How would you feel about socialized risk for small businesses?

[Capitalocracy]

Private profit and public risk has inflated the banking industry beyond reasonable proportions... but what if it were done for small businesses that hired workers with good wages and benefits and health care, openly and honestly (instead of through backdoor bailouts) as part of a government program to promote their growth? Would you be behind that, or is it still a bad idea in that case?

[kestrel91316]

1. I've been hit very hard by the recession, as has my entire profession.

Where do I sign up for MY bailout??

[polichick]

2. I'd like socialized risk for my 401k.

[saras]

3. If they're honest about who benefits, and who doesn't, people can decide correctly in each case.

It's not an automatic rule that it's always good or always bad. Even with large businesses, you have to weigh all the benefits and costs. We tend to vastly underestimate the costs of large businesses, and to confuse the profit with the productivity and hence misinterpret benefits as well.

There may even be cases where bailing out a large corporation is reasonable. The banks demonstrated that this is NOT true for them - they utterly and completely failed to use the money for anything that benefited the public, and in addition did some boneheadedly stupid PR moves that served no purpose but to rub the public's faces in their successful theft.

[Chan790]

4. I'd guardedly support it.

Depending on what you're suggesting. I'm not in favor of handouts to business...but I'd strongly support:

*Direct stimulus grants tied to hiring.
*Low-interest non-collateralized easy-access loans for small business infrastructure and start-ups.
*Many forms of risk-abatement for start-ups.
*Startup assistance. Non-fiscal, I mean startup assistance centers to provide advice and the such.