RS> Let me spell it out for you very clearly. The government, and
RS> indirectly the tax payer, has decided that it makes some sense
RS> to provide some assistance to the long term unemployed to start
RS> a small business. Thats what the NEISS scheme is. You dont qualify.
RS> They dont think it makes any sense to be handing out money to people
RS> like YOU to start a small business. I happen to agree with them.

PJ> My point exactly. The LONG TERM unemployed.  But because I got
PJ> off my ass and  educated myself I get NO help at all. It appears
PJ> that I now have to register as unemployed and basically be a bum
PJ> for a while. Then I can get the assistance that others are getting.
PJ> What a sad scenario.

Conveniently overlooking extensive handouts involved in his education.
Which OTW I have no problem with coz I think society works much better
with a decently educated society.

GC> I endorse your comments Phil,  its a bit like the old age pension,
GC> (not that I'm that old yet) but.....

Its nothing like the old age pension. AND society has decided that
it makes no sense to be paying an old age pension to people who have
enough assets etc to provide for themselves too.

GC> X & Y start work at age 18, both earn $30,000yr & work until age
GC> 65, both have basic super, but X also invests $5000 yr buying
GC> house/shares etc. but Y saves nothing extra but spends the $5000
GC> on beer etc. so at age 65 the Govt says to X you cant get the
GC> pension because you've got too much assets/money because you
GC> saved some money when you worked, BUT to Y they give a full
GC> pension plus other benefits like some rent assistance etc....

Yes, but thats true of any welfare system. You can also say that
someone who chooses to save/invest/whatever when working can get
themselves into the situation where they dont qualify for the dole
if they get say retrenched. There is no answer for that stuff.

In the context of Phils original question about handouts for starting
a small business, the only rational case from your position is that
everyone who starts a small business should be entitled to government
handout when they do. That makes no sense whatever and isnt affordable
anyway. Have you any idea what the failure rate of new small businesses
are ?  If you had a scheme like that, heaps of people would just rock
up with their hands out for the wad of cash, most of whom would have
no chance of starting a viable small business or keeping one going.
I wont be paying for a lunatic scheme like that any time soon thanks.

GC> What a system.....rewarding Y with a pension etc. for pissing
GC> his money up against the wall and not saving some for the future.

Yes, but thats an inevitable outcome with any welfare or assistance
scheme. It necessarily assists mostly those who have not managed to
provide for themselves for whatever reason. Thats life, better get
used to it, no one has invented an alternative. The last attempt
at an alternative, communism, has just gone down the tubes in grand
style. And the less dramatic attempts like cradle to grave socialism
which was tried in western europe quite a bit is being wound back
fast as they are sick of paying the fantastic cost in taxes.

--- PQWK202