Socialist Clinton: $5,000 for every Baby

[BaalChatzaf]

What you stated was that my argument could lead to worse consequences. That means you called my argument a slippery slope argument.

1) Well, I objected to the notion of negative income tax on moral grounds - not slippery-slope grounds.

2) I then commented that the sort of reasoning - that folks were going to redistribute income anyhow, so we may as well propose a method which is perhaps the least bad of the evils and do a negative income tax - could lead to worse consequences.

I don't think that we're talking slippery slope in 1, certainly.

I don't think that pointing out that something already deemed bad is being argued for based on a flawed form of reasoning, and noting that that flawed form of reasoning could lead to worse consequences, is hardly a slippery slopw argument. It WOULD be if there were no flaw in #1 - but we both agree that they are. The primary basis for me criticizing the negative income tax is #1.

Alfonso

The world has been morally objectionable since God invented dirt. I am betting that is will remain morally objectionable for a long time to come. But don't despair! We DO have a choice between worse and less bad. Less bad, relatively speaking, is an improvement. In terms of what I am able to do, what is within my feeble power to alter, I opt to making this a less bad world for me and mine. You might call me an optimistic pessimist.

In the days when meat rotted rather quickly, people found that adding a bit of spice and salt or smoking it made it edible. It was still semi rotten, but it could be made tasty enough to eat and get some protein out of.

Ba'al Chatzaf

[Chris Grieb]

A friend has told me Mrs Clinton has abandoned this proposal. Does anyone have any information.

[Laure]

I read that she backed off of the $5000 for every baby idea, and has instead gone to $1000 for every person, into a 401K account. Still about $20 billion a year, I think. Funded through taxing the rich, I think on estates over $7 million. She can probably buy more votes with this proposal. Remember the student council candidates in junior high that would give away candy? (Hm, at least they used to buy the candy with their own money!) I read a quote from her stating that we must fight the idea of social security privatization. (Wouldn't want people to have to take care of themselves, I guess.)

[Chris Grieb]

Larue; Thanks! I had heard about the new proposal. I don't think she would backtrack so quickly.