People who find themselves unemployed today are no more lazy or unworthy than you or I. They’ve just fallen on hard times — as a lot of people have in recent years, and as more are sure to in the years to come. They don’t want to go on unemployment benefits, which in most cases pay much less than nearly any job.

But that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to maintain a permanent unemployment benefits regime that goes on for a year or even two.