Teabagger today didn't like my calling his unemployment benefits welfare

[quakerboy]

46. I dont think that is accurate

I think that there are several facets to this, but the most important in this juncture is speaking to people in language they understand, language that is commonly accepted in their society. In RW culture, its generally understood that any government social programs for individuals in need are "welfare". When a Republican Senator talks about cutting welfare, he is including Social Security and UI. And when a Teabagger cheers for them, they are supporting Cuts to Social security and UI, and considering them welfare.

As such, its important that they be confronted with the end results of their own terminology. Anyone who is dead set against government social programs to help those who need it, but is at the same time directly benefiting from government social programs , should be confronted with this contradiction. Chances are they will refuse to give it any real consideration, but letting it lie or declining to engage in a way that the other side of this debate can comprehend certainly wont improve the situation. I wouldnt try to speak to a Russian in Portuguese, nor would I try to communicate with a Cat in Computer binary Code. Why would you try to communicate with a Teabagger in terms that mean something entirely different in his language?


Moving on from that, I think your assessment is incorrect, even if you and I are using the same accurate language. It seems to me that the unemployment program is something our government does to protect society, and taxes employers to pay for. That it is a government social program. And given that it is paid for by a Tax on employers, and distributed to individuals presumed to be in need, that sounds like a form of welfare to me. I don't have any problem with Welfare, so that doesn't much bother me.

To further flesh this out, given that the Unemployment tax is paid by employers, What happens to cover shortfalls when unemployment is high, and who benefits when Unemployment is low? Are any Tax increases taken out of your check? Are any unemployment tax reductions added to your check? Or is it the employer who deals with this as a cost of doing buisiness? Further, if the taxes do not cover the costs of the program, where does the money to cover that gap come from? My assumption is that state and federal general tax revenue get sent over, though I could be wrong.

In that context, it looks to me that unemployment taxes paid by the employer are more akin to property taxes that the government levies to pay for road repair and working utilities than like part of your compensation package, like a 401k Match.