Am I a Criminal?

I didn't blog about this as it was actually happening because, well the whole thing is just ridiculous - but last year when I was laid off. I got a pretty good severance package that lasted about 14 weeks... meaning that I was paid as if I were still working for all of May, June, and about 2 weeks of July.

The company didn't give me the correct information - so I didn't know to sign up for unemployment benefits LONG before you actually will need them. So there was a 2 week or so gap between being paid by the company and my unemployment benefits kicking in.

Then when I got my job - I worked for about a month before I actually got a full paycheck... so during that time I claimed one unemployment benefit too many (or so they say) - you know, so I could pay my mortgage...

Anyway - they sent me a bill for it, and I appealed.... had to go through an over the phone trial thing - and thus lost. So now I have to pay back like $1,100 to the State. Which incidentally is like 3 weeks worth of benefits that they paid me... not exactly a fair trade, but whatever.

I find it both outraging and comical at the same time - mainly because I'm NOT a person that would try to cheat the system... but yet so many people get away with it. I don't know how they do it - I mean I'd like to think that I'm smarter than the average Joe Blow... but yet I am the one that they come after.

That's me though... public enemy #1!