4 ms·

>> the reasoning that we shouldn't use the free license plates because they're reducing the number of jobs making them doesn't make sense. Yes, once the things

by toss1 4y ago

>> the reasoning that we shouldn't use the free license plates because they're reducing the number of jobs making them doesn't make sense. Yes, once the things are made, simply wasting the things on principle is, well, simply wasteful. That said, if that step of wasting them is required in order to stop the practice of (near-)slavery, then the waste could be worthwhile. Either way, slavery is bad both in it's own right and to the extent that it harms wider society by degrading the value of others' labor. This could also be solved by requiring all jobs to pay a bona-fide living wage, as in, you cannot hire anyone unless you are paying them for 40 hours of work an amount that is sufficient to support them and dependents for all basic needs, i.e., food, housing, health, transport, etc. Perhaps an exception for dependents who are entering the workforce, who could be paid lower rates for a certain time. With this, then slavery wouldn't have so much outside harm in addition to its intrinsic harm.

mhb 4y ago
I think I wasn't clear. It seems like there are two things that you are suggesting are bad: 1. Slaves 2. People losing jobs because goods can be produced more cheaply than they should be paid for producing them. I'm saying that #2 isn't bad on its own. Air is free. It is available for less than it would cost people to produce it. That's not a problem. The cost of what you're proposing is that some jobs won't be done at all. Maybe that is acceptable to you.
- toss1 4y ago
  >>The cost of what you're proposing is that some jobs won't be done at all. Maybe that is acceptable to you. Interesting. I think that it is acceptable, and actually inevitable - only the threshold of [won't get done] changes. At some point, if a thing has so little value that people won't pay enough for it to be done, whether the threshold is living wages or prison wages, why should it be created? We already have far too much junk in the world. If the thing is sufficiently valuable, then its cost can increase to a sustainable level. E.g., water used to be free also, and paying for bottled water when tap or stream water was right at hand was mocked. But now, people are happy to pay often stupid-money for bottles of water.

by toss1 4y ago

mhb 4y ago

I think I wasn't clear. It seems like there are two things that you are suggesting are bad: 1. Slaves 2. People losing jobs because goods can be produced more cheaply than they should be paid for producing them. I'm saying that #2 isn't bad on its own. Air is free. It is available for less than it would cost people to produce it. That's not a problem. The cost of what you're proposing is that some jobs won't be done at all. Maybe that is acceptable to you.

toss1 4y ago
>>The cost of what you're proposing is that some jobs won't be done at all. Maybe that is acceptable to you. Interesting. I think that it is acceptable, and actually inevitable - only the threshold of [won't get done] changes. At some point, if a thing has so little value that people won't pay enough for it to be done, whether the threshold is living wages or prison wages, why should it be created? We already have far too much junk in the world. If the thing is sufficiently valuable, then its cost can increase to a sustainable level. E.g., water used to be free also, and paying for bottled water when tap or stream water was right at hand was mocked. But now, people are happy to pay often stupid-money for bottles of water.