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From: mwm@ea.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Unemployment & the minimum wage - (nf)
Message-ID: <10100083@ea.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 13-Aug-84 22:06:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: ea.10100083
Posted: Mon Aug 13 22:06:00 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 16-Aug-84 01:13:59 EDT
References: <215@idi.UUCP>
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Nf-ID: #R:idi:-21500:ea:10100083:000:1579
Nf-From: ea!mwm    Aug 13 21:06:00 1984

#R:idi:-21500:ea:10100083:000:1579
ea!mwm    Aug 13 21:06:00 1984

{ if (!fork()) execv("libertarian-argument", "-", 0) ; }

> /***** ea:net.politics / tty3b!mjk / 12:08 am  Aug 10, 1984 */
> (a) Perhaps you believe in the "freedom" to buy unsafe products.

As a matter of fact, I do. Unsafe products like mind-altering drugs
and mind-altering literature. Of course, that doesn't mean that I
use either one, only that I'd like a choice to do so.

> (b) Your second question only points out the inadequacy of the minimum
>     wage to really solve the problem of unemployment.  That doesn't mean
>     we should abandon the minimum wage.  It means we must go further.

You're right - we have to go further. Of course, you're also suffering
under the delusion that "a job" is the only way to stay fed, clothed and
sheltered. It isn't.

The "further" we need to go to is to eliminate jobs completely, and let
everybody live on government handouts (large ones, like personal computers
on the lines of a VAX 11/790). Of course, that level of government support
means that the government has to own most of the large production
facilities in the country. That means that either everybody is a slave to
the government, or that we've automated to a large degree. Getting to the
point were we can automate to that extent is going to require some
technological advances.  Getting those advances installed and working is
going to require some incentive for the people with the production
facilities, like "profit" and "competition" for that profit. Gee, sounds
like I want a free enterprise system until society has evolved for a while,
doesn't it?