[GVIrish]

I would argue that the red tape is not so bureaucrats can make more money, it's that Americans have a very, very strong aversion to seeing people benefit from social programs that they think are undeserving. So we put all of these hurdles up to make things 'fair'.

Just look at the difference in outrage between when there's some story of someone on public assistance buying something like smartphone, vs the reaction when we found out about all of the businesses abusing the PPP loan system. Or the fact that many of the PPP loans were forgiven.

It's like as a country we're fine with wealthy people abusing the system. But then we turn around and would rather let 100 deserving people struggle just so maybe one person can't get a free ride.

[mattgreenrocks]

Americans seem to have a special aversion to weakness. Being poor is a facet of that:

On public assistance and buying a smartphone? “That’s irresponsible and abusing the system!”

Wealthy and taking PPP loans or dodging taxes? “That’s smart and opportunistic thinking!”

In other words, the rationalizations exist to justify beliefs that were conceived long before these examples were discussed: namely, the wealthy are inherently more virtuous and better people all around.

We are unable to think differently on this because digging into it too much risks tearing down most people’s fragile motivational structures around their own striving.

[sokoloff]

Wasn't the entire point of the PPP scheme to give away money to be used for payroll? I didn't use it, but it seemed to me like from the outset that it was designed to give away money, notionally documented as a loan, but one which would be forgiven if used to provide payroll continuity to employees. (In other words, documented as a loan so they could claw it back legally if you didn't use it for payroll or other approved purpose, but if used for payroll, it was a loan in fictional name only.)

I don't think that was a mis-use of the system, but rather the intended use of it. (We can argue whether it was a good or bad idea, but it plainly seems within the bounds of the program as designed/intended.)