[pp.int.general] Basic income - how does that fit into the pirate ideology?

[Jack Allnutt]

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On 12/07/2013 18:04, Cal. wrote:
> On 12 July 2013 18:58, Jack Allnutt <j.allnutt at pirateparty.org.uk> wrote:
>> If we're talking about a minimum wage, it's not that simple. Wage
>> slavery is a real problem. Plus there's then the problem of it being
>> more economical to *not* work, and collect unemployment benefits etc.
>>
>> If we're talking about having a job *in addition to* receiving a basic
>> income, then I think your right. The incentive is that you get extra
>> money for working whatever the wage is.
>
> yep. that's what basic income is.

Indeed, I just wanted to clarify as the issue got confused slightly
further up the chain :)

>> I guess the typical rebuttal is that the price of labour is no longer
>> distorted by a minimum wage and that labour will be priced according to
>> supply and demand on the labour market just like any other good or
service.
>>
>> One of the ideas behind a basic income is that it would *intentionally*
>> reduce the supply of labour in to the market. It frees people up to
>> invest their time and energy into causes that don't (immediately) return
>> a profit. Charities and other voluntary projects, politics, caring for
>> relatives or friends, education, entrepreneurship etc.
>
> that could be somewhat difficult, relating to the effective amount of
> that basic income.

It is a difficult problem to be solved. One can't set the rate too high
(no incentive to work) or too low (unable to survive) but I think that,
in principle, it's a problem that *can* be solved.

> leftists don't like unemployed people.

That's a very broad statement.

I consider myself economically left-leaning and under the *current*
economic system, unemployment *is* bad. But under a UBI system, the
whole concept of unemployment changes.

- -- Jack
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