Unemployment

So I just got my first unemployment check yesterday.  It seems weird to have been paid for getting fired and filling out the appropriate paperwork.  Oddly enough, it didn't come until I'd been out of work for almost a month.  If I was truly in need, I'd be living on the street right now.  Luckily my final paycheck and tax refund were sufficient to hold us.

Additionally we qualified for "food stamps" and have been eating really well.  Costco accepts them so we bought in bulk and have plenty of food.  On this part I was feeling a little guilty.  Enough so that I didn't want my parents to find out, a challenge considering the tight knit nature of my family.  Mom especially would have put me on a guilt trip for being 'part of the problem'.  That's pretty much been my take on any kind of government assistance too.  They are a group that takes from the system instead of contributing.

When mom did find out, she was not only understanding, she was almost excited for me.  The perspective finally came when she said "You have nothing to feel guilty about.  You've been contributing and this is exactly the situation that it's there for."

That felt good to realize that I'm not 'bilking the government'.  Instead I'm drawing on the monies that for years I have been paying into Social Security and Unemployment and Disability Ins.  Maybe that makes me a Democrat, that I'm grateful that the government took my money for .... 15 years?  So that I could draw on it when I needed it.

Hmm.  That brings up an interesting math question then.  How much have I paid in vs. how much am I alloted to draw?  A question for another post I guess.