At long last the old Two Percenter has joined
the ever swelling ranks of jobless Americans. And
though he is no bum and a principled anti-statist, he faces a moral
quandary. Does he accept unemployment
insurance payments?
On one hand, my State’s online benefits
calculator advises that I am entitled to receive a paltry $16K in total
benefits. After over 40 years of paying
to unemployment “insurance”, it seems only fair to get a piece of that
back. In fact my lifetime contributions
will far exceed my benefit.
On the other hand, America’s unemployment
insurance system is not really insurance at all. Insurance is a wager of small sum against the
odds of an unpleasant and expensive calamity occurring in one’s life. The odds are calculated by actuaries and the
financial pool is statistically self-sustaining with wagers and investment
income on the premiums outpacing payouts. State
sponsored unemployment plans are funded by current tax dollars.
Given
that taxation is theft and most premium pools are bankrupt, any benefits that I
might receive could be construed an act of theft on my part.
The lame justification for my thievery could be
that someone stole from me therefore I am justified in stealing from someone
else. However, an eye for an eye system
of justice only works when you put out the eye of the perpetrator who put out
yours. There is no justice in blinding
an innocent bystander.
One might ask, why is there long term
unemployment and a need to insure against it?
In a free market, temporary unemployment occurs when an individual fails
to compete effectively in the marketplace.
Consumer dollars move away from the poor competitor and he moves onto
another sector where he can compete more effectively.
However, America in 2014 does not boast a free
market economy. In today’s crony-fascist system, market mobility is hampered by union
work rules, government regulation, tax penalties on successful firms, subsidies
to connected losers, transfers to favored constituents and unsustainable
monetary inflation.
So in another sense, unemployment is throwing
the little guy a $16K bone to placate him while heavy hitters steal billions.
The Two Percenter is that little guy and he is
fond of humble creature comforts. He
enjoys dining on gourmet
He is also a Boomer in a Millennial world. In his chosen trade of advertising and
marketing, chubby middle aged guys with white hair are looked on as being insufficiently
“digital”. Therefore this perceived
Neanderthal who maintains a blog, promotes it on social media and broadcasts
via digital streaming audio will strive to hone his digital chops so as to
compete effectively in the 21st Century.
So this practical anarchist will hope that he
can work hard enough and fast enough to be working again before unemployment
kicks in. If that doesn’t work out, he
will accept his check while continuing the job search and upgrading his
skills. He will rationalize this
acquiescence to the welfare state by believing that it is his just due for
being screwed by fat cat crony capitalists and corrupt politicians.
Hey, he ain’t no saint.
Related
Posts:
Beggar Nation
Work 40!
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"Half the people are stoned and the other half are waiting for the next election.
Half the people are drowned and the other half are swimming in the wrong direction." - Paul Simon
Half the people are drowned and the other half are swimming in the wrong direction." - Paul Simon
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