with the police, as opposed to what any decent human being would do, namely, cooperate with the police, so they tased him, but again, surprise surprise, he still didn’t comply, so the cops finally had to shoot this garbage asshole to protect the innocent.

By the way, moron, he was not murdered. He was cuffed to his hospital bed because he is under arrest for a long list of crimes he committed and if justice is served this scum will spend decades in prison.

Thank you to the fine officers in the State of Wisconsin.

Why do you hate law enforcement officers so much? You are an especially disgusting bigot. These fine young people put their lives on the line against vicious dangerous criminals like Michael Brown, Tamir Rise, and Jacob Blake yet all you do is denigrate their fine work of protecting innocent people at their own risk.

I am super happy the officers in those cases went home safe to their families, sometimes bruised physically, often abused by the ugly vomit mob like you, but at least they lived and the criminals they stopped did not harm any further innocent victims, not that you give a flying fuck about innocent victims, you love vicious violent criminals and you hate the fine law enforcement officers who protect us all from their ilk, you vile pile of anti law enforcement criminal cheering bigoted hating excrement.

Starhopper said...

Coming from you, StarRacist, such characterizations are compliments, and I will cheerfully accept them. It's like being criticized by the KKK. I would worry about myself, were I ever praised by anyone such as yourself.

So please keep it up. You do us all a favor here by showing that racism and bigotry are not confined to Trump supporters. That poison is deep within America's bloodstream, and will still be sadly with us long after we have voted out the racist-in-chief this November.