From: John K Clark (johnkc@well.com)
Date: Mon Sep 22 1997 - 10:51:27 MDT
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On Mon, 22 Sep 1997 Damien Broderick <damien@ariel.ucs.unimelb.edu.au>Wrote:
>Most people on this list clearly detest the idea of The Man taking
>and distributing a share of the community's productivity, but is
>there another way than an IRS to create and maintain a Guaranteed
>Income floor
I think Max's suggestion of the of the poor buying common stock is a very
good one but that doesn't absolutely guarantee an income floor. Even if
The Spike happens soon and even if you have stock in a company pioneering the
new technology you could still run into trouble. The Eckert- Mauchly Computer
Company was the world's first manufacturer of electronic computers.
They built ENIAC in 1946, tried to commercialize it, went broke 4 years
latter and had to sell out to Sperry Rand. The danger in Max's plan could be
greatly reduced by having a diversified portfolio or a mutual fund,
one winner could make up for a very large number of duds, but still
no guarantee.
Another idea is voluntary charity, but again no guarantee. If nobody wants to
help the poor then they won't be helped, but I don't see how the IRS could do
any better. If I don't want to voluntarily contribute why would I vote for a
politician who makes me, and why would a politician who want's to stay in
power make enemies of the rich and powerful and friends of the poor and
powerless?
I wish I had a guaranteed income throughout the turmoil and uncertainty of
The Spike, but it's not going to happen. The poor are just going to have to
do what the rest of us do, play the odds and hope for the best.
John K Clark johnkc@well.com
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