Should The Federal Government Mandate The Purchase Of Life Insurance?

[werepossum]

They already do. It's called Social Security.

IIRC correctly the SS death benefit is $600. This isn't enough for burial or cremation. But it IS enough to have your Earthly remains shipped one-way to Detroit, which is too broke to send you back.

 

[spidey07]

IIRC correctly the SS death benefit is $600. This isn't enough for burial or cremation. But it IS enough to have your Earthly remains shipped one-way to Detroit, which is too broke to send you back.

I thought surviving spouse/children can collect social security benefits of deceased?

 

[Cerb]

Sure you do, you don't think there are any costs associated with your death?

OK, how much does it cost to dig a hole, and chuck me in it? Can't be much.

You don't NEED any insurance. Didn't humanity function for thousands of years before insurance was invented?

Tens of thousands...possibly a milion+, depending on how you want to define it.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

OK, how much does it cost to dig a hole, and chuck me in it? Can't be much.

When my father died, we went to the funeral home to arrange his funeral. The cost to dig a hole ALONE was $1800, IIRC. And that doesn't include the casket, vault (required by some cemeteries or states), etc.

I won't tell you the rude remark I made about that cost when the funeral director left the room -- I didn't realize he was standing behind me when I made it, either. :awe:

 

[Jiggz]

What do you mean you don't need life insurance? What if you have kids and you die when they're young.

Then it means you shouldn't have any kids! OK, let's try another hypothetical scenario, "What about if you have billions, and you don't have life insurance, you die and you have kids and they're young? Let me see if you can answer that? And then we'll move to the next hypothetical scenario. I'm waiting. . .

 

[feralkid]

You don't NEED any insurance. Didn't humanity function for thousands of years before insurance was invented?

There's no way you can prove that.

 

[Jiggz]

At some point, everyone is going to need it and if they don't have it, it will impact interstate commerce in one way or another.

So, should the federal government force everyone to buy life insurance?

If so, should the federal government force companies to write policies to people who are going to die in the near future at the same rate as someone who is relatively healthy?

Why stop with life insurance? I mean with all the dangers with smoking, travels, greasy food, fast food and the weather we should force everybody to eat veggies only. And then require everybody to exercise 7 days a week and anybody who fails should be shot in the head! With your line of thinking, I mean we're basically worse than Communist China or Cuba!

 

[Jiggz]

There's no way you can prove that.

You can't? Well, maybe you should google when life insurance was started! For sure it was never there when Jesus was born and that was more than 2K years ago. And before that human civilization started around 11,000 MYA (Million Years Ago).

 

[Moonbeam]

Naturally, because Americans grow up in the best country in the world, are the best and most valuable people in the world. Each American is almost priceless. And because the extreme value of every American is the result of no other factor than being American, the country should ask all to be insured. If an American dies, the potential losses in taxes could be enormous, that American may have become another Bill Gates. The government, of course, should be the beneficiary of such a mandated policy. It isn't cheap or easy to create the best people on earth.

 

[spidey07]

Why stop with life insurance? I mean with all the dangers with smoking, travels, greasy food, fast food and the weather we should force everybody to eat veggies only. And then require everybody to exercise 7 days a week and anybody who fails should be shot in the head! With your line of thinking, I mean we're basically worse than Communist China or Cuba!

His line of reasoning went way over your head as it is Obama and the left's line of reasoning. And people wonder why folks associate Obama as a socialist/communist? It's because his policies are exactly that.

-edit-
or not sure if serious

 

[Cerb]

When my father died, we went to the funeral home to arrange his funeral. The cost to dig a hole ALONE was $1800, IIRC. And that doesn't include the casket, vault (required by some cemeteries or states), etc.

I won't tell you the rude remark I made about that cost when the funeral director left the room -- I didn't realize he was standing behind me when I made it, either. :awe:

$1800 to dig a hole, or $1800 to use a plot at a certain cemetery?

It just seems like keeping people from being offended by a smelly dead body in front of them would cost less than thousands.

 

[lothar]

Life insurance is overrated.

Invest the difference yourself instead of paying it to an insurance broker.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Meanwhile the social conservatives want an iron-fisted nanny state to control marriage, sex, birth control, abortion, pornography, expletives on television, recreational drugs other than alcohol, music they dislike, violence in video games, and witchcraft.

But that's good big government because God tells them so.

 

[ShawnD1]

I won't tell you the rude remark I made about that cost when the funeral director left the room -- I didn't realize he was standing behind me when I made it, either. :awe:

When he asks if you would like to buy the premium casket, you say "over my dead body!"

 

[Thump553]

It's rare to see such a baseless strawman argument carried so far and enthusiastically. Congrats OP, you win troll of the week thread award.

For those that are truely interested in this subject, look into prepaid funeral arrangements. Both my father and mother did that and the savings were enormous, not to mention the reduction in stress at the time of death.

BTW, of all the estates I have done for elderly people it has been my experience that it is exceedingly rare that they have any life insurance (except maybe a tiny old GI policy or something through their pension-but who has pensions these days?). Life insurance is for young families with daunting future financial burdens primarily.

 

[Double Trouble]

This is what I really like about Vinsons ruling.... he's absolutely right in that if you follow the reasoning of including not buying a private product under the "interstate commerce" clause, then any/everything can go in there, and congress can just mandate any/everything. I'm not comfortable with that no matter who is in the white house or holds congress.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

$1800 to dig a hole, or $1800 to use a plot at a certain cemetery?

IIRC, $1800 was just the fee to dig the hole. Now, in fairness, this was at one of the nation's largest and oldest cemeteries (started during the Civil War), so maybe it would be cheaper elsewhere. It might have included the plot as well, I just don't remember.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

When he asks if you would like to buy the premium casket, you say "over my dead body!"

No, what I actually said was something to the effect of "$1800 to dig a hole?!?!?! I could hire six (you fill in the blank) for $50 to dig it!" Obviously that's the 'tactful' version and I didn't realize the old jackass had just come back and was standing right behind me.

We ended up cremating him and I bought a tree and marble dedication plaque for the tree at the cemetery. This was in 2006 and the total cremation cost (IIRC) was about $2,000 at the time and this did not include any fancy urns or anything like that. The plaque and tree was around $250 IIRC.

I don't care what anyone says, the funeral people do try to take advantage of you and upsell you. "Here, would you like this $500 urn for your dad's ashes?" Uh, no, we're spreading them. "Oh, well would you like our special $300 'ash spreader' to assist?"

(Yes, I made the last part up)