The success of the Swiss petition drive has created to a great deal of media attention to the issue of basic income. This discussion has penetrated libertarian circles in the United States. So-called “libertarians” support strong, private property rights with little or no taxation, regulation, or redistribution. Although Some readers might be surprised to learn about it, a few libertarian thinkers going back at least 70 years has favored some for basic income guarantee. Many libertarians are attracted to basic income’s potential to streamline, simplify and replace complicated welfare-state programs. Two recent articles, one by Matt Zwolinski for Libertarism.org and one by Matthew Feeney for Reason magazine argue in favor of BIG. Tyler Cowen writes a much more skeptical article for Marginal Revolution. Many pro-market writers are wholly opposed to basic income. An article by Jim Manzi in the National Review (back in 2011) provides one example.
Reason magazine
The articles mentioned above are:
Matt Zwolinski, “The Libertarian Case for a Basic Income,” Libertarianism.org. December 5, 2013.
Matthew Feeney, “Scrap the Welfare State and Give People Free Money: A guaranteed income would reduce the humiliations of the current welfare system while promoting individual responsibility.” Reason, November 26, 2013.
Tyler Cowen, “What are some of the biggest problems with a guaranteed annual income?” Marginal Revolution, November 14, 2013.
Jim Manzi, “Against the Negative Income Tax,” the National Review, February 15, 2011.
Other recent libertarian articles for and against BIG include:
Chris Pacia, “Libertarians For A Guaranteed Minimum Income?” Escape Velocity, December 5, 2013.
Andrea Castillo, “Libertarians for (Better) Welfare,” the Umlaut, November 26, 2013.
Bruegel Netherlandish Proverbs 1559 -from the Umlaut
Tackling the libertarians will be the biggest challenge for the basic income movement. I want a basic income that makes good on the ideals of egalitarianism. But there is a big risk that we instead get a watered down, minimal libertarian basic income as an excuse to tear apart all welfare state institutions.
The fundamental concept of American libertarianism is the Zero Aggression Principle (ZAP), that no individual or group has a right to initiate force, intimidation or fraud against another.
Therefore American libertarians have no problem with a guaranteed income if such a program is conducted 100% voluntarily among consenting adults.
Anyone advocating government officials or anyone else coercively taxing some people against their will and giving that money to others are guilty of advocating coercion and intimidation. Such people are not libertarians based on the ZAP criteria.
Such people are also guilty of fraud if they claim to be “libertarians.”
Garry Reed: Exactly so.
Garry Reed: Exactly so. Thank you.
If you want to win over libertarians, show where this is working well. One of the strengths of the libertarian movement is that it’s nearly devoid of dogma and foaming at the mouth. These are people with whom one can reason. They are pragmatists.
Tyler et. al. the Libertarians have shown how to do this via things like the EIC and the Alaska Fund. I suggest you discover what the movement is actually doing. Start with Neither of you seem to have studied the basics of Libertarianism or what Libertarians have been doing for the last 50 years.
See: http://www.libertarianinternational.org/apps/blog/show/5326376-lio-milton-friedman-libertarians-lead-largest-poverty-reduction-1st-viable-social-wage-program-in-history-so-there- to get started. Also check out OPERATION DIGNITY.
Garry Reed wrote:
“conducted 100% voluntarily among consenting adults”
One should point out that this would probably rule out human right rules. See the universal right to food for example:
“Physical accessibility implies that adequate food must be accessible to everyone…“
http://www.refworld.org/docid/4538838c11.html