> I remembered talking to Sam about the unemployment scheme over there, but the details eluded me. Sorry if I ended up asking questions we've already covered here. I can't decide whether or not I like it better the US way. I think both ways have their pluses and minuses.

I like unemployment insurance, but I don't like that it's mandatory for employers to pay it, nor that the government is the one handling the money. It should be private businesses handling unemployment insurance -- that's better for the economy, keeps the government out of what it doesn't belong in, and provides the employee with options about what type of plan he wants to have -- and the employee, not the government, should decide whether he wants to participate in an unemployment insurance plan in the first place.

Still, the system we have, flawed or not, worked for me earlier this year. It saved us a whole heck of a lot of financial trouble, so except from an idealistic standpoint, it's hard for me to complain too loudly.

By the way, I hope there was not any implication that my invention in this thread was to discount the points you made -- I was simply providing what I thought might be the financial side of the story, which is not always the only side. Certainly when there are issues of self-worth and stir-craziness involved as well, the best thing to do might or might not fall in line with what's best for the finances.