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America is running out of jobs. It's time for a universal basic income.
The Week ^ | 09/09/2014 | Ryan Cooper

Posted on 09/09/2014 11:43:55 AM PDT by DannyTN

The politics of a guaranteed income get a lot easier when you acknowledge that the U.S. is no longer the land of opportunity

...

However, there are other trends that may be interacting with and exacerbating this original sin. Automation and globalization had already largely hollowed out America's manufacturing employment base; most jobs created during this "recovery" have been in crappy low-wage work. And when one takes automation to its obvious logical end, it's hard not to conclude that robots will soon be putting just about everyone out of a job.

... As someone with a nice, stimulating job, I agree that work can help people flourish. But in an economy that is flatly failing to produce enough jobs to satisfy the need, a universal basic income will start to seem more plausible — even necessary.

(Excerpt) Read more at theweek.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government
KEYWORDS: communism; guaranteedincome; jobs; miltonfriedman; minimumwage; negativeincometax; obamarecession; obamataxhikes; ubi; universalbasicincome; welfare
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To: Bobalu
Automation is an amplifier for the human mind and body. What now takes a million workers to do, a single person will be able to have done for him. A single person could create a city or dig a canal or whatever.

I think you're right, and that's another data point to confirm what I have long supposed: that very soon, the powers that be will take steps to massively reduce the human population. Perhaps from billions down to only several hundred thousand, as the Book of Revelation seems to suggest.

161 posted on 09/09/2014 2:15:26 PM PDT by backwoods-engineer (Blog: www.BackwoodsEngineer.com)
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To: NorthMountain
Where, in the US Constitution, do you find any authority for Congress to guarantee peoples’ income?

Well, here's what Congress wrote into the start of the Food Stamp Act....

"It is declared to be the policy of Congress, in order to promote the general welfare, to safeguard the health and well-being of the Nation’s population by raising levels of nutrition among low-income households. Congress finds that the limited food purchasing power of low-income households contributes to hunger and malnutrition among members of such households. Congress further finds that increased utilization of food in establishing and maintaining adequate national levels of nutrition will promote the distribution in a beneficial manner of the Nation’s agricultural abundance and will strengthen the Nation’s agricultural economy, as well as result in more orderly marketing and distribution of foods. To alleviate such hunger and malnutrition, a supplemental nutrition assistance program is herein authorized which will permit low-income households to obtain a more nutritious diet through normal channels of trade by increasing food purchasing power for all eligible households who apply for participation."

So apparently Congress is citing the General Welfare clause. And apparently the judicial system, which is the only authority the constitution gives power to interpret the constitution, is either okay with that citation of authority, or nobody has challenged it.

I would suspect that if Congress ever adopted a guaranteed income program, that they would use similar justification.

162 posted on 09/09/2014 2:24:19 PM PDT by DannyTN
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To: DannyTN
I would suspect that if Congress ever adopted a guaranteed income program, that they would use similar justification.

Right.

They'd invent it (or pull it out of their @$$), just like they did with the Food Stamp Act. That so-called "general welfare clause" is in the Preamble to the Constitution ... a plain reading of the text shows that it does not confer any power on any branch of the government ... congressional or judicial sophistry to the contrary notwithstanding.

. And apparently the judicial system, which is the only authority the constitution gives power to interpret the constitution,

False ... but the courts certainly want you to think that.

It's long past time for We, the People to recover our Constitution from the power-crazed petty tyrants that have usurped it.

Why anyone on a supposedly conservative website would be making excuses for power-usurping socialists eludes me...

163 posted on 09/09/2014 2:29:58 PM PDT by NorthMountain
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To: NorthMountain
Well, we can take it back and implement you're understanding of the constitution. All you got to do is convince half the citizenry to elect politicians willing to repeal the Food Stamp Act.

That or get a Constitutional Amendment clarifying that clauses in the preamble shouldn't be used to justify anything and only enumerated powers apply. And while you're at it, you need to outlaw the use of matching funds to provide incentive to states to accept federal influence that isn't enumerated.

Good luck.

164 posted on 09/09/2014 2:36:40 PM PDT by DannyTN
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To: Terry L Smith

BTTT


165 posted on 09/09/2014 2:50:15 PM PDT by Dust in the Wind (U S Troops Rock)
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To: backwoods-engineer

The plan is already to reduce the population to that of the Renaissance. The Renaissance is the favorite time period of “the powers that be” (stockings and all).


166 posted on 09/09/2014 2:52:38 PM PDT by familyop (We Baby Boomers are croaking in an avalanche of corruption smelled around the planet.)
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To: familyop

“The northern border was not closed. It was far more open than it is now.”

Immigration-wise. Try not to be so literal.

There were a series of laws regarding this, most notable:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_and_Nationality_Act_of_1952


167 posted on 09/09/2014 2:55:55 PM PDT by TheThirdRuffian (RINOS like Romney, McCain, Christie are sure losers. No more!)
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To: DannyTN
That or get a Constitutional Amendment clarifying that clauses in the preamble shouldn't be used to justify anything and only enumerated powers apply.

Such an amendment is not needed. The Constitution is written in plain English, and is easily understood with anyone having a rudimentary education. We don't need to change the Constitution in order to explain what is set down plainly.

168 posted on 09/09/2014 2:57:58 PM PDT by thesharkboy (posting without reading the article since 1998)
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To: DannyTN

If The Economy Is Recovering, Why Is The Labor Force Participation Rate At A 36 Year Low?
http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/if-the-economy-is-recovering-why-is-the-labor-force-participation-rate-at-a-36-year-low

30 stats to show to anyone that does not believe the middle class is being destroyed
http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/30-stats-to-show-to-anyone-that-does-not-believe-the-middle-class-is-being-destroyed

14 Reasons Why The U.S. Economy’s Bubble Of False Prosperity May Be About To Burst
http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/14-reasons-why-the-u-s-economys-bubble-of-false-prosperity-may-be-about-to-burst

17 Facts That Prove That The Quality Of Jobs In America Is Going Down The Drain
http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/17-facts-that-prove-that-the-quality-of-jobs-in-america-is-going-down-the-drain

This Eye-Opening Chart Reveals The Harsh Realities Of What A $15 Minimum Wage Would Actually Mean
http://www.westernjournalism.com/researchers-reveal-15-minimum-wage-consumer-prices/

These 5 Facts Debunk U.S. Jobs Recovery Myth
http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/090514-716332-american-jobs-recovery-is-stumbling.htm


169 posted on 09/09/2014 3:07:30 PM PDT by Mozilla
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To: thesharkboy
"Such an amendment is not needed. The Constitution is written in plain English, and is easily understood with anyone having a rudimentary education. We don't need to change the Constitution in order to explain what is set down plainly."

If it was so plain, you wouldn't think they would have been arguing about it ever since the constitution was adopted. General Welfare Clause Historical Debate and Pre-1936 Rulings

But there is yet another way. Just elect a president that will appoint justices that believe as you do for several terms in a row. Of course, first you got to get one nominated, and lately we only seem to be able to nominate liberals as the GOP candidate. And you'd also have to get the Senate to approve those SCOTUS nominations.

Like it or not, SCOTUS and not you or me, is set up by the constitution as the authority on the constitution. Congress can impeach them. The President can appoint people with differing views. If you can't win any of the three over with your arguments, then I don't see violent revolution being successful either. You'd just end up full circle.

Not making excuses. Just telling you what is.

170 posted on 09/09/2014 3:08:18 PM PDT by DannyTN
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Comment #171 Removed by Moderator

To: RipSawyer

Well you know how they are always doing some sort of
“STUDY” - I think this is one of them...
It give them a handle on who is unemployed, what your
skills are, what type of job your interested in applying
for based on your skill set example: whether you would
stoop lower or attempt higher. They call back and want
to know if you found anything yet (keeping tabs on you).
It’s all going into a database for some sort of STUDY.
That’s my 2 cents or I guess it’s a half cent now...


172 posted on 09/09/2014 4:18:01 PM PDT by savage woman
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To: thesharkboy
Such an amendment is not needed. The Constitution is written in plain English, and is easily understood with anyone having a rudimentary education. We don't need to change the Constitution in order to explain what is set down plainly.

Got a D+ in a constitutional law class back in the late 70's. I thought the constitution was a simple document that most people should be able to understand. If I took the same course today, I suspect I would get a F - -..

173 posted on 09/09/2014 4:19:44 PM PDT by EVO X
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To: SoothingDave
A guaranteed minimum income has its merits.

Fifty years ago, in 1964, Milton Friedman suggested exactly this, only he called it the Guaranteed Annual Income (GAI). The Goldwater campaign briefly considered latching onto this because Friedman was suggesting that all government transfer payments be abolished and replaced by the GAI. The campaign decided not to go with it because Goldwater himself feared that the GAI would simply be tacked on to the existing transfer payments system.

174 posted on 09/09/2014 4:30:17 PM PDT by Publius ("Who is John Galt?" by Billthedrill and Publius now available at Amazon.)
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To: DannyTN

Prostitution by machines will be coming online pretty soon. Less disease (none for those purchasing rather than renting). Cheaper and likely better appearance and smell. And the customer gets to tell the provider what to say and when to shut up.


175 posted on 09/09/2014 4:59:57 PM PDT by Go_Raiders (Freedom doesn't give you the right to take from others, no matter how innocent your program sounds.)
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To: DannyTN
All you got to do is convince half the citizenry to elect politicians willing to repeal the Food Stamp Act.

Which won't happen if we're not willing to talk about it.

And while you're at it, you need to outlaw the use of matching funds to provide incentive to states to accept federal influence that isn't enumerated.

Which won't happen if we're not willing to talk about it.

I oppose taking money at gunpoint from the productive class and giving it to the parasite class because:

1) It is morally wrong
2) It is clearly NOT authorized by the Constitution.
3) It is destructive social policy

I would like to think that these reasons for opposing government sponsored theft, or Marxism (whichever you wish to call it) would be received favorably by conservatives.

176 posted on 09/09/2014 5:15:54 PM PDT by NorthMountain
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To: F15Eagle

In my area Craigslist has some ads completely in Spanish (for painters, drivers and such); no Americans need (or often can) apply.

As Indeed compiles many of the local newspapers’ classified ads, it is handy. Also, the search function works well (in terms of selecting a search range, excluding/including certain words, etc.).


177 posted on 09/09/2014 5:33:02 PM PDT by kearnyirish2 (Affirmative action is economic warfare against white males (and therefore white families).)
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To: cynwoody
Doing nothing about it is the free market option. And, no, it will not be a disaster, except for those who are unfit or unwilling to adapt

You don't get it.

There will be almost no jobs. There will be nothing to adapt to, except collecting your monthly allotment of government ration coupons.

Even now there are not enough jobs to go around because most low end jobs have been replaced by automation, and the level of the jobs being replaced is continuing to rise.

Soon whatever you do, will soon be done by machine.

And all of us will be helpless to better ourselves.

The "geniuses," the nerds, who are bringing this upon us, have their own Nazi like agenda of how the world should be.

As nerds, they looked up people who were more successful then them because those successful people had strong social skills, as something that needs correcting.

So these technology nerds love the idea of creating a world that puts everyone out of business and brings them down to the same level.

Just look at the political mindset of Google, and what that company thinks your fate should be, what your life should be like.

They and their ilk are re-engineering everything in our society and culture according to their ideals.

It's like some kind of cult of technology despotism.

178 posted on 09/09/2014 6:02:14 PM PDT by Age of Reason
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To: Bobalu
Automation is an amplifier for the human mind and body. What now takes a million workers to do, a single person will be able to have done for him. A single person could create a city or dig a canal or whatever.

In the wake of WW2 in the Pacific, the saying was that it took the Americans and the Chinese about the same amount of time to construct an airfield. Six Americans. Six hundred Chinese.

179 posted on 09/09/2014 7:18:33 PM PDT by cynwoody
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To: SoothingDave
Simply paying the people directly as the ONLY form of assistance would eliminate all these bureaucrats. Maybe some of them could devote their talents to useful work...

I find your entire post to be stunningly naïve.

180 posted on 09/09/2014 10:30:13 PM PDT by gogeo (If you are Tea Party, the Republican Party does not want you.)
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