Fast Food and Minimum Wage
- Thread starter TGregg
- Start date
A universal income is not such a silly idea
By Tim Harford
The concept of paying people to sit around has an upside, writes Tim Harford
âSwiss to vote on 2,500 franc basic income for every adult.â Reuters, 4 October 2013
"How much is that?
"Itâs about £1,700 a month â over £20,000 a year.
"Payable to whom?
"Everybody, or at least, every adult citizen. Itâs called a âbasic incomeâ and everyone
gets it, no strings attached.
"You have to be joking.
"Weâll have to see whether the Swiss think itâs funny or not â they are holding a referendum, which is something they do quite a lot. But the idea of a basic income suddenly seems to be back on the radar after many years of being out of fashion. The New York Times announced recently that at the cocktail parties of Berlin there is talk of little else; US policy wonks are getting excited about it too.
"This sounds like some communist plot. How can anyone take seriously the idea of paying people to sit around on their backsides?
"The idea is endorsed not only by experts on inequality such as Oxfordâs Sir Tony Atkinson, but by the late Milton Friedman, an unlikely communist. The idea of a basic income is one that unites many left- and rightwingers while commanding very little support in the mainstream.
"What on earth did Friedman see in the idea?
"He saw an alternative to the current welfare state..."
More>>
By Tim Harford
The concept of paying people to sit around has an upside, writes Tim Harford
âSwiss to vote on 2,500 franc basic income for every adult.â Reuters, 4 October 2013
"How much is that?
"Itâs about £1,700 a month â over £20,000 a year.
"Payable to whom?
"Everybody, or at least, every adult citizen. Itâs called a âbasic incomeâ and everyone
gets it, no strings attached.
"You have to be joking.
"Weâll have to see whether the Swiss think itâs funny or not â they are holding a referendum, which is something they do quite a lot. But the idea of a basic income suddenly seems to be back on the radar after many years of being out of fashion. The New York Times announced recently that at the cocktail parties of Berlin there is talk of little else; US policy wonks are getting excited about it too.
"This sounds like some communist plot. How can anyone take seriously the idea of paying people to sit around on their backsides?
"The idea is endorsed not only by experts on inequality such as Oxfordâs Sir Tony Atkinson, but by the late Milton Friedman, an unlikely communist. The idea of a basic income is one that unites many left- and rightwingers while commanding very little support in the mainstream.
"What on earth did Friedman see in the idea?
"He saw an alternative to the current welfare state..."
More>>
I agree everyone gets 2000 a month and no income taxes for everyone else.
Then we can gut every other welfare provision and all the state and local jobs tied to it.
Now if someone is convicted of a crime... they have to pay their income to the state and they have to work for food and shelter.
Then we can gut every other welfare provision and all the state and local jobs tied to it.
Now if someone is convicted of a crime... they have to pay their income to the state and they have to work for food and shelter.
yeah, I like that idea. The machinery is already in place. Social Security age 21. Maybe repeal welfare and food stamps.(and min wage)
The original story had a quote from one McWorker stating she could only get 10-20 hours a week as management didn't want to bump up to full time benefits for obamacare. Even $15 an hour isn't going to be a "living wage" for a woman and her two waifs if she's only getting 20 hours. But I guess she can work three or four jobs. Until all the fast food places put in robots to do most of the work, that is.
http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/4/5...00000-tablets-to-take-orders-and-kill-boredom