Federal unemployment benefits typically expire after 26 weeks (or 6 months). After 9/11 they were extended another 13 weeks. With federal benefit extensions set to expire December 28, the whining is already starting.

The SFGate reports that 300,000 Californians will lose their federal unemployment benefits on December 28th.

"I don't think it's fair," said San Francisco resident Karen Rothstein, 59, a former cook at Miz Brown's Feed Bag. "The economy hasn't recovered yet. I have some money in an IRA, but I don't want to go into my IRA yet."

I don't blame her. Why spend your own money, or worse, go back to work, when you can suck on the federal teat for a while longer. Rothstein does claim to be hitting the pavement 4 hours per day looking for work. Still, she wants an additional 26 weeks of unemployment benefits.

Despite California having the 4th highest unemployment rate in the nation, Governor Gray-"out" Davis shirks his responsibility off onto the federal government. "Failing to provide additional weeks of benefits to the long-term unemployed would . . . send a bleak message to tens of thousands of California's jobless workers," says Davis. Davis supports Californians going for literally years without working. Instead of working themselves, they are supported by money forcibly seized from those that do work hard every day.

Am I being too heartless here? How is it that a cook, assuming she is a decent cook, cannot find gainful employment for over a year? I think she either sets her standards too high, or she really doesn't want to work. Or, perhaps the California restaurant industry is so rattled by stringent anti-smoking legislation that there really are no jobs left. If that is the case, she needs to MOVE!

Geez, my whole reason for leaving Southeast Virginia was because the job market sucked so bad. I moved to Georgia and then Ohio to further my career. Still, the Californians and other liberals insist on using the police power of the federal government to seize my money at the point of a gun, to line their own pockets. And then, as if 39 weeks, wasn't enough, they are whining for another 26 weeks of 'benefits'!