But I can play legal as well. 20 CFR 604.5 - Application--availability for work It's clear that the intent here is for people receiving unemployment insurance benefits be genuine seekers of jobs and are ready and willing to take up such work. Pretending to be seeking or available is not the same thing. Just because there is a easy way to comply with regulations only makes it legal, not morally right.
Whose money is it anyway? OP is asking each of us to support his early retirement by an extra year with our tax dollars because he's tired of working and he sees a way to get around the law.
So you are arguing legislative/regulatory intent? The CFR regs seem pretty clear without trying to divine regulatory intent. The regs say you can't limit your availability for work, except to the extent the regs say you can limit your availability (work must be suitable). So if you are offered a suitable job, take it or stop collecting.
If you are morally opposed to taking government money through unemployment, then don't. You could always forgo your government pension a month or two, you know, for the cause. These are difficult economic times after all. You seem pretty well off.
Or wait, you worked a job, you took the other end of the bargain. You got your loaded government pension. I'm not going to begrudge you that.
But consider a person who takes a W-2 job gets unemployment insurance coverage regardless of whether they want it or need it. It costs them in the form of a lower salary than what it would otherwise be were they self employed or an independent contractor. So they become unemployed through no fault of their own, and they collect UI payments as long as they fulfill the established guidelines (look for work, don't refuse suitable employment). They are taking advantage of the bargain they entered.
I wouldn't feel bad if our family collected $110,000 in UI payments over the course of 99 weeks if we were not able to find suitable employment during that time. What are we to do in these difficult economic times after all? High unemployment and all that.
This is real money we are talking about. Obviously I would not violate any laws. In fact I would probably conform to the laws more than most would.
Now if you want to talk about how broken the system is where two able bodied workers like myself and my DW could get paid $110,000 as long as we look for suitable work and don't turn down suitable offers, let's talk. But not here, since I'm afraid that would be politics.
I'll just say I think it is ridiculous and that it is a clear economic incentive to NOT work unless you find the perfect job. I'd shovel horse manure for $2 an hour if I had to in order to provide for myself and my family. Except wait, the government will pay me a nice hefty sum to not work, and hold out for suitable employment. I have been a small business owner and could not find temps to work for me because they made more on UI. It is frustrating. Broken system. I agree with your statement "No wonder this country is so f&($ed up. " But the solution isn't for me to turn down $110,000 on offer. It's to stop offering $110,000.
/rant off