Imagine this scenario. Your old college buddy, Ken, is moving to your city and needs to find a place to live. You offer to let him stay at your place until he can find a decent apartment. Ken promptly moves in and starts living on your couch. After six months, he still hasn't found a place to live. You raise the issue with him, but he pleads for more time. He says he's been looking at places, but he just cannot find a place that meets his needs. Right before you go to throw him out, your wife intervenes. She tells you that you should be charitable, and give him six more months.

You explain to Ken that you are going to give him six more months to find a place to live. You even tell him that if he finds a place within three months, you'll pay his first three months rent as a bonus. You shake on it, and he assures you he's doing the best he can.

Six more months pass, and Ken is still a permanent fixture on your couch. He's now been there for a year, and you are at your wits end. You are ready to kick him to the curb, when he starts pleading for just three more months. He says the market is really soft, and there just aren't any good places out there. The holidays are coming up, it is cold outside, and your wife is tugging at your arm. She tells you that you should let him stay just a little while longer.

You decide to give him three more months. You tell Ken that he must find a place to live within three months, or he's going out with the Tuesday trash. You've been generous and charitable, and a year should be long enough for anyone to find a decent place to live.

Three months go by, and Ken is still there. It has now been 15 months since Ken first moved in. You are damned ready to kick his narrow ass out of your house, when he has the nerve to ask for more support. Ken says that you owe it to him. He calls you mean spirited and heartless for wanting to kick him out. He tells you that you don't know how rough it is out there. He vilifies you, while portraying himself as a victim in the situation. What would you do? Would you kick him out, or let him stay?

Well, not surprisingly, the LA Times thinks that you should have to let him stay. They are calling for yet another extension to unemployment 'benefits', and accusing 'the rich' of "making the jobless pay".