Well , StarryNight, you also have expressed so much of what I feel. You have ranted my rant and put specifics on so much common ground.
Hear you on that lady. Couldn't live on $1000 a week??!! Seriously lady? I would pass out of happiness and disbelief if I ever made that much in a week. It's simply inconceivable. Had a similar experience to yours with unemployment one time. Prefaced by the need to drop out --massive depression-- on the first go, then managed a 2 year 10 years later. Graduated top of my major even. Ok, so back to the unemployment (sorry, very scattered today). The unemployment lady gives me a look and said, "Honey, you really ought to just learn some computer skills so you can get a real job." You know, instead of working in the field my degree was in(!) (This was before computers were as widespread.) Granted, it was seasonal, $6/hour and very physical work (often lifting things not that far off my own weight and out in the weather for 11 hour shifts.) But sheesh! It was the best job I'd ever had up to that point in 13 years of working. (The worst was crazy shifts waitressing for $2/hr (and dishwashing too, so it was an illegal wage, but I was desperate), tiny tips (sweeping coins off a 6-top sticks in mind) *and* as if that weren't enough, the policy was that if anyone ran out on their bill (which happened on a pretty regular basis) I'd be expected to pay half the tab out of my "wages". Knowing this was numerically impossible, more than once I chased people out into a dark parking lot at 2 am. Illegal? Probably. But not exactly in a position to push it. On food, (another job) brought home a 25 lb bag of rice that'd gone buggy. Rinsed it in batches, so the non-rice bits would float to the top, drained it, then dried it off swishing it around in a hot wok. People think this is really gross, but damn -- let it go to waste?? Goes without saying paid time off is an alien concept.
Really though, not to get into a contest or anything (lol no, really), but to say that I soooooo hear you about the real world and the sting and disbelief of hearing someone say they "couldn't live on" $1000/wk.

to you too Ygrec23. You do have a scary situation for sure. I'm 47, been working 30 years, and though many things have sucked, I still have time and health to deal with these kinds of jobs. Pension and benefits. No kidding huh? The only job I ever had that had a retirement plan?... 6 years working. One deposit. $100. And working till the day you die. Yeah, like what choice is there, right? Me too. So, guess I didn't make things very clear on the earlier post. I was never "in" to get out of.
(Do want to add though that, though it's always been modest, it hasn't always been so bad. And many others certainly are in harder situations. Much harder. I've always had a roof over my head but for 2 months -- but that was by choice. When I was married, we managed to do alright. Nothing fancy, but no complaints. Divorced now, and the real world is back to scaring the bejeebers out of me, but try to remember that I've done this before. Have the "skill set" so to speak. )

Sorry to write such a long post. Other situations have been overwhelming me lately (but am afraid to post about for fear of being recongnized. Hello paranoia.) and the writing helps in *not* thinking about those for a change. Thanks for indulging me!

And edited to say, YES! It certainly must have been a demented freak that invented alarm clocks! LOL!