What is greatest contributor to our deficit?

[giblets]

I had no idea wanting a certain amount of money to be guaranteed for people who suffer from some catastrophe or are too old to work and paying for it through payroll taxes implies contempt for human beings.

[KrazyHorse]

That's because you're not a particularly insightful thinker (yet).

[Riesstiu IV]

@poll: Baby boomers.

[KrazyHorse]

[Aeson]

Cash transfers to those who have already demonstrated that they are unable to manage their own finances seems rather inefficient, and in the US at least, those who would need the cash transfers (for themselves or in behalf of their children) are almost entirely in that category.

How much cash would you have to give to a crack whore before they'd provide health insurance for their kids so that they never show up to an emergency room without the ability to pay?

[giblets]

I'm guessing he doesn't object to in-kind transfers if it's done on the behalf of children.

[Hauldren Collider]

Because children can't make their own decisions. That particular truism has been universally accepted since the dawn of human civilization.

[Aeson]

Because parents can't make decisions for their own kids? Nanny state HC strikes again

[Kuciwalker]

Parents' interests are not always aligned with their children's. This is a standard agency problem.

[Aeson]

... so we replace the agency problem with parents in regards to their kids with government in regards to kids.

[Aeson]

I realize that HC and Kuci were probably raised by a cadre of nannies, and those nannies were most likely very kind to the dear children for fear of being whipped if they did something to displease the boys... but we need to all bear in mind that a nanny state isn't really like a lot of nannies, as nice a memory as that may be.

[DaShi]

Parents' interests are not always aligned with their children's. This is a standard agency problem.

I agree with this. I've said before that parents should be the last people raising children.

[Kuciwalker]

... so we replace the agency problem with parents in regards to their kids with government in regards to kids.

Yes. So? Obviously, in certain areas we expect one problem to be larger than the other.

[Kuciwalker]

I realize that HC and Kuci were probably raised by a cadre of nannies, and those nannies were most likely very kind to the dear children for fear of being whipped if they did something to displease the boys... but we need to all bear in mind that a nanny state isn't really like a lot of nannies, as nice a memory as that may be.

We only had 1 nanny each. That's not really much more than most kids.

[Hauldren Collider]

I don't remember having a nanny...

Is this going to turn into another bathroom thread?