We've had a bunch of discussions about taxpayers and people who give and people who take, and attitudes about different entitlements.

So here is a real life scenario. Imagine this is a John Quinones TV show. Imagine you are a spectator in the following situation:

Paul (name changed to protect the innocent) has worked since he was 18 as a waiter. The most recent job he held he had for 7 years as a good, loyal employee. Unfortunately, one day, Paul was terminated from his job. His girlfriend, Kristen, supported him by telling him she was sure he would get another job soon.

Then Paul said, "Well, I guess I'll apply for unemployment."

To which Kristen says, "That's such a loser thing to do."

So, to please Kristen, Paul doesn't apply for unemployment. He assumes that by the time his savings have run out he'll have found another job, but that's not the case (bad timing on the termination as he lives in a seasonal town). So he asks his parents for money, and they wind up paying rent for a couple of months because they know that a) he's a dedicated worker and b) they also think another job will come along sooner rather than later and they, too, want to help him out if they can.

What say you? Should Paul have applied for unemployment? Or would he have been, as Kristen said, a "loser" to do so?


Please feel free to add your own "episodes" of "What Would You Do? (Entitlement version)". Real or imagined.