"Everyone has the right to earn a living". Thus spoke Rockefeller in his ‘Ten Commandments’ chiseled in marble at the Manhattan Plaza that bears his name. Some hubris – competing with God by publishing another set of Ten Commandments.
The commandment should be "Everybody has the right to live". Everyone deserves food and shelter; even those who cannot earn a living. US labor laws even do not require a wage enough to earn a living. 'Welfare queens' will abuse the system by cashing checks while able to work. What about robber barons? Isn't reaping 400 times the minimum wage abuse of the system? Controlling thousand robber barons is much easier than disciplining many thousands of welfare queens and would control a much bigger amount of money.
We accept the moral hazards of capitalism because capitalism fosters economic growth. But for developed countries growth is no longer the priority. Addressing global warming and inequality is more important than fostering growth. A radical political shift will soon become unavoidable. The sooner we make that shift, the better. January 2020