I was on unemployment for 18 days when I was maybe 19 or 20. First week is a "waiting" week that you don't get paid for. Total received was under $200. I really stuck it to the Man on that one.

Does Workman's Comp count? I was on it for about 8 weeks when I hurt my back.

I have no beef with folks having a bad time, or needing a hand, or people who are unable to work getting benefits. Those are the people that I think we have an obligation as a society to help.

My beef is the people who milk it, see it as a career, or see it as a family business to be passed down from generation to generation. And my problem is less about laziness than it is about taking services from the people who truly need it. In my 15 glorious years in the Helping Industrial Complex, I've seen it over and over. Finite resources stretched to the breaking point by people who simply refuse to support themselves, at the expense of those who really need the help.