Should players really be getting starting life-support resources?

So all HQs start with some amount of life support resources appropriate to their type.  I, and I think all of the experienced players I've seen/talked to, start every game by selling these off for the cash, preferring to have cash on hand and start accumulating debt immediately.  I can't think of a starting situation where I wouldn't do this.  If it's actually the case that good players always sell their starting stockpiles of non-construction resources, does it actually make sense to keep providing them?  It seems like, in the current environment, it's just a way to punish less experienced players.