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James_Miller comments on Crazy Ideas Thread - Less Wrong Discussion

22 Post author: Gunnar_Zarncke 07 July 2015 09:40PM

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Comment author: James_Miller 08 July 2015 04:32:07PM 6 points [-]

Poor people need to help each other

True for poor people in poor countries, but false for poor people in countries with welfare states.

Comment author: buybuydandavis 08 July 2015 07:11:45PM 6 points [-]

In the early 20th century the US used to be full of mutual aid societies taking care of insurance for health and unemployment.

Lodges weren't just about secret handshakes.

Comment author: Good_Burning_Plastic 09 July 2015 04:29:31PM 2 points [-]

How much of a welfare state (in the present-day understanding of the term) was the US back then?

Comment author: buybuydandavis 15 July 2015 07:28:10PM 2 points [-]

For government, I believe next to nothing at the Federal level, and some in States.

The Social Security Administration has a history: http://www.ssa.gov/history/briefhistory3.html

And a Chronology: http://www.ssa.gov/history/chrono.html

Some libertarian guy wrote a book on the mutual aid, charity aspect of it in the early 20th century (his name rhymes with Hansky?, but I can't dredge it out of my neurons). Maybe someone else will recall.