Topic: Basic income guarantee - opinions&criticism welcome (Read 14403 times)

I'm German too, and I actually was at the Grundeinkommenskongress in Munich yesterday (briefly only though). My view on it is divided.

I welcome it in a very pragmatic sense for drastically reducing bureaucracy of our social system (only in theory though... we're in Germany after all  ). I furthermore welcome the idea of eliminating existential fears, which I'm confident will create a better and more human standard of living with more care and happiness, and I do believe (unlike most libertarians) that a society with insufficient equality can not realize its full potential.

My main issue with it then is that most models require the "big state" solution which may become corrupt over time (see GEMA - what a great idea in its beginning, democratic and all, but look what it has become  ). Unconditional my ass, more and more conditions *will* sneak in through the back door, just watch.

So I'm looking for other ways to achieve something similar to a basic income guarantee. The best would be when people can issue their money themselves (think Ripple etc). Some friends and me, we're working on the concept of some kind of network economy.

About automation and technological unemployment, most libertarians will argue that your point here is a Luddite fallacy, and I agree to a degree. New technology opens more possibilities, creates more desires and demand for those possibilities, and thus creates new jobs. For example, we software developers are in huge demand right now in order to achieve this automated society, and we will be the working class of the 21st century. They're already trying to streamline our productivity into industrialization-like schemes with all those agile/scrum/kanban (Toyota!) methodologies. The problem with technology is rather always structural. People lose old obsolete jobs and cannot learn new things fast enough, hence these phases of recession. In 200 years, everyone will want their own spaceship, then soon after everybody will actually *need* their own spaceship in order to be able to get a job at all somewhere in our solar system. And you'll be there then demanding an unconditional spaceship for everyone. In 500 years, maybe there'll be interstellar travel, and the new working class will be, I don't know, maybe space-time curvature architects.

That's less than three months ago. Have you really changed so much in so short a time?

OMG I actually wrote this.  Sometimes some of my old posts pop up and I surprise myself.

I like this.

We do.  One way is to evade taxes.  And to affirm clearly that taxation is theft.

In order to fix the problem, you're suggesting more of what caused the problem in the first place?

It's a free market. We should just let the alcoholic drink himself to death - problem solved!

Any way the constitution is supposed to guarantee habeas corpus.  A piece of paper is doing a poor job at solving problems. 

But whether the Constitution really be one thing, or another, this much is certain - that it has either authorized such a government as we have had, or has been powerless to prevent it. In either case, it is unfit to exist.

Yeah, I also think he meant me =D . Slavery was made illegal with the 13th amendment, I believe. So the constitution was modified after the majority of people decided to oppose slavery. Well, there was also this civil war, but it might have been pure coincidence.

This sounds like a regulatory mechanism. Who should enforce it? The government? In that sense I agree - someone needs to watch the market and (re-)establish balances. But to come back to the topic raised by the OP. What do you do if a majority of your labour force thinks that the wage is too low?

The solutions are suggested in the problems. Don't let the union control the entire profession. The AMA's (legislated, btw) stranglehold on the medical profession is limiting entry into the field, which in turn creates a scarcity of medical professionals, which in turn increases the rates they can charge. Open the market, and that problem goes away.

Well, that would be a weird idea, since your wage comes precisely from taxation  ()

I see. So any practical suggestions for establishing a balance of power for bargaining positions?

Ok. How do you weasel your way out of income tax if you're employed by a public institute (university)?

You have a lack of imagination.

Unfortunately they don't make it optional. Voting yes , taxes no.

We do.  One way is to evade taxes.  And to affirm clearly that taxation is theft.

Why would I not be? Labor unions provide the individual worker with the bargaining power of the whole group. It's a great way to make sure the workers get fair treatment. As long as this doesn't get out of hand.

So you are in favor of labour unions?

After a while every government is just another cooperation and acts in its self interest. States become corrupt and we have no real way of dealing with big corrupt governments. Do we?

Do you really think that the State prevents monopolies?

Also, if the only purpose of taxation is to prevent monopolies, why do I have to pay taxes??  I do not have any monopole on anything whatsoever.