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In my experience most people who complain about the unemployment system have never actually used it.
I collected for a month or two after getting unexpectedly locked out of the Acclaim building and not even receiving paychecks I was owed, and I was surprised to learn what a good system Texas actually has. You do have to prove you're looking for work, and they do check up on the businesses you list, you can't just write shit down. The benefits are structured such that if you find part-time employment, your benefits are reduced not by the amount you're making, but less than that, so that you will end up with considerably more money by working part-time-plus-unemployment rather than just sitting there and collecting benefits. This math is explained very clearly for the academically-challenged, both in paperwork and during the mandatory in-person meetings you must attend at the Work Center before receiving any money. (Admittedly irritating for someone like me to have to take lessons on how to write a resume and interview well, but I recognize that I'm not generally their target audience, and for free money I could suck it up and pretend to be listening.) This Work Center was also where a huge number of free training classes were available at all hours of the day and night. Some of my ex-coworkers took a few of the carpentry/vocational classes just to fill the time, and because hey, wouldn't it be cool if you knew how to fix your own car?
Can't speak for other states, but Texas' unemployment system is awesome and well worth the taxpayer dollars.
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