The Washington Post Goes Full-On Communist By Arguing For A “Universal Basic Income”

[rangerrebew]

The Washington Post Goes Full-On Communist By Arguing For A “Universal Basic Income”

V. Saxena
October 2, 2015

“Capitalism is a coercive economic system that creates persistent patterns of economic deprivation,” wrote The Washington Post contributor Matt Bruenig in a piece published this week that made the case that we need to upend our capitalist system of governance and implement a universal basic income.

According to Bruenig, “capitalism makes some workers’ lives miserable” and hurts the “vulnerable populations that markets discard as useless,” i.e. the elderly and disabled.

This purported crisis could allegedly be resolved with a universal basic income that would give employees “the genuine ability to say no to their employers” and the “useless” (his words, not mine) the money they need to support themselves.

I guess the fact that labor protection laws and our enormous welfare system already protect both employees and the disabled/elderly never occurred to Bruenig.

“Supplementing the existing welfare state with a basic income would, if successful, ensure that nobody falls completely through the cracks of the social welfare system and thereby finds himself or herself destitute,” he concluded.

The guy basically wants to set up a system where employees would have ZERO incentive to perform the duties mandated of their job, and the allegedly “useless” — I say allegedly because many people try to scheme the system — would have ZERO incentive to even try and look for a job.

Congratulations, Wapo, because you’ve just gone full-on Communist!

The irony is that communism & socialism are the very systems that create real “patterns of economic deprivation.”

Cue Ben Franklin:

http://downtrend.com/vsaxena/wapo-goes-full-on-communist

[jmyrlefuller]

There will come a time, not too long in the future, where we will run out of jobs. Automation is providing more and more of what used to be done as a paying career.

Perhaps a basic income system—if done in place of the current menagerie of social welfare systems—might be something worth considering when that happens. Consider: the current system blatantly discourages work by rewarding more to those who work less. Under basic income, everyone gets the same national aid. You still earn that aid regardless of how much extra you may earn. So, the most motivated workers stay in the workforce, and the slackers don't clog up the job market.

[GourmetDan]

 
Make it at least $1 million/year so we'll all be rich...    :finger:

[andy58-in-nh]

“Capitalism is a coercive economic system..."

And what is it exactly that socialists consider coercive about capitalism?

The question is never answered.

But I will answer it for them: socialists believe it "coercive" for people who produce and work to demand that other people do the same in support of their own lives. But when the government takes what some people have and gives it to others who refuse to support themselves, that's not "coercion", you see.

It's just... "fairness".

[rb224315]

“Capitalism is a coercive economic system that creates persistent patterns of economic deprivation,”

Perhaps the blockhead who wrote this tripe hasn't heard of the economic deprivation in the latest socialist paradise--Venezuela.  For years they haven't even been able to get enough TOILET PAPER, for crying out loud!  Huffpo links from 2013 don't float yer boat?  How 'bout Slate, from earlier this year?

Perhaps they haven't heard of the bread lines in the old USSR?

I guess it's too much to ask for them to take a look at Milton Friedman's research.  If they went to the trouble to read or watch him, they'd explain it away, I'm sure.

[bkepley]

You'll soon see the same argued for on TOS the only question is does Trump lead or follow in this.  I think he's a follower BTW.