--- Carl Remick <carlremick at hotmail.com> wrote: >
>Personally, I think this talk of equalization of
> compensation if petty
> >bourgeois idealism; workers don't want it; Marx
> rejected it. It's liberal
> >guilt. ...
> >
> >--jks
>
> I don't feel particularly liberal or guilty. It's
> axiomatic with me that
> social justice requires a commitment to equal
> outcomes and that, in turn,
> requires that compensation be awarded equally to
> every individual in
> society. If some people turn out to be slackers
> under such a system, that's
> fine with me; ostracism would probably incline them
> to mend their ways, and
> even if it didn't, I think most people would be
> bound by a sense of mutual
> obligation to keep the economy viable.
>
> Carl
One should also not underestimate the psychological benefits enjoyed by the (self-styled) hard-working virtuous types, many of whom pretty obviously enjoy the feeling of being the most productive people around, and of bearing the burden of all these passengers. When smoking, drinking, fox-hunting and God knows what other sources of pleasure are under threat, it seems a shame to think about removing this comparatively harmless one. Indeed, if today's loafers were to be incentivised to work much harder, it would be quite likely to disincentivise the current hard-working employees, who would feel much less special. The British Army has known for some time that it's just not on for an officer to go around doing his job efficiently -- it's disastrous for morale. Brad's grandpa could probably have told you that the same system operates for undergraduates at many of our finest universities. They also serve who only stand and shirk.
dd
===== "Imagine the Duchess's feelings You could have pierced her with swords To find her youngest son liked Lenin And sold the Daily Worker near the House of Lords" -- Noel Coward
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