rowyn

On the first blush, I think it's a great idea that will, as you said, never be implemented. The American economy rests on the labor of people who make not much more than $10,000 a year, who do difficult and degrading jobs for minimum wage or less because it's that or starve. These people's labor supports entire sectors of the economy. Ultimately, I think that this plan, particularly the health care provisions, would be a great improvement on the status quo; human misery would be reduced, a number of awful economic inefficiencies would be eliminated, and ultimately consumer demand would be stimulated considerably by the boost in consumer confidence that comes from having a guaranteed income, to say nothing of the increase in entrepreneurship among people who suddenly find themselves possessing some capital to invest. Fortunes would be made -- but first they would be *lost*, by huge corporate entities that are in an excellent position to subvert the highly corrupt American political system.
So until someone points out a horrible structural flaw in the idea, I'm all for it, but like you I really don't see it happening.