Most of the help we give to the unemployed is contingent on two things:

1. They don't have income and

2. They are looking for a job.

That seems like a great way to test for unemployment benefits but what it fundamentally does is ensure that if you are unemployed and need the help you can't try to supplement through self-employment. Thus our current unemployment assistance largely works to discourage new businesses from starting.

A better system would be a mandatory severance system where if you find yourself unemployed, you get a lump sum. You can look for a job, become self-employed, try to start a business with it, or any combination of these. But when it is gone, it is gone.

Lending is the lifeblood of any economy. If you play around with the rates, significant outcomes can happen. And the Federal Reserve, through the FOMC, has been influencing the interest actively since 1979.