C&SD, I am currently employed, not on unemployment. This particular stint of employment has lasted almost six years. Hopefully that will continue.
If you pay into an unemployment insurance fund for 'x' number of years, should you not expect to reap some benefit from it should you become unemployed? What is the point of it all, otherwise?
Again, unemployment insurance does not equal welfare. Different programs, different funding sources, wholly different intentions behind them. This "any government payment is welfare" mentality is...dumb.