“If You Don’t Work You Don’t Eat”

     A "culture blogger" in a recent post observed that.... through paid wages in a market economy our culture allocates the distribution of resources to its population. The follow up opinion was that this system is much dated and flagrantly wasteful, in that many jobs are of nominal value to the society and some are actually counter-productive.  The view meandered toward UBI (universal basic income) as an alternative to the impoverished existence of a "job-holder", but knowing the strong arguments against, concluded that the "jobs/UBI debate" was simply too close to call and too risky to try.

     A blog reader's comment certainly set the tone for the "tough-love/conservative narrative" feedback.  He wrote: .......in the case of the present subject of voluntary work, expending precious energy mentoring low lifes in how to imagine and do rather them letting them go unattended to walk the streets with pants down and face in cell phone to make it through the day.  The blog piece feedback spinning the "enlightened/liberal narrative"  was convinced that insurancing the " no work/no eat" existential dread would soon ignite inspired productivity and usher in the Age of Aquarius.  

    My personal take is that I would like to "go with Rousseau" and take a shot at moving to a higher human expression, but.......since I can think and I have looked at the psychometrics, I vote "Hobbs for Jobs". I just don't think that Thomas Jefferson would, next week after a couple of hours with Murray, Haier, etc.,  not want to update his broad foundational claim...not as the claim relates to individual worth, but as it relates to societal groups and macro-economic policies. I just don't think enabling work free living will, well.....work!