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#BasicIncome FIRST, because the humane thing to do is to say that NO ONE should exist below a baseline standard of living, and then a *voluntary* FJG for people who are seeking employment.
But *any* systems that puts a FJG first, and ties participation in FJG with staying out of poverty, is a one-way ticket to Dickensian exploitation of the poor and vulnerable. You can *guarantee* those "federal jobs" are going to be the ones no one else wants to do, for minimum $$
And if anyone protests? Well, "Beggars can't be choosers", and you're lucky to *have* a job, buddy! If you want a Real Job, get off your dependent ass and go get one!
Oh they might, for a while, have the Guaranteed Jobs be things like public art, and community beautification, and all these things that will make people feel good and pat themselves on the back for finding such a *lovely* solution.
But pretty soon those jobs are going to be ditch digging, produce picking and garbage collecting. And the people doing them will be seen as second-class citizens who couldn't get a Real Job on their own.
And in the meantime, the disabled and elderly are still getting shafted by means-tested access to services, and unpaid caregivers and SAH parents are left out of social benefits entirely, and anyone else who's not selling their labor to others is SOL.
