Today on NPR’s All Things Considered there was a discussion of extending unemployment benefits. The liberal view that unemployment insurance was a good thing and that the benefits should be extended was taken for granted. Mention was made that Democrats and Republicans in Congress disagree on how to fund an expansion of benefits. Then a conservative was interviewed who talked about the need for a social safety net and fairness.
What was missing was the libertarian view: 1. It is immoral to take money from one American and give it to another American in the form of unemployment insurance. 2. The government should not be in the unemployment insurance business. 3. Businesses should not be forced to pay unemployment insurance on behalf of their employees. 4. Unemployment insurance should not be mandatory.
Too bad NPR didn’t interview Walter Block. For more on the unemployment racket, see my article on the subject from Freedom Daily.