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Re:Basic income doesn't emphasize divisions between poor and... by err4nt on Monday August 29, 2016 @11:36AM (#12382572)
Maybe on paper, or in theory.

In my life I'm not ashamed to say it was the hunger of having nothing, no safety net, and having no job that STILL drives me today. That fire that got started when I had bills and no money is still burning strong today.

But I worry if theres too mucb cushion perhaps I would have not hurt as bad, and ever achieved what Ive accomplished since then.

Re:Basic income doesn't emphasize divisions between poor and... by Applejinx on Monday August 29, 2016 @11:53AM (#12382730)
Then make way for someone who is otherwise motivated, by something other than fire. Your personal drive to get money and succeed has nothing to do with your capacity to provide goods and services: heck, it might be causing you to cut corners, cheat people, and otherwise push so hard that you're harming your longterm prospects.

If you're some sort of titanic corporate entity, you're almost compelled to deliver constantly growing earnings for the next quarter. If you're a sole proprietorship but driven by these deeply personal motivations, you might be stuck in similarly self-defeating attitudes. Compare to Elon Musk, who barely seems to register the concept of money and is only interested in the specific things he's doing. Without the money, he'd be much the same person, I think.

Re:Basic income doesn't emphasize divisions between poor and... by dragonwriter on Monday August 29, 2016 @12:05PM (#12382823)
> In my life I'm not ashamed to say it was the hunger of having nothing, no safety net, and having no job that STILL drives me today.

Canada is a first-world country, and like all first-world safety nets, hasn't had "no safety net" for quite a long time (even the US, which has a fairly weak safety net for a first world country, especially given its relative per capita wealth and income, has had significant social safety nets for a long time.)

Re:Basic income doesn't emphasize divisions between poor and... by err4nt on Monday August 29, 2016 @12:19PM (#12382920)
Yeah, I applied for Employment Insurance (EI) one time when I got laid off and, though approved, no cheque ever arrived so I still had to make do without it. The second time I found myself in a tight spot I didn't qualify for Employment Insurance - so even though I have paid into it, when I needed it it wasn't there for me.
Re:Basic income doesn't emphasize divisions between poor and... by icebraining on Monday August 29, 2016 @12:19PM (#12382925)
Beyond what's been pointed out, entrepreneurs have an additional safety net: limited liability.

You can be sure that by creating a legal veneer, your home and other property will be safe, while the rest of society pays for the losses accrued by your experiment. That's potentially a much larger welfare transfer than any BI.

Re:Basic income doesn't emphasize divisions between poor and... by err4nt on Monday August 29, 2016 @01:34PM (#12383566)
LLC in the US does. I suppose for a few hundreds or thousands you could incorporate in Canada too - though I believe Sole Proprietorship is the most popular type of business by FAR, and with sole proprietorship the proprietor is 100% liable for damages the business incurs. So it's actually more like a “personal liability” net for most…
Re:Basic income doesn't emphasize divisions between poor and... by sigmar on Monday August 29, 2016 @11:56AM (#12382755)
>it was the hunger of having nothing, no safety net, and having no job that STILL drives me today

Canada has had health care provided to you since 1984. So to say you have "no safety net" is factually wrong. Did the existence of public health care make you decide to leave and build your business somewhere else? It seems it did not.

Re:Basic income doesn't emphasize divisions between poor and... by err4nt on Monday August 29, 2016 @12:20PM (#12382931)
Health care doesn't pay the electric bills. Health care doesn't buy groceries.

I am glad if I went to the doctor I could have been seen without a cost to me. I didn't NEED a doctor, I needed food to eat, and money to pay bills to keep collections off my back.