[rsynnott]

> Sounds like communism to me...

Yes, this is exactly what happened in communist countries. That's why everyone hated Stalin so much; he kept giving people money for free.

In real life, basic income has mostly been a popular idea with liberal socialists and with libertarians; Bertrand Russell suggested it, but so did Milton Friedman. It very much isn't popular amongst communists, however.

[tpainton]

I agree. However, in communist countries (in which my co-workers lived (ex-Soviet)) The job was just a symbol. There would be department stores that sold hardly anything, with 3 people manning a cash register. This is no different than what Swit proposes.. It's just Swit has chosen to forgo the mock job.

[rsynnott]

The Soviet fake-job thing was really more a failure of central planning; it's not like the Soviets deliberately set out to create fake jobs. The intent is very different, and of course a recipient of basic income would be free (and indeed expected) to have a proper job too.

[wooter]

woah now, libertarians are very much against wealth redistribution which is what this is.