On Fri, Feb 19, 2016 at 3:18 AM, Alain Sepeda <alain.sep...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > the good way to judge policy is not through morality, but through > incentive network. > > >> A similar judgement can be made about slavery: it is bad for the economy because it is inefficient. The argument sounds good, but slave owners are more concerned about their personal loss of status in the new order. On the other hand they don't want to be viewed as selfish, so they make arguments about the moral inferiority of black people. Making sure basic income remains low enough to incentivise paid work is about reassuring the rich they can still have broad social control over those on the basic income. However, the rich do not want to be viewed as selfish, so paid work must be portrayed as morally superior to any other notion of work. (For example being in school is not considered work. It is only considered preparation for work. No wonder why so many young people hate school.) However, basic income should be high enough so that paid work does not need to be incentivized by money. Paid work occurs in the marketplace according the values of the marketplace. A desire to work in the marketplace should be incentive enough. The extra income one receives is just a pleasant side effect of working in the marketplace. It should not be the rai·son d'ê·tre for participati on in the marketplace. Harry Harry
