I was laid off last year for a couple months and for the first time in my life, applied for un-employment. Did I truly need it? Nope. Not one cent of it but it helped paying energy bills with much comfort (and I liked the idea of my former employer having to pay in). I was "required" to go to a few classes while I was on said un-employment (meanwhile just waiting on my background checks to clear for my new position). The "classes" on finding new employment always seemed to divert into how to apply for more "aide" and "benefits" (and extending current bene's) and little in the way of an actual constructive way off the dole. If the people in those "classes" spent as much energy into finding work instead of how to game the systems they would be surprised how well the could actually do in life free from some "agency overlord". But I guess some people are born to be serf's is the best I could conclude and politicians love those assholes.
RE: I was laid off last year for a couple months and for the first time in my life, applied for un-employment.
I gather from your screen name that you are a UNIX sort of fella... that makes you quite employable :)