By the way, you ~could~ argue that Sally could get by with less money for Social Security, Medicare, and benefits. It wouldn't work, though, as it would be pre

By the way, you ~could~ argue that Sally could get by with less money for Social Security, Medicare, and benefits. It wouldn't work, though, as it would be predicated on the idea that individual endeavors would be more sustainable than large-scale investments among an aggregate population. Even if we opened these services up for private enterprise, it's unlikely that they would operate as efficiently or more than the government bodies. Some people take that as a maxim, but they don't evaluate the services currently offered with the appropriate considerations. The most notable of which is "Caveat Emptor." Private enterprise can cut corners and save money, sure -- but someone's paying the cost. In no research that I've seen do private industries significantly out perform government institutions without a lot of cajoling and numerical torture. The postal service is a frequent scapegoat here. Yet, the price of a stamp has been nearly constant when evaluated based on purchasing power and inflation. Further, try doing a cost comparison between FedEx, UPS, and the USPS for the same package. I've worked in shipping and receiving and both FedEx and UPS have more than their fair share of delivery issues and damages. Yet, I get bills and letters in the mail _very_ regularly and reliably. Go figure.