Originally Posted by jimmycooper

I've been getting unemployment insurance for approximately 60 weeks and am scheduled to get 91 weeks at $405/week. That adds up to approximately $36K. I did debate whether or not to take it, but from the time I moved to NYC when I was 22 years old and worked my ass off and paid a shitload of federal, city, and state taxes for nearly 9 solid years, with the last 3 of them being in the highest bracket. I then quit my job and was doing real estate for awhile until getting called by my former company and accepted an offer to do a really cool freelance job that paid really well, but did not deduct taxes from paychecks.
About a month before finishing the assignment, I paid taxes that amounted to way more than my 91 weeks of unemployment will pay me. It was shocking to pay the lump sum after having my taxes deducted from paychecks for all those years. Rightfully or not, having to pay so much in taxes definitely played a part in my decision as did the fact that I really just needed a break. Even though I think 91 weeks is an absolutely ridiculous, especially when coming from a bankrupt state like NYC, I don't feel the least bit guilty. If that makes me a hypocrite, so be it.