Andre Gouin wrote,
>e.g. let's say the GAI is $1000./year. In Canada, at say 30 millions of us,
>that means 30,000 million CAD. Now by the general reaction to Martin's 2.5
>billion CAD to students over ten years, I've grave doubts about the chances
>of any Basic Income soon, unless it can be shown to be feasible.
>
>Not wishing to rain on your parade, but ... The "why" battle is won, the
>hard part is the "how" war. Good luck.
A $1000 GAI is $30 billion IF AND ONLY IF you account for it as an
additional cost, over and above current program spending. By the same token,
a bicycle may look expensive IF you already own and maintain a car and will
continue to do so after you buy the bicycle. In that kind of accounting, the
car we already own is "free".
Shouldn't the "how" question be concerned with the relative costs and
benefits of alternative policy approaches, rather than simply the marginal
cost of an innovation. If we look at costs and benefits comprehensively, we
also have to be aware that any change also _shifts_ costs and benefits
between people. It's not just the total costs and benefits of a public
policy that we should be concerned with but also the distribution of costs
and benefits.
Regards,
Tom Walker
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