some Oakland residents will receive 'Basic Income'- lump sum money w/o working for it

Page 4 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

Chiropteran

Diamond Member
Nov 14, 2003
9,811
110
106
Regardless, the American Government has no money to give them.

Ah, but you seem to be confused. Just a few posts above you were suggesting we put these people in prison. That requires money.

If you knew the government had no money, you wouldn't have suggested prison, would you?

You don't really think prison is free, do you?
 

Zorkorist

Diamond Member
Apr 17, 2007
6,861
3
76
Prisons employ people, which is a valid position of Government, to employ people and ask that they work, in exchange for money.

-John
 

Chiropteran

Diamond Member
Nov 14, 2003
9,811
110
106
We could exterminate them?

Prisons are welfare.

-John

But why stop there? Social security, medicaid, and hell, the military veterans and activity duty are the bulk of our taxes.

Why don't we just kill the elderly, sick instead of wasting money on them? Why do we bother paying our soldiers when we could just have them killed at the end of their tour of duty?

(Obviously I don't think the above are rational ideas, but they are the natural progression of your thinking.)
 

Zorkorist

Diamond Member
Apr 17, 2007
6,861
3
76
This is the hard discussion our nation has to have, as Government Spending is out of control.

Neither Trump nor Hillary are going there, which is wrong.

-John
 

Zorkorist

Diamond Member
Apr 17, 2007
6,861
3
76
Everyone was equal at one point, no?

What are you looking for, some great monetary reset?

Didn't they try that in China?

-John
 

Vic

Elite Member
Jun 12, 2001
50,415
14,303
136
We don't have any money to give them.

We're 20 Trillion Dollars in debt.

-John
We aren't giving them the money, dipshit. All the funding for this little experiment is coming from private capital. Or are you saying that we need to outlaw private charity?
 

alcoholbob

Diamond Member
May 24, 2005
6,271
323
126
It's not so black and white.

Criminals steal, sell drugs, lower property values, kill hard working "legit" citizens, and cost us a tremendous amount of tax dollars via prisons and the justice system.

What if I told you, $1000 a month to prevent a few people from resorting to crime would actually save us money, because we wouldn't need to pay for as many judges, prosecutors, jailers, prison wardens, police officers, etc?

It seems like a good bandaid in practice, but it's entirely a short-term solution that doesn't take into account immigration policy and demographic trends, including those that a minimum income policy will promote. If your goal is to reduce criminality this is going to merely plug the hole like Venezuela's socialist policies is only a short term solution that basically kicks the can down the road until it creates a bigger catastrophe.
 

Zaap

Diamond Member
Jun 12, 2008
7,162
424
126
It's not so black and white.

Criminals steal, sell drugs, lower property values, kill hard working "legit" citizens, and cost us a tremendous amount of tax dollars via prisons and the justice system.

What if I told you, $1000 a month to prevent a few people from resorting to crime would actually save us money, because we wouldn't need to pay for as many judges, prosecutors, jailers, prison wardens, police officers, etc?

The burn it at both ends nature of this always makes me chuckle!

Cause I always see this.


First it's : how dare you say poor people are criminals and lazy and this and that! HOW.DARE.YOU!


Then somewhere along the way when the 'salt of the earth' approach doesn't seem to be working, it rambles into the above which is pretty much;

"Come on you greedy bastard! Don't you think its worth a little collective bribe money to pay criminals not to be criminals... "

Wait a sec....what? Criminals??? What happened to salt of the earth and how dare you???


Next up: it'll morph into :

"You've gotta support this to pay all.those poor people from rioting and burning the country down and starting THE REVOLUTION(TM) that's gonna take all your stuff!"

But will it be the salt of the earth, beyond reproach people carrying out THE REVOLUTION(TM) or the criminals we didn't bribe not to be criminals?

Someone please once and for all clear this up! :D
 

Blue_Max

Diamond Member
Jul 7, 2011
4,227
153
106
It seems like a good bandaid in practice, but it's entirely a short-term solution that doesn't take into account immigration policy and demographic trends, including those that a minimum income policy will promote. If your goal is to reduce criminality this is going to merely plug the hole like Venezuela's socialist policies is only a short term solution that basically kicks the can down the road until it creates a bigger catastrophe.

You can drop the mic, good sir. Take a bow.
:thumbsup:
 

Exterous

Super Moderator
Jun 20, 2006
20,348
3,426
126
If this would be viewed as a replacement for the myriad of red tape, bureaucratically top heavy and inefficient current system then I could see how it could be benefitial and even reduce the cost of equivilant distributions via the reduction in overhead.

I do wonder how they will pick participants. The article mentions they are getting emails requesting to participate which would not seem to be the best way to get an accurate cross section

It would be great to have this run alongside projects that address mental illness or the fact that non-violent, non-repeat criminals who have 'paid their debt to society' are still frequently shunned in by employers but we don't really seem to care about those people as a country
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
110,512
29,099
146
so, an effort to significantly reduce the welfare state, enforce "bootstraps" economic policy, and eliminate a massive swath of government bureaucracy, you'd think the conservatives would be drooling over themselves to see something like this not only tested, but work.

Toss in a private company doing the testing with their own money, taxpayer free.

sounds like a win.

But no--apparently conservatives double-down on their ignorant willingness to let the status quo continue while claiming the status quo is destroying this country.

Come on--it's because there's a black president, right? It's because you are feeling butthurt about feminazis in your video games and psychopathic students trying to squelch all forms of speech?

It is because you felt pressured into nominating a tiny-handed midget failure of a human because the female candidate was somehow unconsionably worse?

what is it? I can't fathom how you logically argue against both sides of the argument. Is it because you prefer to criticize everything "the others" do, all the while refusing to offer up real suggestions of improvement?

That's all you guys have become? Petulant children that just want mommy to make your sandwich and leave you alone, while you complain on the internet about the world that has wronged you for giving you pimples?

The modern american conservative reminds me of the middle-aged japanese kids that frequent used panty vendors and watch cartoon porn all day. No solutions, no contribution to the world, immature sociopathic tendencies, and nothing but bitter resentment for the outside world that has caused all the evils in teh world to make their pathetic existence miserable.

Why do no conservatives offer even a cursory counter solution to this? First world developed countries do have minimum requirements towards responsible upkeep of its citizenry, mind you. Bear in mind that no despotic 3rd world regressive suggestions are valid.
 
Feb 4, 2009
34,506
15,737
136
so, an effort to significantly reduce the welfare state, enforce "bootstraps" economic policy, and eliminate a massive swath of government bureaucracy, you'd think the conservatives would be drooling over themselves to see something like this not only tested, but work.

Toss in a private company doing the testing with their own money, taxpayer free.

sounds like a win.

But no--apparently conservatives double-down on their ignorant willingness to let the status quo continue while claiming the status quo is destroying this country.

Come on--it's because there's a black president, right? It's because you are feeling butthurt about feminazis in your video games and psychopathic students trying to squelch all forms of speech?

It is because you felt pressured into nominating a tiny-handed midget failure of a human because the female candidate was somehow unconsionably worse?

what is it? I can't fathom how you logically argue against both sides of the argument. Is it because you prefer to criticize everything "the others" do, all the while refusing to offer up real suggestions of improvement?

That's all you guys have become? Petulant children that just want mommy to make your sandwich and leave you alone, while you complain on the internet about the world that has wronged you for giving you pimples?

The modern american conservative reminds me of the middle-aged japanese kids that frequent used panty vendors and watch cartoon porn all day. No solutions, no contribution to the world, immature sociopathic tendencies, and nothing but bitter resentment for the outside world that has caused all the evils in teh world to make their pathetic existence miserable.

Why do no conservatives offer even a cursory counter solution to this? First world developed countries do have minimum requirements towards responsible upkeep of its citizenry, mind you. Bear in mind that no despotic 3rd world regressive suggestions are valid.

While I don't believe its a solution because its too easy to scam & volunteers for it would be getting more or simply someone like me who wants to try something different like real estate but needs some kind of income while a sales base is built. However as Zin has said its a free program so why not try it out maybe it would work wonderfully we don't know until we try.