Switzerland considering providing basic income to all ($2500/month)

[Zaap]

Don't ever let anyone confuse you for a sharp man, Zaap. You stay strong, dear.

And he *tripled* down on stupid. LOL!


And gee, look at that. The people of switzerland weren't buying this as a "bootstraps" and personal responsibility argument either. BLARRGH now everyone will starve in the streets die and be killed blaharrraggh zindoofus exaggerations!!!!!

 

[Zaap]

If it helps, I am assuming that we will be giving the people in question other people's money anyway.

... and if it helps.. STILL not a bootstraps and personal responsibility argument. Sorry.

This is akin to yelling at someone saying that giving people fish ISN'T a "teach a man to fish" argument.

Yeah, see, there's the KEY part of that ACTUAL argument that was (purposefully) left out...

Fishing poles.

 

[Painman]

We spend roughly $30k per year per prison inmate, and we're the world leader for per capita prison inmates.

Can't upset that apple cart.

 

[pcgeek11]

Although not a great comparison, most who have a Mortgage have surpassed their Income with Debt.

Stupid people have. The smarter people have not.

 

[PokerGuy]

I'm not surprised that the Swiss canned the idea. In theory there are some possible benefits to a national income as opposed to a patchwork of social benefits, but there are some serious problems that I don't think can be reasonably resolved / mitigated.

 

[glenn1]

You were too scared to leave your house to visit London for a week.

Have you ever been to Switzerland? I lived there for a month.

It is straight uphill, everywhere you want to go. Think about San Francisco, and add a factor of 6. That is Switzerland.

What the fuck kind of lazy person would go there?

It's also really high (Fatties can't breath), really fucking cold and covered with snow 60% of the year, and expensive just to get there and live a week, basic income be damned.

And Bolivia has even higher elevations and La Pas is hilly as shit yet the people are dirt poor and lots are lazy as hell. And I doubt even Bolivia's socialist President Evo Morales (who lowered the working age to 10 and caused a child labor catastrophe) would suggest something like basic income because it conflicts with the core socialist principle "those who do not work shall not eat."

 

[1prophet]

Liberals also work hard and make money.

Yes they do, and many of the more affluent ones love to use every loophole there is to avoid paying their fair share while exploiting 3rd world countries to significantly increase their profit margins.

 

[Zaap]

the core socialist principle "those who do not work shall not eat."

It's funny to me though, how in practice, in truly socialist countries following the Lenin model, this is used in a highly selective (what I call burn-it-at-both-ends) way.

So for example, you can cite it to beat the shit out of peasants and work them half to death for a few scraps... and you can use it to chase the bourgeoisie off their property (that you then steal) and into working the fields themselves.

But for a fatcat party leader, sitting in HIS mansion, on his fat ass, doing not much that really looks like 'work'? Not applicable.

 

[Brian Stirling]

And Bolivia has even higher elevations and La Pas is hilly as shit yet the people are dirt poor and lots are lazy as hell. And I doubt even Bolivia's socialist President Evo Morales (who lowered the working age to 10 and caused a child labor catastrophe) would suggest something like basic income because it conflicts with the core socialist principle "those who do not work shall not eat."

It's amazing how similar hard core capitalists and commies are in there disdain for the little people -- two sides of the same coin...


Brian