Sally Lerner wrote:
> The (humble but striving) site for the Canadian BI group:
> http://www.basicincomecanada.org
...
> I'm convinced that this will eventually happen, by whatever name and
> in whatever manner.
> Why? Check out the Basic Income/Canada site.
It's a pity that this site only has a section "Arguments for a BI" (not
really answering the "Why?", btw) but not also a section that deals with
arguments _against_ a (general) BI. Unable to deal with them, perhaps?
Smacks of theology, anyway.
This site actually advocates a general BI "paid to each man, woman and
child ... not conditional on other income or lack of it". The waste of
funds couldn't be clearer -- why pay something to those who don't need
it at all, billionaires included ? Since money doesn't fall from the
sky (or do you want to turn on the printing press?), the BI given to the
affluent would lack those in need. Wouldn't it be smarter (and more just)
to only pay BI to those who really need it, and reduce the number of those
who do as much as possible? Also consider that it is the working class
who will foot the bill. Considering this, 'arguments' like "[a GBI]
makes work worthwhile" / "lays the basis for hard work and enterprise"
give an Orwellian touch to that website indeed...
Instead of penalizing productivity ("income tax would be paid from the first
pound"), other things would be so much more worth penalizing by taxation --
e.g. inheritance, speculation, pollution and smoking/junkfood.
It seems to me that GBI is a band-aid attempt to perpetuate (or worsen)
an unsustainable system of consumerism and injustice/inequality.
Chris
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