originally posted in:Secular Sevens
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[spoiler]Fair warning - I am by no means an economist, nor have I taken any economic classes outside of the intro classes I had to take in undergrad[/spoiler]
What benefit is it to society to let true capitalism run its course? No government assistance programs, no "hand-outs", not "entitlements." Should we really support the "every man for himself" philosophy?
Isn't it in our best interests, both as a country and as a society, to help those who cannot help themselves? We're only as strong as our weakest link, so don't we all benefit when we help each other?
I understand that a great many don't enjoy paying taxes [or even go so far as to call it "theft"], but doesn't it help us all when we help each other; when we can provide for those who cannot provide for themselves?
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Even a guy like Milton Friedman, the leading intellectual in neoliberal economics, supported a negative income tax that gave low income people direct cash transfers. The reality is there needs to be some degree of a stabilization mechanism in place to prevent the booms and busts from being too wild.