Re: AltInst: Stakeholder Society

Robin Hanson <rhanson@gmu.edu> writes:

> The Stakeholder Society, by Bruce Ackerman and Anne Alstott.
> Yale University Press, 1999.
> http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0300082606/o/
>
> This book proposes that the federal government give each
> citizen $80,000 upon his or her 21st birthday, to ensure
> that every American will get "a fair share of the nation's
> resources as they accept the full responsibilities of adult
> life." The hope to narrow differences in opportunity
> due to family income.

While I haven't read the book, it resembles ideas I'm familiar with.
Sometimes, and IMO preferably, it's in the form of diversified stock
rather than raw money, with some restrictions on transferring it.
Makes it more likely that it will be hung onto.

It has always seemed more reasonable to me to require the parents to
provide the stake than to require the govt to. They created the cost.
They would set funds aside at birth, with insurance to help out with
the uncertainties.

And IMO it's best not to allow the govt to get its hands on any such
power - can you imagine all the govt stupidity and ideology that could
be leveraged via "Do it or forfeit your stake"?

-- 
Tom Breton, http://world.std.com/~tob
Not using "gh" 1997-2000. http://world.std.com/~tob/ugh-free.html
[To drop AltInst, tell:  majordomo@cco.caltech.edu  to: unsubscribe altinst]