Page 17 - A Social Dividend: An Income Guaranteed to Each Citizen

security.” ment and receives a dividend can be a scientist, a
1
62. Would Social Dividends benefit all of man- poet, a musician: no matter what, he will still re-
kind? ceive his dividend. The Social Dividend would be
Yes, all of mankind would benefit. Social Divi- distributed in exactly the same way.
dends can be called the “money of freedom” as it is Freedom is a coveted right. We have freedom
free from all servitude. of choice and freedom to choose what to do with
The capitalist who makes a profitable invest- one’s time. We are free to choose an occupation
and even free to take part in activities that have
1 http://www.socred.org/s-c-action/social-credit-views/social- nothing to do with economics.
credit-and-leisure/the-meaning-of-leisure
Objections to the Social Dividend

63. Social Dividends will cause inflation! 66. But people will not want to work anymore!
Inflation means that prices increase. Social Divi- Shareholders who receive their dividends show
dends are not included in establishing retail prices. no less interest for their enterprises. When they work
Therefore prices should not increase. in the factory they own, do they become lazy if they
If the amount of money was increased, without receive a dividend on top of their wages?
taking production into consideration, demand might It would be idiotic to think so. They know that only
surpass the production capacity. In this case, prices an increase in the volume or quality of their prod-
would tend to increase due to a lack of products. With ucts will increase their dividends. They will therefore
a Social Dividend, prices would decrease since sales double their efforts at work.
would be increased. Critics might argue: “This is welfare, it will make
Social Credit offers a financial system that is sim- people lazy, people will not want to work anymore,
ple but complete. It eliminates all causes of inflation by etc.” But they exclude themselves as not counting
having money reflect reality precisely. among the lazy. It is the others they worry about; the
Dr. Bryan Monahan, Chairman of the Social Credit population whom they scorn.
Secretariat, and a close associate of Douglas, claimed 67. This will lead to political corruption!
that the conflict between progress and the search for To the contrary, the Social Dividend would help
full employment was at the root of inflation. put an end to corruption. By giving everyone access
64. Will Social Dividends not make people lazy? to basic goods, society would be at the service of all
This objection has been refuted time and time of its members, not only the favoured few.
again. It does not hold up. Would anyone leave a job 68. What do you tell those who cry out: “Down with
to settle for a Dividend when it only comprised a por- capitalism!”
tion of their total income? They cry out because they own nothing and they
Laziness is a vice. Money was not designed as a are angry at those who own something. If they them-
weapon against vice. selves were capitalists, they would act differently.
It is not necessary to be actively employed to Should we get rid of critics? Of course not.
share with and to care for others. There is something better we can do and that is to
65. What do you tell the moralists who say there is make everyone a capitalist. We must recognize the fact
no such thing as a free lunch? that each individual is entitled to a share of the com-
We can answer by asking if the sun receives a pay- monly-owned capital. If the commonly-owned capital
check to heat and light up the solar system. Does the were acknowledged and gave its owners an income,
moon draw a salary relative to the size of its crescent? everyone would be a capitalist, including socialists!
Do rivers get paid according to the height of their Everyone would enjoy a good measure of freedom;
waterfalls? Nothing for nothing? Does an infant in his the same measure enjoyed by folk who have money
crib have a right to nothing? Would we say the sick in their pocket which allows them to accept work that
and elderly have a right to nothing? suits them and turn down work which is not suitable.
On that count, Our Lord should never have multi- 69. Will this not cause taxes to go up?
plied the bread and fishes and committed the “crime” People who do not understand Social Credit can-
of distributing them free of charge. In the Lord’s Pray- not understand how a Social Dividend would be dis-
er, we would not recite the words: “Give us this day tributed without an increase in taxes.
our daily bread”. Instead, the Lord would have told us
to earn our daily bread. Today, any money that comes from the govern-
ment in the form of a child tax credit, old age security u

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