Shared income

[JESUSFREAK1354]

Do you think shared income is a reasonable solution for poverty in America? I shall reveal my opinion later...

 

[NiteClerk]

I'm assuming that you mean some type of plan where all income is paid to the government, then divided up equally among everyone.

So I voted NO.

This is communism, it has been tried, and it doesn't work.

 

[TinkaBella]

We already share our income with familiy members and friends who need it.

 

[JESUSFREAK1354]

I'm assuming that you mean some type of plan where all income is paid to the government, then divided up equally among everyone.

So I voted NO.

This is communism, it has been tried, and it doesn't work.

It's not communism. I believe you are refering to Socialism; though that's only one issue.

 

[Mling]

Could you define what you are talking about, then?

Hearing the term "shared income," I think of a married couple using "all the same money" rather than keeping separate finances. Which I think is a great idea, but it has little to do with poverty.

 

[peter22]

Do you think shared income is a reasonable solution for poverty in America? I shall reveal my opinion later...

Niteclerk does make a good point.
"Sharing the wealth" sounds nice & egalitarian in theory, but you have to remember that the nature of man is to tend towards greed & corruption.
Who would organise this wealth redistribution? Why would I bother to work hard since I get $33,000 a year exactly anyway (the US per capita income, I believe)? Peoductivity would go down the toilet because nobody would want to work hard since they all get the same. Salaries would go down, so buying would go down, leading into a spiral of economic depression. The government would institute harsh reforms designed to lift the country out of its financial ruin....

It's not a good idea, I think.

 

[Lynden1000]

Do you think shared income is a reasonable solution for poverty in America? I shall reveal my opinion later...

If you're talking about income sharing a la egalitarian communes, then no I don't think it's a good idea or a workable idea, although I respect that its supporters have their hearts in the right place. The reasons why it's a bad idea have been well stated by the other posters.

 

[CCGirl]

Are you talking about splitting incomes for couples?

 

[ebia]

Do you think shared income is a reasonable solution for poverty in America? I shall reveal my opinion later...

I think you need to define, or at least explain, your terms.

 

[Brieuse]

I think you need to define, or at least explain, your terms.

Maybe he is referring to communal living, which is common among a lot of sects?

 

[Voegelin]

"Shared" would imply a voluntary arraignment is being proposed. That reduces but does not eliminate the possibility of harm. So, as others have mentioned, it all depends.

 

[MachZer0]

"Shared" would imply a voluntary arraignment is being proposed. That reduces but does not eliminate the possibility of harm. So, as others have mentioned, it all depends.

One problem is that I've never met anybody who believed in the concept of shared income who would actually share any of it with me.

 

[JESUSFREAK1354]

Could you define what you are talking about, then?

Hearing the term "shared income," I think of a married couple using "all the same money" rather than keeping separate finances. Which I think is a great idea, but it has little to do with poverty.

A plan that would have everyone in America making the same amount of money. A McDONALD'S worker makes the same amount as a Doctor, or a lawyer. I personally believe that would help to decrease poverty and unemployment rates.

 

[MoonlessNight]

A plan that would have everyone in America making the same amount of money. A McDONALD'S worker makes the same amount as a Doctor, or a lawyer. I personally believe that would help to decrease poverty and unemployment rates.

For that to be at all workable you're going to have change a lot of other structures in the country. The first that comes to mind for me is education. Personally knowing med students and doctors (though I'm not one), I know that as it is getting out of debt is already a daunting task. With a standardized income it would be impossible and so no one would be a doctor.

I'm not all for the "capitalism of the job market" because if the conditions are wrong it just invites exploitation at no fault of the workers. But at the same time to standardize income is to ignore relative values of professions, among other things, which just leads to problems. I guess what I'm saying is that I have a problem with the quasi-worship that capitalism receives, but at the same time it's not a good idea to ignore the economics behind it.

 

[NiteClerk]

A plan that would have everyone in America making the same amount of money. A McDONALD'S worker makes the same amount as a Doctor, or a lawyer. I personally believe that would help to decrease poverty and unemployment rates.

It would kill productivity. I used to own rental houses. I bought cheap houses, repaired them, rented them out, and continued to upgrade them. Then after 7 - 10 years I would sell them. I took a gamble on doing this and put in my labor and capital, in the hope of making a profit. If I'm guaranteed exactly $33,000 per year I probable wouldn't have risked my time, labor and money on this. So not only would I not have rehabbed houses, I wouldn't have been buying wood, carpeting, paint, plumbing, furnaces, air conditioners, roofing, refrigerators, dish washers, etc. Which means that the factories that supply these items would lose sales and lay off people.

At some level your pay should equate to the importance or demand for your job. Look how well this plan worked for the Soviet Union. Or Cuba. (Almost) everyone is equal. Equally poor.

 

[JESUSFREAK1354]

Personally knowing med students and doctors (though I'm not one), I know that as it is getting out of debt is already a daunting task. With a standardized income it would be impossible and so no one would be a doctor.

Not necisarrily. Let's see: "Don't knock it, till you try it". How would it be imposible to get out of debt? I do not understand.

 

[JESUSFREAK1354]

Look how well this plan worked for the Soviet Union. Or Cuba. (Almost) everyone is equal. Equally poor.

But if everyone made a large sum of money, how would this make you poor?

The Bible teaches that all hard work is good in the sight of the Lord, so why should some fat[wash mouth out] lawyer, cheating people and rolling in dough make more money than someone who is working manual labor?

 

[JESUSFREAK1354]

since when is the other name for a donkey a curse word?

 

[TinkaBella]

A plan that would have everyone in America making the same amount of money. A McDONALD'S worker makes the same amount as a Doctor, or a lawyer. I personally believe that would help to decrease poverty and unemployment rates.

Where would be the motivation to do anything HARD? Many people choose their jobs and careers in part due to the amount of money they will make and the lifestyle it will provide them. Nobody would aspire to do anything if there was no financial benefit. Do you think people would risk their lives, spend years getting higher/specialized educations, work long hours while putting their own life on hold, and do the kinds of things most people would never consider doing....JUST BECAUSE?

 

[TinkaBella]

But if everyone made a large sum of money, how would this make you poor?

The Bible teaches that all hard work is good in the sight of the Lord, so why should some fat[wash mouth out] lawyer, cheating people and rolling in dough make more money than someone who is working manual labor?

What about the thin, nice lawyers. Do you have a problem with them too?
Seriously though, lawyers and doctors and many other professions require years of hard work and sacrifice. Not everyone is willing or able to do that so the ones who do deserve to be compensated for their efforts.
I can't understand how you don't see this.