The day AFTER Election Day

We’ve established that I live in Colorado.  And if you’ve paid any attention to the election…or the news…or the election news…you may have heard that Colorado passed Amendment 64 yesterday.  Amendment 64 allows those 21 and older to purchase up to one ounce of marijuana at specially regulated retail stores.  Possession would be legal, but not public use.  Adults could grow up to six marijuana plants in their homes.

Not sure who wrote this law.  Probably some brainiac smoking weed that he grew in his basement.

BTW – did I mention that I’m in the midst of fighting with the Unemployment Compensation Agency about my unemployment benefits?  The fight goes a little something like this:

THEM: You have received severance from your recent employer.  Severance is not considered wages.  But if we divided your severance amount by your weekly wages, we find that it’s like you got paid every week by your employer through the end of December.

ME: Sigh.  Ok, you just said my severance wasn’t considered wages, right?  And I looked up the Advisory Bulletin from the Colorado Division of Labor online and it said that severance pay is a benefit offered by employers at their own discretion.  It also said that severance pay is not wages or compensation.  So…while I received a BENEFIT from my employer, I didn’t receive WAGES or COMPENSATION – BY YOUR OWN DEFINITION!!!!  Arggghhhh!!!  So therefore give me my unemployment compensation ya %&$^#&%!  And also, if we’re being honest here, you (and by you I mean the government) took out half of my severance in taxes.  So if we’re sticking to the letter of the law, the wages I DIDN’T get paid DON’T cover me through the end of December.

THEM: You filed your appeal late.  Your reasoning as to why you are entitled to unemployment compensation may or may not be acceptable, but first you have to tell us why your appeal was late.

ME: Gaaaahhhh!!!  Ok, you gave me 20 days to file my appeal based on the day you sent my notice of denial of benefits.  You say you sent the notice of denial on this date in September.  Yet, the envelope was actually postmarked 2 days AFTER that date in September when you said you sent my notice.  And I didn’t receive it until 5 days after that what with those pesky week-ends and such.  So I sent my reply within 20 days OF THE DATE I RECEIVED THE NOTICE OF DENIAL!  Oh.  And also?  The two choices you provided for how to respond to my denial were counterintuitive.  One, I could reply by mail.  Yeah.  Right.  I saw how well that worked for YOU on the outbound trip.  And two, I could reply by fax.  Well, that there would be a really nice option if I were sitting in an office where they have fax machines galore.  But you see there’s a little catch.  I AM UNEMPLOYED SO I’M NOT SITTING IN AN OFFICE WHERE THERE’S A FAX MACHINE!  The only one who has a fax machine in this scenario is the unemployment agency and my husband at his place of employment but he travels constantly and so faxed it when he was able.

THEM:  Radio silence.

So…while they maintain their radio silence, I’m thinking of ways to earn me some of that there money everyone is talking about but which I don’t have.  ‘Cause I didn’t get paid wages, did I?!?

Makes growing those 6 plants referenced earlier look like a mighty fine option from where I’m sitting.  But if I sold anything from said plants, would it be considered wages?  And therefore would it effect my unemployment compensation??  Wait!  I have the perfect people to ask about that!!!

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