Plan would be difficult to administer

This is in response to Kurt Schwab’s Jan. 17 letter titled “Require jobless people to work for a paycheck.” Mr. Schwab, evidently you don’t understand how the unemployment funding is accomplished.

Each employer pays unemployment tax based on their own individual rate, established by the Illinois Department of Employment Security. This rate is a calculation based on that business’s unemployment experience. Larger employers pay this tax quarterly. Also, at the end of the year, an employer pays a federal unemployment tax to the federal government. This rate is based on how much the state has used federal funds, and, in Illinois’ case, I am sure we are at the maximum rate.

So, if we require people drawing unemployment to work, who benefits from this? The employer who paid the tax doesn’t. This would be an administrative nightmare trying to keep track of this, and we would end up adding another department in state government to monitor it.

I would not object to having random drug testing for those people drawing unemployment checks, or any other type of aid, whether it be federal or state.

Just as a side note: I have been in the workplace since I was 15. On Jan. 17, I was 64 and medically retired – and I have never drawn $1 of state unemployment.