Tesla repaid its government loans. The US government invested in tech and manufacturing and then got their money returned once the investment was successful. The US does that a lot. The same battery tech will percolate downwards; Tesla sells luxury vehicles first to build the brand and jump into a high-margin business; a low-margin high-volume business will follow.
The idiocy in this thread is astounding.
"social security", which will be bankrupt by the time I am eligible to receive it
No, it really won't. People will yell and whine for a while and then the retirement age will raise slightly and so on; it's not going to go insolvent.
I don't need government in my health insurance (Obamacare increased my costs)
Well, fuck other people then, they can die. I hope you never get sick and lose your job, that sure would suck.
My bike does almost zero damage to a road, so I don't need road maintenance.
This is possibly the most stupid thing you said - literally every thing you own requires road infrastructure. Minerals and metals were mined using tools delivered by road. They were sent places by road. They were processed and metal stock and so on was sent by road. That was milled, stamped, and cast, and products were sent by road. People used roads to get to these places so they could design and build everything. Jesus christ, this is so stupid I'm trying not to laugh. What the fuck are you going to do, ride your bike through the forest? Where are the replacement parts going to come from - airdropped to your house?
I don't need unemployment - I have savings for that. The only legitimate government service I receive is police and fire protection, and that shouldn't cost me tens of thousands a year in taxes.
I love this juxtaposition. You know what happens when people are hungry and jobless? They come and take your stuff. You pay for unemployment not so you can enjoy it yourself - though maybe you will - but so the unemployed don't start starving. Remember, they're not going to quietly die in their apartments where you can stand off to the side and sniff, "Good, they should have saved." You pay for social infrastructure so that you spend 10% of your income, not 100% and the rest of your belongings.