Originally Posted by NW Ponderer
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The point is that nothing stimulates an economy more than consumption.
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In the framework of a capitalist economy that is absolutely correct.

I think that associating UBI with Socialism is not accurate. Social safety nets are typically a band aid on Capitalism aimed at reducing the inherent contradictions of the system. They temporarily alleviate some of the hardships and injustices imposed on wage earners. However, they do not represent solutions to those contradictions. They can, however, be a harbinger of the change needed to inform the public and indicate a path to a more just and equitable economic system.
So, if the broader issue is whether or not people are prepared to live under Socialism, it would seem that, if they truly understand what the new economic relationships would be (and NW_P points out many aspects that are a preview or a hint of some of those relationships) and are not indoctrinated to hate anything that proposes to change the status quo (hate that has been repeatedly reinforced by government and media alike) then I would say yes, they are.
Just think of what the reaction would be if you suddenly told all of the recipients of Social Security, and other benefits, that they were being abandoned to the forces of the so-called "marketplace".
I think you might see pitchforks and torches.
Oscar Wilde wrote eloquently about this in The Soul of Man under Socialism

Last edited by Ezekiel; 08/28/16 10:48 AM.
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