In early Colonial America everyone had to help out in some way, or else they were denied food. I don't know why we never extended that idea.
If the state wants to build a road, it should pay qualified people the market rate to build a road, not use a pool of people hard on their luck.
Basic Income allows people to manage their own life in a more cost effective way than the welfare and other social programs we already provide, plus it provides incentive and opportunity to better their position through work/school.
800 for 20h/week is not illegal.
Presented with the ability to continue education without needing to worry about putting food on the table, most people do in fact continue their education. Basic income is "basic" by nature. Very few will aspire to be a basic income earner for their lives. Even better though, even if they DO choose this path, they can choose otherwise at a later date and correct that mistake. That's the beauty of the system.
BTW, this is borne out by the data: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MINCOME
No true scotsman.
What big employers rather prefer is EITC which is a rather blatant way of getting the tax payer to subsidize their cost of labour.
And these days governments are forbidden from doing anything in house. They are forced to contract everything to the lowest bidder in the private sector because the logic goes that it's cheaper that way.
I will believe that you believe in your argument when you volunteer to give up all of your assets and live on whatever work you can get. I imagine you might find yourself forming arguments about it limiting your own efficiency and output.
What specifically are you guys referring to? I can't find any reference to a 10-year tax obligation after renouncing US citizenshp. Is this part of the post 2008 expatriation tax?
* Pay up to the state
* Get thrown in jail
* Go in exile
Or option 4 (by far the most popular) - emigrate to another area.
Externalities: Do you contribute to pollution? If so should you not then pay a fair price in compensation to us all for that privilege?
Rule of law: Do you derive rent, or benefits, from property? Are you not dependent on society to define those property rights, and enforce them? Should you not pay a fair price in compensation for that privilege?
These days you have engineers and cranes using special materials.