Free Republic

The federal government can easily afford a job guarantee program, becoming our employer of last resort.Involuntary unemployment is barbaric. In the wealthiest country in history, almost 30 million people wish they had full-time work. But, as always, there aren’t enough jobs. And because economic security requires decent work, it’s unsurprising that 50 million people are poverty-stricken and 16 million children are hungry. This is a disgrace and an economic error: the US government can easily afford a Job guarantee (JG) program, becoming our employer of last resort. A right to a job may sound outlandish, but it’s common sense. You...

With government intervention now becoming the only viable solution being touted for everything from individual health care and the economy to our personal safety and how we educate our children, it would only make sense that officials in Washington also figure out a way to use their power of confiscation and redistribution to equalize the income playing field. It’s no secret that 48 million Americans require nutritional assistance just to put food on the table, or that over 100 million of us are living in or at the very edge of poverty, or that nearly one in three of us...

Switzerland will hold a vote on whether to introduce a basic income for all adults, in a further sign of growing public activism over pay inequality since the financial crisis. A grassroots committee is calling for all adults in Switzerland to receive an unconditional income of 2,500 Swiss francs — about $2,800 — per month from the state, with the aim of providing a financial safety net for the population. Organizers submitted more than the 100,000 signatures needed to call a referendum on Friday and tipped a truckload of 8 million five-cent coins outside the parliament building in Bern, one...

WHITEHORSE, YK—Try to imagine a town where the government paid each of the residents a living income, regardless of who they were and what they did, and a Soviet hamlet in the early 1980s may come to mind. But this experiment happened much closer to home. For a four-year period in the '70s, the poorest families in Dauphin, Manitoba, were granted a guaranteed minimum income by the federal and provincial governments. Thirty-five years later all that remains of the experiment are 2,000 boxes of documents that have gathered dust in the Canadian archives building in Winnipeg. Until now little has...

So what's wrong with Democrats in this country? Why are they being so reactionary? Why do they insist on holding out on so many of their constituents? How long will it take them to achieve their stated goals with such a penny ante approach to redistribution of wealth? If heath insurance is, as they insist, a universal right, isn't food? Isn't shelter? Isn't clothing? Why are there no proposals being made to ensure all Americans can get free food, free housing and free clothing among other essentials? If you get a chance – at a town hall meeting or at...

I was watching MSNBC a few nights ago, or maybe it was CNN, and one of the program’s featured shots was a live picture from Bourbon Street in New Orleans. It was packed and the people were sassy and partying – normal, in other words. Indeed, the commentator used that, very word and stressed the importance of it. He said it again – New Orleans is returning to normal. How depressing it was to hear that because of all things we want for that city, we should not ever again want it to be its old normal self. Normal –...

"In the John Waters-esque sector of northwest Baltimore -- equal parts kitschy, sketchy, artsy and weird -- Gerry Mak and Sarah Magida sauntered through a small ethnic market stocked with Japanese eggplant, mint chutney and fresh turmeric. After gathering ingredients for that evening's dinner, they walked to the cash register and awaited their moments of truth." Those are two "hipsters", and the punchline is that they pay for their foodie porn with foodie stamps, which sounds like it should be a terrible thing, except it's in Salon.com, which means they're going to try and tell you how it's a good...

PEACE and Freedom Party Phone :510-465-9414 http://www.peaceandfreedom.org/Platform.htm (In Case You Want to Puke on Them, p6) PEACE AND FREEDOM PARTY Phone :510-465-9414 URL : http://www.peaceandfreedom.org/Platform.htm RESOURCES Socialist and feminist political party based in California Nominated Black Panther Eldridge Cleaver for U.S. President in 1968 Nominated convicted killer Leonard Peltier for U.S. President in 2004 Supports open borders and an end to deportations of illegal immigrantsEstablished on January 23, 1967, the Peace and Freedom Party (PFP) describes its founders as "people who wanted to vote for something they could support." According to PFP, this ruled out candidates of both major parties...

New technologies fascinate us – from the precision of robotic surgery to the potential of Amazon dropping packages on our doorsteps via drone. But at the same time, there is anxiety over robots and artificial intelligence making human labor unnecessary and, ultimately, replacing us. Fear of the changes innovation brings is nothing new, and the reality is that robots will eventually replace us in many or most of today’s jobs and that’s, in fact, a glorious thing. Yes, jobs will be destroyed by innovation, as they’ve always been, but it doesn’t mean we’ll run out of jobs. New ones will...

We know the welfare state is good news for people inside government. Lots of bureaucrats are required, after all, to oversee a plethora of redistribution programs. Walter Williams refers to these paper pushers as poverty pimps, and thereÂ’s even a ranking showing which states have the greatest number of these folks who profit by creating dependency.But does anybody else benefit from welfare programs?Robert Rector of the Heritage Foundation explains in the Washington Times that the War on Poverty certainly hasnÂ’t been a success for taxpayers or poor people. Instead, itÂ’s created a costly web of dependency. This year marks the...

Until We Learn to Be Sovereign, the Illegitimate State Will Continue.A recent editorial column here at the PanAm Post spoke of the failures of the opposition parties in Venezuela and their culpability in the collapse of their country. The article raises some very important questions about democracy itself. Democracy, after all, is a very good system, and can produce some very positive results. However, it is also a system fraught with incredible danger. Democracy represents the will of the people, but it also represents their whims, their fears, and their prejudices. The Historical Legacy: False Promises, Division, Failure It was...

Millennials are more open to idea of slavery reparations: Study shows majority of young people think African Americans should be compensated for ancestors' suffering **SNIP** Baby boomers between ages 51-69 are similar, with a 79-17 per cent margin against reparations. The numbers start changing when it comes to Generation Xers, with Americans between the ages of 35-50 breaking 73 per cent to 25 per cent against reparations. The biggest shift comes with millennials, with a majority — 51 per cent — saying that reparations should be paid or they were unsure of whether reparations should be paid.

Okayyyyyyy… Elizabeth Warren, in her first major public speech since being elevated to the Democratic leadership in the Senate, slammed Republicans on education, job creation and other economic policies, warning Wednesday that “the American Dream is slipping out of reach.” “We must fight back with everything we have,” Warren told a gathering hosted by the Center for American Progress in Washington. “The game is rigged but we know how to fix it. We know what to do. We tested the Republican ideas and they failed. They failed spectacularly there’s no denying that fact.” As a science fiction fan, I have...

The next time you wonder just how far to the left Rolling Stone magazine is, consider that in its first issue of the new year, it actually published an article calling for capitalism to be totally abolished in America and replaced with a socialist structure wherein people didn't need to work, all assets were taken over by the government, and redistributed to the masses. Fasten your seatbelts before continuing further: 1. Guaranteed Work for Everybody Unemployment blows. The easiest and most direct solution is for the government to guarantee that everyone who wants to contribute productively to society is able...

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A federal program is giving away thousands of free cell phones and minutes in Minnesota, and you’re paying for it. Helping low-income people connect to services they need, the program gives free phones with hundreds of free minutes each month to people in need to land jobs, make appointments and stay in touch with family. But the program has come under fire for its $1 billion price tag and reports of fraud. . . Odell Hilson sold his phone for $20 because he needed the money. He didn’t remember which company gave it to him, but he...

The secret to Trump's success: Treating us with respect Posted: Monday, May 23, 2016 12:15 am By EDWARD FARLING Richard Cohen and the New York Times have, quite unintentionally, explained to me Donald Trump's appeal. The explanation was wrapped in the usual patronizing characterizations of his supporters; racist, hateful, uneducated (and therefore unintelligent), but it is not that. Trump supporters want jobs. Sure, the pundits never said it. They hate Trump and dismiss his supporters, and would never give them that much credit. But they did manage to leave it as the only logical conclusion. From the first of Cohen's...

"Matt Bruenig is researcher of poverty and welfare systems at the think tank Demos." By now, it is well established that capitalism is fundamentally built upon threats of force. As libertarian philosophers Robert Nozick and Matt Zwolinski have explained, the only way to turn unowned natural resources (such as land, minerals and other goods) into privately owned property is by violently preventing all others from using them. This one-sided exclusion destroys freedom of movement and cuts many people off from the things that they need to survive.

Let's just get it over with and go for a guaranteed income for all. If you work and earn less than the guaranteed income, the government will pay you the difference. If you don't work, the government will pay you the guaranteed amount anyway. After all, a living wage is a human right. As is healthcare. The government should provide it. As is housing. Food. Clothing. Cell phones. Internet. Transportation. Vacations. But we must all pay our fair share. Those earning less than the guaranteed income will receive a check from the IRS. Those earning more than the guarantee up...

May 11, 2016 Michael Covel An insidious new fantasy is blooming in Washington, D.C, academia and the media… Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders dreams about it in between bong hits. It’s lovingly endorsed by “off the wall” left-wing economist Paul Krugman. And the ultra-progressive Huffington Post calls it “the idea that could revolutionize the 21st century.” The hype surrounding this “revolutionary” idea will soon be an everyday talking point. And if you’re a hard-working citizen who takes care of your own responsibilities, you should pay extra close attention… Because you’re about to get fleeced and forced to enjoy it… Utopian...

Swiss voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposal that would have guaranteed everyone in the Alpine nation an unconditional basic income, according to projections published Sunday by public broadcaster SRF1. The plan could have seen people in this wealthy nation of 8 million people receive about 2,500 Swiss francs ($2,560) per month — enough to cover their basic needs. Proponents argued that a basic income would free people from meaningless toil and allow them to pursue more productive or creative goals in life. Critics said the plan would explode the state budget and encourage idleness, arguments that appear to have convinced voters....