wow just wow.

[stereocuuple]

after five weeks of dealing with the red tape. erin just recived her very first unemployment payment today. she was laid off because the hotel where she works is renovating to the tune of $40,000,000.00 she did not work a full week the last two weeks of 2011 and was laid off with no notice the month of jan. 2012. the process of getting to your payments is so stupid and riddiled with pitfalls its not even real. she has never recived unemployment in the 15 + years she has paid into the system. we paid around $10,000 in federal & state tax for 2011. (Il. had a 65% increase in income tax in 2011) well it all paid off today for her. she recived for the month of jan. 2012 a payment after tax of (drumroll) $370.00 thank god. a little less than she pays in tax on a reg. 40 hour week.

she now is back to work although at a reduced amt. of hours. so no more benifits for the time being. also no vacation this year (took all her paid time off to pay bills). the co. she works for has moved the reopen date for her rest. and bar 3 times and we have no reason to belive it wont be put off again. so who knows what will be comming in the next months.

we normaly spend our disposable income in our comunity so those folks are seeing less income. we also are not providing taxes to prop up the socail programs that we normaly pay for.

i know there are folks who are in far worse shape than us. we cut spending and stayed home all month. we managed our money and paid cash for all our bills and food. which we do every month by the way (we never use credit unless it is an emergency). i dont even know why im posting this except to vent a little.

i guess if there is any point to this if we can survive this by paying our bills and not running into debt. if we can trim our spending when the situation calls for it.

why then should we pay for a federal govt that wont do the same?

employes should be able to opt out of f.i.c.a. and start their own private acct. to cover lost wages. this would mean of course that we would not be able to recive any aid from the fed or state. we would be responcible for our own welfare. what a funny idea. this of course wont happen because we are paying all the taxes we pay not to insure ourselves. but to prop up a system that is choking to death under its own weight.

in closing the amt. of tax we paid in 2011 is not even close due to the insane tax we pay when we are lucky enough to have any cash to spend. (well over $250.00 per year on internet & phone alone). when you ad up all the post fed income taxes on lights,gas,food & transportation. i think i would be sick.

sorry for the rant. and by the way hello everyone.

eric