<html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12pt"><div style="RIGHT: auto"><SPAN style="RIGHT: auto">No, these are subsidies since they exist because of government policy. Were they voluntary, this might be different, but then the whole schema might be different. For instance, the interest rates for student loans might be higher and I doubt there'd be such a thing as unemployment insurance absent the government. (And this is not a bad thing. There'd likely be less of problem in the first place because the economy would be far more productive. But also people would just save for a rainy day* and the overall cost of living would be much lower, especially without taxes and inflation.)</SPAN></div>
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<div style="RIGHT: auto"><SPAN style="RIGHT: auto">Regards,</SPAN></div>
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<div style="RIGHT: auto"><SPAN style="RIGHT: auto">Dan</SPAN></div>
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<div style="RIGHT: auto"><SPAN style="RIGHT: auto">* The significant periods of mass unemployment are all government caused in my reading.<VAR id=yui-ie-cursor></VAR></SPAN></div>
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<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ccc 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 0; MARGIN: 5px 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; HEIGHT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 0px; BORDER-TOP: #ccc 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #ccc 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 0px" class=hr contentEditable=false readonly="true"></DIV><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">From:</SPAN></B> spike <spike66@att.net><BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> 'ExI chat list' <extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org><BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Tuesday, July 12, 2011 4:31 PM<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> Re: [ExI] rugged individualists<BR></FONT><BR>>... On Behalf Of Damien Broderick<BR>...<BR>==========================<BR>Half of Americans Who Get Govt Aid Say They Don’t KRISTINA CHEW<BR><BR><Half of Americans who receive government aid in the form of social services believe that they have not 'used a
government social program.” <BR>These include:<BR><BR>53.3 percent of those who’ve received federal student loans<BR>51.7 percent of those who’ve received child and dependent care tax credits<BR>43 percent of those who’ve received unemployment insurance<BR>39.8 of those who’ve received Medicare<BR>28.7 of those who’ve received Social Security Disability<BR>25.4 of those who’ve received food stamps...<BR><BR>Ja, but unemployment insurance doesn't belong on this list. That is insurance, not government aid. The federal student loans belong on there only if the graduate fails to repay what she owes.<BR><BR>spike</DIV></DIV></div></body></html>