Party on, unemployed Arizonans. Sen. Sylvia Allen says you're being paid too much

Attention all you out-of-work Arizonans living on (waiting for?) unemployment pay:  At least one state legislator thinks you hit the jackpot.

I suspect Sen. Sylvia Allen thinks some of you are lazy, too — content to continue to live on Uncle Sugar even when (if?) your job returns.

Allen, a Snowflake Republican, is almost legendary for saying stupid things.

Like that time she declared that the world is 6,000 years old. Or that time she waxed on about immigration and the need for white women to step it up and have more babies.

Now Allen, who is running for reelection in her northern Arizona district, is worried that some out-of-work Arizonans will get fat and far too happy while collecting unemployment checks.

Allen was on KFYI on Thursday morning talking about the big score by those who've been thrown out of their jobs. And, of course, lamenting that some won’t return to work until the federal trough runs dry.

Here’s her exchange with conservative host James T. Harris, part of a broader call for reopening Arizona (starts at 2:50 on the recording):

Harris: “These checks are so big that it’s like a disincentive to go back to work, have you noticed that?”

Allen: “Oh absolutely. Look at the unemployment insurance. The feds have kicked in $600 a week and that is on top of the $240 that the state pays.

“If you’re a person that has a minimum-wage job or just above that, this unemployment, it’s going to be very hard for you to want to give that up come July 20 is when the so-called $600 a week is supposed to fall away.

“And we’re trying to get our economy back up and running and our employers are going to need to have their employees be willing to come back to work quickly and I’m wondering if a lot of them will want to ride out the federal unemployment until at least July 20.”

Yes, because it's just a party every day for Arizonans who are wondering how they will pay this month's rent.

People like Esperanze, who's applied for unemployment a month ago.

"Even when you qualify, you still (are) unable to get paid," she wrote. "There is no way to get an answer on what they call unresolved issues, no phone calls or answers to letters."

People like Maggie, who's been out of work since March 12.

"Over a month now have not received anything..," she wrote. "I start calling at 7:30 a.m. and continue throughout the day with no success. It is so sad when you do not choose to be in this situation and have no one to help you."

The state Department of Economic Security, which administers the program, can’t seem to figure out how to send those $600-a-week federal paychecks to part-timers, self employed, gig workers and certain others because they don't qualify for state unemployment benefits.

That would be the whopping up-to-$240 the state pays to certain unemployed workers — one of the lowest benefits in the nation. One that hasn’t been raised since 2004.

One that, as I said, a fair number of lower-income workers don’t qualify for anyway.

Oh yeah, those lucky people tossed out of their jobs -- the ones tossing and turning into the wee hours every night -- they are living large.

So says the largely clueless legislator who has been at home for the last month, riding out a state paycheck. 

Did I mention that Allen is up for re-election this year?

Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com.