I find myself apologizing for my fellow progressives these days,

The Future of Capitalism replies:

I don't think someone who got a big lump sum severance or whose spouse is employed at a highly compensated job is gaming the system. They (or their employer on their behalf) paid into the system, they are legitimately entitled to collect. I just don't think it fits with the image of the jobless that is put forth either by Republican politicians attacking Obama for the high jobless numbers or by the left-Democrats arguing for a Civilian Conservation Corps. They all usually try to make it sound like every last one of the jobless is some kind of character straight out of Grapes of Wrath. On the statistical basis, the number of unemployed with working spouses have to represent some significant fraction of the total. You can click through to that Current Population Survey release and do some noodling of the numbers.