Great response, Chrystal. You may be right on the first point. But my reason for
giving the GAIA to every citizen, regardless of other income, would be to make
it a truly universal program - so that the poor wouldn't be stigmatized as a
separate group that needs special assistance. Rather, the GAIA would be a
citizenship right - just like access to public health care and education.

On the second point, I agree that the vast majority of (low-income) people want
to work and do contribute to the community to the extent that they can. I raise
the issue of work disincentives only to try to pre-empt the criticism I've
received from conservative economists when discussing the GAIA. They seem to
believe that people are inherently lazy and/or exploitative, so that they will
simply stop working or stop contributing to society if they are given a
substantial GAIA (say, more than Charles Murray's $5,000 annual allowance).

In my view, "human goodness" is the recognition of our social responsibility to
one another - and a tendency to act on that responsibility. So, one way this
applies is that an economy can't function if people stop "working" when they
receive the GAIA. I do NOT believe most people would do this because most
people are "good" (i.e., not "lazy" and/or "exploitative" - with the exception,
perhaps, of certain capitalists and their ideological spokespersons). The
reasons you give are related, but presented in a more self-interested way -
people work because it makes them feel good to participate with others in a
common cause. Makes sense - but the identification with a "common cause", the
tendency to be a "social animal", is, in my view, the foundation of "human
goodness". This is a moral philosophy.

I also agree that the meaning of "work" should go beyond the conventional
definition - to include socially useful things like raising children,
volunteering, etc.

Best,

Jeff




Quoting Chrystal Ocean <[log in to unmask]>:

> It's good to see others writing to the TorStar.
>
> Jeff's letter serves as good intro for raising a couple of points concerning
> a GAIA.
>
> First, if the GAIA were administered through the tax system as a refundable
> tax credit, rather than paid out and then returned (if applicable) at tax
> time, then it wouldn't be the case that every citizen, regardless of other
> income, would receive the GAIA. Instead, every citizen whose annual income
> fell below a certain threshold would receive the GAIA. While this approach
> would delay the implementation of a GAIA by up to a year or more, it would
> likely be more palatable to the average working Canadian.
>
> Second, to suggest that a GAIA might create a disincentive to work raises a
> red flag which has no basis in reality. and the suggestion that the desire
> to work has something to do with "human goodness" only muddles this
> non-issue further.
>
> There is not one person in poverty I know who doesn't contribute to the
> community to the extent he or she can. And there is not one, but for those
> exhausted by decades of work and ready to retire, who doesn't WANT to work.
>
> "I really enjoy waking up in the morning and getting dressed up nice. It
> makes a whole difference to my wellbeing throughout that day. I’ve learnt
> that I need to get a job in the morning hours. I want a routine: shower, get
> dressed, go to work. That’s real important to me that it work out that way"
> (Policies of Exclusion, Poverty & Health: p115).
>
> People want to work not because of any fundamental human goodness, but
> because working a) brings us together b) in a common cause and c) helps us
> feel good about ourselves. We work out of human need, because we're social
> animals, not because we're fundamentally good (which I would dispute).
>
> The greater issue, which is separable from discussion of a GAIA, is what
> 'work' means.
>
> Ocean, WISE Coordinator
> http://www.wise-bc.org/
>
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