Perhaps Rockwell had it right. Somebody is always watching you. And apparently if you're caught doing something wrong, you shouldn't don't count on collecting money while you're out of work.

The Daily Chronicle in DeKalb reports on the case of a county worker who was fired for viewing pornography at work. Fair enough. But now the worker wants unemployment benefits in the wake of losing his job. His argument? The very-famous (to children) "Everybody was doing it" excuse:

The claimant’s defense that everyone was downloading and viewing pornography on the employer’s computers, and that such behavior was condoned is unpersuasive as well as incredible,” the five-member board wrote in its decision. “If everyone in the office were stealing office supplies and the employer was aware and looked the other way, i.e., condoned it, would the claimant be justified in joining in on the stealing? 

As it stands right now, the Illinois Department of Employment Security Board of Review has rejected the claim for jobless benefits. However, the ex-employee has filed an appeal in the case, so it appears the story is not over yet. What's the law? As the article explains:

Illinois law says unemployment benefits can be denied when an employee is fired for deliberately and willfully violating a reasonable work rule that either harms the employer or that the employee repeats despite warnings to stop, the decision states.

But the ex-employee's attorney says his client did not deliberately and willfully violate a rule because, as the argument goes, everyone was doing it.

All this reminds me of George Costanza's response when he was fired for having sex with the cleaning lady on his desk:

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