Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Series Editor
Karl Widerquist
Georgetown University in Qatar
Doha, Qatar
Basic income is one of the most innovative, powerful, straightforward, and
controversial proposals for addressing poverty and growing inequalities.
A Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) is designed to be an unconditional,
government-insured guarantee that all citizens will have enough income
to meet their basic needs. The concept of basic, or guaranteed, income is
a form of social provision and this series examines the arguments for and
against it from an interdisciplinary perspective with special focus on the
economic and social factors. By systematically connecting abstract philo-
sophical debates over competing principles of BIG to the empirical analy-
sis of concrete policy proposals, this series contributes to the fields of
economics, politics, social policy, and philosophy and establishes a theo-
retical framework for interdisciplinary research. It will bring together
international and national scholars and activists to provide a comparative
look at the main efforts to date to pass unconditional BIG legislation
across regions of the globe and will identify commonalities and differences
across countries drawing lessons for advancing social policies in general
and BIG policies in particular.
Basic Income,
Disability Pensions
and the Australian
Political Economy
Envisioning Egalitarian Transformation, Funding
and Sustainability
Jennifer Mays
Kelvin Grove Campus
Queensland University of Technology
Kelvin Grove, QLD, Australia
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature
Switzerland AG 2020
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the
Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of
translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on
microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval,
electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now
known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are
exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information
in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the
publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to
the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The
publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and
institutional affiliations.
This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature
Switzerland AG.
The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
For John Tomlinson, Kay and Les Mays and Spence, Christine, Philip
and Jen K. In solidarity and the struggle for just social protection
and an egalitarian society
Acknowledgements
The journey of writing is not simply a start and finish. Along the way, the
ideas for the book evolved from small insights that gradually became more
conceptually concrete; however, the conceptualizing never really finishes. It
is an ongoing process, because as ideas develop, new insights emerge that
contribute to the broader debate. My commitment to social justice and radi-
cal transformative change started from an early age and was formatively
shaped by my family (parents and grandparents). There were many social or
household events where political discussions dominated. The most influen-
tial political leader of our time was Gough Whitlam, who inspired new
thinking about the possibilities of a different vision of society: an egalitarian
society that was socially just, fair and equitable. This also had an immense
effect in shaping my social justice and radical critical approach. In my uni-
versity years, it was John Tomlinson who inspired the pursuit of the basic
income alternative. He gave a name to the ideas I had been framing at the
time. To each of you I am eternally grateful for the ongoing support, debate
and patience as I grappled with issues of wealth and income inequality, pov-
erty and the basic income solution. Even though my parents, grandparents
and John have since passed away, their wisdom has remained. I cannot go
past Karl Widerquist who has also provided invaluable support and guidance
in making this project happen. I would also like to thank Guy Standing, Jim
Mulvale and Malcolm Torry, amongst others from BIEN, who have also
contributed to the exchange of ideas and insights that helped inform the book.
I am especially grateful to my partner Spencer, who was there with me
in the long hours of writing, patiently waiting for some response from me,
but also giving clarity to complex ideas.
vii
viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ix
x Contents
Index223
List of Tables
Table 4.1 Snapshot of main social security regimes over time from
1908 to the present 106
Table 4.2 Summary of Australian pensions and benefits from 1900
to present 126
xi
PART I
goal of the book is to consider the way distributive justice and ideals need to
be considered as part of the strategies for transitioning to basic income and a
socially just society (Van Parijs & Vanderborght, 2017). Basic income as an
instrument of freedom is the central pillar for creating a free society. It is an
essential feature of a sustainable, emancipatory approach to reshaping institu-
tions, policies, distribution and belief representations. Such explorations help
transform threats into potentialities and, in turn, shape basic income to
become a relevant ‘fit’ within the Australian context and beyond.
In exploring basic income fits for Australia and the fairness test, disability
is an important site for deeper analysis. The erosion of the commons and
collective benefit over time, and the destabilizing effects of neoliberalism
on democracy, indicates that any design and implementation strategies of
basic income need to consider the disability dimension as part of the overall
strategy. While attention has been drawn to other structural dimensions of
age, gender and locality in basic income debates, the disability dimension
has received limited attention (Mays, 2016; Standing, 2009, 2011, 2014;
Tomlinson, 2012; Widerquist, 2013). Where attention has been drawn to
disability, it tends to remain at the pragmatic level (for example, type of
grant and supplements), without delving into the deeper normative dis-
tributive justice claims that shape basic income design. Disability is an
important concept regarding distributive justice because of the inherent
moral challenges in achieving justice for people with disabilities that has
otherwise not been explored in the basic income or disability policy litera-
ture. As such, the discussions on Rawls’s (1971) theory of justice in the
basic income literature have not gone so far as to explicate the relevance to
disability dimensions and moral concerns about fairness. Further work on
the case of disability relative to distributive justice and basic income is
required to reveal the nuances in the normative justifications. It is to this
task that the book responds and examines the inherent moral contradic-
tions and complexities associated with basic income achieving distributive
justice for all (egalitarian aims), while balancing disability egalitarianism.
For disability, the interacting liberty and freedom (individual rights) con-
ceptions and egalitarian (collective) conceptions need some deeper analysis
to set the scene for ensuring basic income can in effect provide a guaran-
teed, material foundation that can be relied on by all people, inclusive of
people with disabilities. This exploration is to develop a politics of disability
egalitarianism in basic income and prevent arguments from creating a priori
assumptions in meeting objectives in conceptions of justice and explore
dominant ideas of justice theorists such as Rawls’s (1971) and Nancy
Fraser’s (1995) approach to distributive justice.
8 J. MAYS
a citizen of a nation and a person who has been accepted by the govern-
ment to be a permanent resident (Bickenbach, 2011; Bickenbach & Cieza,
2011; Birnbaum, 2012). The term citizenship also denotes the formal sta-
tus of being a citizen inclusive of permanent residence. Citizenship in this
way frames the associated social, civil, political and human rights attached
to the citizenship of people with disabilities across society (Duffy, 2010,
2011). The application of social citizenship provides a foundation for
defending the argument for an egalitarian society in which an inclusive
income support, universal welfare and democratic engagement is available
for all. This is a critical viewpoint. Early writings on basic income by Thomas
Paine (late 1700s) advocated for egalitarianism and justice in which differ-
ent pension payments were established in terms of a right, rather than
based on charitable and deserving poor ideals (Standing, 2002). Paine’s
(1987) influential work, Agrarian Justice (1797), makes a claim for a uni-
versal basic provision, which in turn is highly useful for this book. Paine’s
universal endowment proposal is relevant for developing arguments based
on the redistribution of wealth by upholding of rights to the commons and
justice, particularly in terms of collective benefit and sharing of the com-
mon wealth of the nation or earth (Birnbaum, 2012; Van Parijs &
Vanderborght, 2017). Such ideas help in furthering the normative debates
for socially just redistribution and mechanisms of basic income and pro-
gressive taxation for progressing to equitable income distribution
(Raventós, 2007).
What is relevant here is extending debates to consider basic income as a
type of a social dividend for the commons and public wealth. It is the foun-
dation of an egalitarian provision in that it is available for all permanent citi-
zens (universal principle) that makes basic income appealing. It can be
applied either in-country or alternatively based on global citizenship (Van
Parijs & Vanderborght, 2017). The basic income provision founded on
egalitarian values and principles reinforces social citizenship, democracy,
civic virtues, rights, participation and collective solidarity (Mays, 2016).
This is an essential aspect for securing rights and social justice under this
grant. Thus, the ‘right of citizenship’ status becomes attached to basic
income provision (Torry, 2016a, 2016b; Van Parijs, 2007; Van Parijs &
Vanderborght, 2017). Across the basic income literature, there are a multi-
tude of similar terms to describe basic income in different inceptions, includ-
ing citizens’ income, citizens’ participation income, citizens’ stake or
guaranteed minimum income. For this book, the term employed is basic
income because of its universal, unconditional tenets.
1 INTRODUCTION: BASIC INCOME, FIT FOR AUSTRALIA AND THE FAIRNESS… 15
allowance, which is a provision solely for couples with children. Despite its
political and criteria constraints, it could be more effective to broaden the
criteria to all people and introduce universal measures to protect poten-
tially excluded groups such as refugees or migrants. This argument sug-
gests that there is a place for universal tenets and responding to criticisms.
If constraints can be recognized there is greater capacity to develop strate-
gies to resolve. For example, perhaps a global basic income might be a way
forward to redress criticisms about the contradictions in universal princi-
ples. Such a deeper consideration reflects exploring potentialities and pos-
sibilities rather than narrow frames of universal approaches.
By patiently searching for facts and patterns and calmly analyzing the eco-
nomic, social, and political mechanisms that might explain them, it can inform
democratic debate and focus attention on the right questions. It can help to
redefine the terms of debate, unmask certain preconceived or fraudulent
notions, and subject all positions to constant critical scrutiny. (Piketty,
2014, p. 3)
inform the pursuit of social citizenship, fairness and social justice to frame
basic income debates and work towards egalitarianism in social protection
and society. No other basic income book so far has provided an extensive
inclusion of French economist Thomas Piketty (2014) to explore barriers
to basic income and shed insight into universal strategies for developing a
stronger pathway forward.
The system would retain a number of inherent drawbacks which cannot be over-
come without more radical reform. These shortcomings may be summarised
under the headings (1) the continuing prominence of disability categories and
(2) continuing divided administration. (Australian Government Commission
of Inquiry into Poverty, 1975, p. 67 )
To date, there has been little call in Australia for embedding basic
income in the Constitution or developing a supplementary bill of rights
for basic income that enshrines, protects and safeguards the basic income
scheme and associated citizens’ rights. There is capacity for broadening
the Australian Constitution to include basic income and associated norma-
tive justifications to preserve virtues of an egalitarian democratic society,
and other vital public programmes already in existence (the social state),
such as the universal Medicare health scheme. This takes intellectual and
civic courage. For too long, debates on sustaining basic income through
constitutional means have been shut down in Australia. The final chapter
captures this argument and poses the need for basic income sustainability
in policy initiatives.
Part I
The first section outlines the political economy, basic income and disability
conceptions and consists of three chapters. Chapter 2 orients the reader to
what a basic income is and explores the key principles underpinning basic
income. The chapter also considers the complexities of different basic
income models and explores the way it would be beneficial for people with
disability and why now. The chapter then explores notions of adequacy,
equity and in the provision of basic income drawing on contemporary
findings from modelling in Australia to determine what is an adequate
payment level and how does this work for people with disability in relation
to direct and indirect costs associated with disability experiences? This is
juxtaposed against issues of equality and equity to identify the preferred
approach. Chapter 3 delves into the philosophical arguments of Rawls’s
theory of justice and fairness to understand the relevance of basic income
in relation to the disability dimension, adequacy and equity and precondi-
tions. The central question posed, “can a non-marginalizing basic income
be achieved for people with disability?” will be comprehensively examined.
It extends Rawls’s theory of justice and egalitarian justification to under-
stand the necessary conditions for an egalitarian income support system in
Australia and its potential impact on existing structural arrangements.
Strong connections will be made to articulate the relevance of Rawls’s
distributive justice and disability dimension. The works of Nancy Fraser
(1995, 2001) will be positioned alongside Rawls to achieve conceptual
clarity in responding to challenges of reciprocity and participation. There
is an excursion into the ethical requirements of basic income for full inclu-
sion of disability.
28 J. MAYS
Part II
Part II leads into policy synergy. This section examines the synergy between
conceptions and strategies necessary for feasibility of basic income over
time. In framing the argument, there is a call for a return to egalitarianism
through basic income as a redistributive strategy. As a redistributive strat-
egy, basic income can potentially respond to income and status inequality
and the consequences of poverty (Chap. 5). This chapter further considers
the nature of the transformation in social protection, the extent of redistri-
bution, the character of the tax system and the pattern of work incentives.
It examines the issue of financing a basic income through natural resources
royalties (cost, distributional impact and feasibility) and nationalized min-
ing by examining international examples such as in Alaska in relation to the
contemporary political economy of Australia. A redistributive argument is
1 INTRODUCTION: BASIC INCOME, FIT FOR AUSTRALIA AND THE FAIRNESS… 29
established for major changes to the taxation revenue system, to ensure the
rights of all are being met, not just the top 1% wealthy. It draws on insights
from international basic income texts, such as Widerquist and Howard
(2012), to explore model applicability. The chapter also explores the envi-
ronmental debates in relation to basic income surrounding such a financing
approach. Longer term visions concerning financial feasibility are explored
to provide several models that allow for sustainability. This chapter provides
greater sophistication to the discussion on UBI levels and payment rates to
progress to a cost effective and sustainable proposal for the Australian con-
text. As noted by Torry (2013), further exploration on making the pay-
ment sustainable is required, and given that an estimate for universal basic
income in Australia has been touted at AUD$12 billion, serious design
modelling and debates needs to occur. A recent study by Oxford University
found that Australia loses an estimated AUD$90 billion through not col-
lecting revenue from oil, coal and gas corporations. The Oxford Institute
for Energy Studies argued that Australia needed to ‘radically overhaul its
fiscal regime’ to reclaim lost revenue. Such an argument is timely as, given
the amount required for a basic income in Australia, reclaiming royalties or
lost revenue becomes a critical option towards funding the scheme.
Chapter 6 extends on the argument further to discuss disability pensions
and the legacy of targeting and classification. The first national income sup-
port provision in Australia was the needs-based Invalid and Old-Age
Pension 1908. A detailed account has been presented in Mays (2012;
2016). New ideas are necessary for progressing to basic income and over-
coming the precariousness of disability experiences in Australian social pro-
tection. Using Piketty’s (2014) conceptual framework capturing critical
historical-comparative analysis helps reveal new conceptualizations about
the multidimensional history of the capital, power and inequality posi-
tioned in the Australian political economy from 1908 to the contested
space of policy in relation to vision of society and government response to
inequality and historical and contemporary divergences shaping disability
income support. This analysis situates disability dimension in relation to
distribution and redistribution of wealth and income and consequences of
poverty and inequality over time and across income support models.
Piketty’s conceptual framework for analysis is in keeping with the policy
logic of other Australian policy commentators such as Saunders (2007) and
Whiteford (2011, 2014, 2015). The following eras will frame the analysis:
1908 to 1970 (constructions of disability in disability pensions and ade-
quacy); 1971 to 1982 (paradoxes and recognition of poverty and stigma in
30 J. MAYS
Part III
Part III finishes with policy implementation where Chap. 7 offers a future-
oriented vision towards building a sustainable basic income and society.
This section connects the themes across the book to position arguments
for basic income implementation in relation to the political economy of
Australian social state and sustainable strategies. All of these features are
considered essential requirements for transitioning to a basic income
scheme in our region and ensuring its longevity over time. In discussing
the potentialities of basic income and the call for a return to egalitarianism
though basic income as a redistributive strategy, it explores the context of
the Australian political economy and transitioning to a basic income. The
section examined brings together themes from the book to progress a
strategy for implementation and consider an argument for sustainability,
such as the role of renewable energies (ecological economic stimulus),
legislative and constitutional frameworks (the Constitution and bill of
rights) for sustainable practices, and building a critical mass for transfor-
mation. Given the historical impact of ideological barriers and policy chal-
lenges, securing a commitment for transitioning to an egalitarian and
universal basic income that enhances the citizenship of all people, requires
safeguards. Such safeguards are necessary for the transition and implemen-
tation phases. The chapter argues that safeguards (such as a change to the
Constitution or bill of rights, and legislative and administrative practices)
help to protect basic income and build in ethical and moral foundations of
egalitarian democratic society and basic income. This aim is to safeguard
inherent rights beyond party politics, policy fiascos and ideological con-
flicts, as well as giving power to the scheme by allowing for social, moral
and legal principles to be invoked. As such, the exploration is critical for
ensuring the preservation of basic rights and transcending party politics.
Historically, income support and social protection have been used as polit-
ical tools by Australian governments, particularly since the 1970s. A con-
stitutional change or bill of rights enshrined in the Constitution, alongside
1 INTRODUCTION: BASIC INCOME, FIT FOR AUSTRALIA AND THE FAIRNESS… 31
References
Abberley, P. (1987). The concept of oppression and the development of a social
theory of disability. Disability, Handicap & Society, 2(1), 5–19.
Abberley, P. (2006). The concept of oppression and the development of a social
theory of disability. In L. Barton (Ed.), Overcoming disabling barriers: 18 years
of disability and society (pp. 21–36). London: Routledge.
Amin, S. (2010). Exiting the crisis of capitalism or capitalism in crisis? Globalizations,
7(1–2), 261–273.
Amin, S. (2013). The implosion of contemporary capitalism. New York: Monthly
Review Press.
Australian Government Commission of Inquiry into Poverty. (1975). Poverty in
Australia Vol. 1. Henderson poverty report. Canberra, ACT: AGPS.
Barnes, C., & Mercer, G. (2004). Theorising and researching disability from a
social model perspective. In C. Barnes & G. Mercer (Eds.), Implementing the
social model of disability: Theory and research (pp. 1–17). Leeds, UK: The
Disability Press.
Bickenbach, J. E. (2011). The world report on disability. Disability & Society,
26(5), 655–658.
Bickenbach, J. E., & Cieza, A. (2011). The prospects for universal disability law
and social policy. Journal of Accessibility and Design for All, 1(1), 23–37.
Birnbaum, S. (2012). Basic income reconsidered. Social justice, liberalism, and the
demands of equality. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Bowman, D., Mallett, S., & Cooney-O’Donoghue, D. (2017). Basic income:
Trade-offs and bottom lines. Fitzroy, VIC: Brotherhood of St Laurence.
Brighouse, H., & Olin Wright, E. (2008). Strong gender egalitarianism. Politics
and Society, 36(3), 360–372.
De Wispelaere, J. (2016). The struggle for strategy: On the politics of the basic
income proposal. Politics, 36(2), 131–141.
De Wispelaere, J., & Stirton, L. J. (2004). The many faces of universal basic
income. The Political Quarterly, 75(3), 266–274.
Duffy, S. (2010). The citizenship theory of social justice: Exploring the meaning
of personalisation for social workers. Journal of Social Work Practice,
24(3), 253–267.
Duffy, S. (2011). A fair society and the limits of personalization. Tizard Memorial
Lecture, 4 March [online]. Retrieved from http://www.centreforwelfarere-
form.org/library/by-date/a-fair-society-personalisation.html.
32 J. MAYS
Mays, J. (2016). Disability, citizenship, and basic income: Forging a new alliance
for a non-disabling society. In J. Mays, G. Marston, & J. Tomlinson (Eds.),
Basic income in Australia and New Zealand: Perspectives from the neoliberal
frontier (pp. 207–251). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Mays, J., & Marston, G. (2016). Reimagining equity and egalitarianism: The basic
income debate in Australia. Special issue of Journal of Sociology and Social
Welfare Symposium on the Basic Income Guarantee, 43(3), Art 3, Number 3.
Mays, J., Marston, G., & Tomlinson, J. (2016). Neoliberal frontiers and economic
insecurity: Is basic income a solution? In J. Mays, G. Marston, & J. Tomlinson
(Eds.), Basic income in Australia and New Zealand: Perspectives from the neolib-
eral frontier (pp. 1–25). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Morley, C., & Ablett, P. (2016). A critical social work response to wealth and
income inequality. Social Alternatives, 35(4), 20–26.
Nussbaum, M. (2003). Rawls and feminism. In S. Freeman (Ed.), The Cambridge
companion to Rawls. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Oliver, M. (2013). The social model of disability: Thirty years on. Disability &
Society, 28(7), 1024–1026.
Paine, T. (1987). Agrarian justice. In M. Foot & I. Kramnick (Eds.), Thomas Paine
reader (pp. 471–489). Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin.
Piketty, T. (2014). Capital in the twenty-first century (A. Goldhammer, Trans.).
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Piketty, T. (2015). Capital, inequality, and power. Journal of Ethnographic Theory,
5(1), 517–527.
Raventós, D. (2007). Basic income: The material conditions of freedom (J. Wark,
Trans.). London: Pluto Press.
Rawls, J. (1971). A theory of justice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Rawls, J. (2001). Justice as fairness: A restatement. In E. Kelly (Ed.), Justice as
fairness: A restatement. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Reisigl, M., & Wodak, R. (2009). The discourse-historical approach (DHA). In
R. Wodak & M. Meyer (Eds.), Methods of critical discourse analysis (2nd ed.,
pp. 87–121). London: Sage.
Richardson, H. S. (2006). Rawlsian social-contract theory and the severely dis-
abled. The Journal of Ethics, 10(4), 419–462.
Saunders, P. (2007). The costs of disability and the incidence of poverty. Australian
Journal of Social Issues, 42(4), 461–480.
Scutella, R. (2004). Moves to a basic income-flat tax system in Australia: Implications
for the distribution of income and supply of labour, 5/04. Melbourne, VIC:
Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, University of
Melbourne.
Smith-Carrier, T. A., & Green, S. (2017). Another low road to basic income?
Mapping a pragmatic model for adopting a basic income in Canada. Basic
Income Studies, 12(2), 1–21.
34 J. MAYS
Spicker, P. (2017). Arguments for welfare: The welfare state and social policy.
London: Rowman & Littlefield International.
Standing, G. (2002). Beyond the new paternalism: Basic security as equality.
London: Verso.
Standing, G. (2009). Work after globalization: Building occupational citizenship.
Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.
Standing, G. (2011). The precariat: The new dangerous class. London: Bloomsbury.
Standing, G. (2014). A precariat charter: From denizens to citizens. London:
Bloomsbury.
Stark, C. A. (2007). How to include the severely disabled in a contractarian theory
of justice. Journal of Political Philosophy, 15(2), 127–145.
Stiglitz, J. (2013). The price of inequality. New York: Penguin.
Titchkosky, T. (2001). Disability: A rose by any other name? “people-first” lan-
guage in Canadian society. Canadian Review of Sociology, 38(2), 125–140.
Titchkosky, T. (2007). Reading and writing disability differently: The textured life
of embodiment. Toronto: Toronto University Press.
Tomlinson, J. (2000). Income insecurity: The basic income alternative. Retrieved
from http://www.nla.gov.au/nla.arc-42199
Tomlinson, J. (2007). Australia: Basic income and decency. New Community
Quarterly, 5(1), 33–41.
Tomlinson, J. (2012). Australia: Basic income -A distant horizon. In M. C. Murray
& C. Pateman (Eds.), Basic income worldwide (pp. 227–249). London: Palgrave
Macmillan.
Tomlinson, J. (2016). Australian basic income: Efficiency and equity. In J. Mays,
G. Marston, & J. Tomlinson (Eds.), Basic income in Australia and New
Zealand: Perspectives from the neoliberal frontier (pp. 54–68). New York:
Palgrave Macmillan.
Torry, M. (2013). Money for everyone: Why we need a citizen’s income. Bristol, UK:
Policy Press.
Torry, M. (2016a). Citizen’s basic income: Is it feasible? In B. Reynolds & S. Healy
(Eds.), Basic income radical utopia or practical solution? (pp. 31–47). Dublin,
Ireland: Social Justice Ireland.
Torry, M. (2016b). The feasibility of citizen’s income. New York: Palgrave
Macmillan.
Van Parijs, P. (2007). International distributive justice. In R. E. Goodin, P. Pettit,
& T. Pogge (Eds.), The Blackwell’s companion to political philosophy (Vol. II,
pp. 638–652). Oxford, UK: Blackwell.
Van Parijs, P., & Vanderborght, Y. (2017). Basic income: A radical proposal for a
free society and sane economy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Wasserman, D., Asch, A., Blustein, J., & Putnam, D. (2015, Summer). Disability
and justice. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The stanford encyclopedia of philosophy.
1 INTRODUCTION: BASIC INCOME, FIT FOR AUSTRALIA AND THE FAIRNESS… 35
Then we went back to the house to play golf, and the Michigan man
sent some servants into the woods with a strecher to bring in the
remains of the cowboy.
As we dismounted at the veranda, Pa lit a cigarette and said to the
man, “You certainly have all the comforts of a home here, and all the
facilities for enjoyment that anybody has outside of a traveling
menagerie, except draw poker.”
“We can fix you all right on the draw poker,” said the Michigan man.
“Boy, bring the chips and the cards, and let me know when they find
the remains of Mr. Cowboy,” and they began to play poker, and I
went out to see them milk a Jersey cow.
CHAPTER XXII.
Pa and the Boy Have a Series of Ups and Downs—Pa Plays Poker with
the Michigan Man and Loses All His Money—Pa Puts Up His Airship
and Loses—Pa and the Boy Start for Hamburg—The Boy Makes a
King’s Crown Out of Tin—The Boy Tells How They Escaped from the
Negro Tribes in Africa.
It seems to be just one series of ups and downs with Pa and I. One
day we are kings and things, and the next day we are just things and
not kings, or ninespots, or anything in the deck, except it’s Jacks.
That short stay at the ranch of the Michigan man in Africa, which
seemed like being set down from hades in Darkest Africa to Heaven
in America, terminated just as everything else does with us.
After we had enjoyed the morning with the wild animals on the race
track, Pa and the Michigan man set into a game of draw poker with
some other sharps and the cowboy, and they must have stacked the
cards on Pa and the cowboy, for before night they had got all Pa’s
money away, and the cowboy was burst, too, and in the evening Pa
put the airship up against the creamery and a drove of Jerseys, and
Pa lost the airship, and then Pa gave checks on a bank in the River
Nile, and lost all the checks, and about a pint of the diamonds, and
when we went to bed the Michigan man said he hated to part with
us, but if we must go he would send us over to Lake Victoria
Nigouza, where we could take a steamer for Hamburg.
We didn’t sleep much that night, and the next morning the auto was
at the door, and we took what little stuff Pa had not lost playing
poker, and crossed the country to the lake, at a town where Pa sold
some of his uncut diamonds for money enough to pay for our
passage to Hamburg, and we got on board the vessel and got into
our state rooms.
Just before we were ready to start an officer came on board looking
for two white men who had been giving checks that were no good,
and for selling diamonds that would not wash.
I heard about it, and there was such a crowd that the vesselmen did
not remember Pa and the cowboy, but they said the officers could
search the vessel if they wanted to.
I went to the state room and told Pa and he turned pale, and
trembled like a leaf, and the brave cowboy had a fit. They were
scared at the prospect of being taken ashore and put in an English
jail, and Pa sweat so he looked like a hippopotamus sweating blood.
Pa said they were up a stump, and asked me if I could think of
anything to help them out. I told Pa the only thing for us to do was to
take a burned cork and black up, and pretend that Pa was an African
king, on the way to England to have a conference with King Edward
about tribal affairs.
Gee, but Pa and the cowboy bit like a bass and I got a champagne
cork and burned it over the lamp and went to work bleaching us all
up, and in half an hour we were three of the blackest niggers that
ever emigrated from Africa. I even blacked the place on Pa’s leg
where the lion had chewed a hole through his pants.
We looked at ourselves in the mirror, and inspected each other, and
couldn’t find a white spot, and then I told Pa what to do when the
officers of the law came.
He was to be seated in state, on a high chair, looking like a nigger
king, and the cowboy and I were to get down on our knees before
him and kowtow.
I got a crown made out of a tin basin, and a feather duster for a
plume, and fixed Pa up so that any tribe would have gone wild over
him.
Just as we got Pa fixed up, and we had all stopped laughing, there
was a knock at the door of the state room, and I opened it, and two
semi-Englishmen came in looking for Pa and the cowboy, but when I
waved my hand and said, “Behold the King of Natabeland,” and the
cowboy bit the duster and saluted Pa, and Pa looked savage and
said in broken negro, “What, ho! varlets,” the officers said, “Beg
pardon, don’t you know, your ’ighness,” and they backed out of the
door, making salaams, and soon disappeared. Gee, it was a close
call.
Soon after the engine began to turn the screw of the propeller, and
when we looked out of the porthole the vessel was going towards the
ocean, and when I told Pa he got down off his throne and danced a
jig and hugged the cowboy, and we were having a jollification when
there was another rap at the door, and Pa jumped up on the throne
and put on his tin basin crown, and I opened the door, and the
steward of the vessel came in with his hat in his hands, and asked
Pa what he would have for supper. Pa said he didn’t care what he
had if he only got it quick, and the steward said mostly when they
were carrying African kings to England they served the meals in the
state rooms, as the kings did not care to sit at the same table with
the common herd, and Pa said that suited him all right, and the
steward added that the passengers also complained of the manners
of the African kings, and the smell that they emitted in the cabin.
There Was a Knock at the Door of the Stateroom.
Pa was going to get hot at that remark, but I was afraid the burnt
cork would rub off, so I said His Highness would be served in his
state room, and to bring the best the ship offered, and bring it quick if
he didn’t want trouble aboard, and he bowed low and went out, and
pretty soon the waiters began to bring in oysters and soup and
turkey and boiled pheasants, and ice cream, and we kings and
things didn’t do a thing to the food, and when the dishes were taken
away empty, and the wine had been drank, and the cigars brought
in, King Pa got down from his throne and just yelled, and he said to
the cowboy, “Say, Alkali Ike, wouldn’t this skin you?” and Ike said he
guessed it would when they found out what frauds we were, and
after awhile we turned in and slept just like we were at home.
For several days they fed us like they were fattening us for a
sausage factory, and the ocean was blue and calm, and we were let
out on deck near our state room for exercise, and I kept burning cork
and keeping us all blacked up nice, and Pa would repeat African
words that he had picked up, mixed with English words, and
everybody kept their distance and thought we were the real nigger
thing.
Well, everything was going along beautifully, and we thought we had
never struck such a snap in all our lives, until about the fifth day.
We had eaten so much that our appetites had gone, and Pa and the
cowboy took to drinking more and more, and one night it began to
blow, and the vessel was part of the time on one end and then on the
other, and then rolling from side to side, so that Pa couldn’t sit on his
throne without sideboards, and towards morning we all got seasick
and fell all over the state room, and Pa had a pain under his belt that
doubled him up like a jackknife, and he yelled for a doctor. I told him
never to send for a doctor until the boat tied up at a dock, because it
was dangerous, but Pa said he had to have a doctor, and the
cowboy had drank a bottle of Scotch whiskey and had laid down
under a bunk, and he was no good, so I rang for the ship’s doctor,
but I told Pa he must keep the parts of his body that were not black
covered up, or the doctor would find out he was a white man, and
then it would be all off in the nigger king masquerade.
Pretty soon the ship’s doctor came with a female trained nurse, and
Pa was a pitiful sight when he saw them. The doctor felt of Pa’s
pulse, and asked him where the pain was, and Pa, like a darn fool,
put his hand on his stomach, and before Pa could stop it the doctor
had opened Pa’s shirt, and was feeling where the appendix gets in
its work.
Pretty Soon the Ship’s Doctor Came with a Nurse.
It was a little dark, but the doctor said, “You old seney ambion, you
have got about the worst case of appendicitis that was ever pulled
off on this vessel. Boy, bring me that lantern.”
I hated to do it, because I knew Pa would be discovered, and I
delayed bringing the lantern as long as I could, but, turning the wick
down, but the doctor snatched a match so he could see Pa’s
stomach, and then he said, “Say, old skate, you are no more nigger
king than I am; you are a white man blacked up;” and the trained
nurse said, “The ’ell you say,” and then I got the lantern and they
looked at Pa’s white skin, and the doctor asked Pa what he had to
say for himself, and Pa admitted that he was a white man, but said
he had many of the estimable qualities of a nigger, but that he was
traveling incog, to throw his enemies off the track, and then Pa
fainted away from the pain, and the cowboy got sober enough to
wake up and take notice, and we told the doctor who we were, and
how we had escaped from negro tribes and draw poker sharps and
officers of the law, and the cowboy fell in love at first sight with the
trained nurse, and then Pa came to, with the aid of a bucket of water
and some whiskey, and the storm went down, and the doctor said Pa
would have to have an operation performed to remove his appendix,
and Pa kicked about it, but they took him to the ship’s hospital, with
the cowboy for an assistant nurse, and I was left alone in our state
room, the only king there was left, and when I washed off my burnt
cork I was so white and pale that they gave me medicine, and the
trained nurse held me on her lap and sang English songs to me, with
all the h’s left out, and every day she told me how they removed Pa’s
appendix, and it was swollen up bigger than a weiner sausage, but
that he would live all right, and when he got well enough the captain
would put Pa in irons for passing himself off for a nigger king, and
that he would probably be transported for life, if he couldn’t raise the
price of a ransom. And there you are.
AUTOMOBILE AND MECHANICAL
BOOKS
Pg. 8: The page number for CHAPTER XIX. has been added in the Table of
Contents.
Pg. 8: The last page of the Table of Contents, containing the last chapters, is
missing in all known editions of the text.
Pg. 9 - 10: Three entries from the List of Illustrations refer to non-existent
illustrations. They have been removed because the illustrations were not in the
original publication:
“Am Going to Have Him Mended and Keep Him for a Souvenir,” Said the Pussy
Woman.
Pg. 11: The last eight illustrations in the book are missing from the end of the List
of Illustrations.
Pg. 28: Punctuation fix: ‘..Orphan’ to ‘Orphan’ - Extra periods removed in block
quote at start of chapter
Pgs. 38, 58 & 197: The following three illustrations do not seem to correspond to
the printed text and are by a different illustrator, but are present in all known
editions. Their source is ‘Peck’s Bad Boy Abroad’ (1905).
Pg. 38: ‘Tossed him over the fence.’
Pg. 78: Heading standardization: ‘VI.’ to ‘CHAPTER VI.’ - Missing word in heading
inserted to match other headings
Pg. 87: Caption fix: Added missing caption present in List of Illustrations: ‘When it
Exploded the Jap Was the Scaredest Person I Ever Saw.’
Text on Pg. 117, from ‘Pa has had the hardest time ...’ and until chapter end is
replicated at the beginning of Chapter X, Pg. 145, with minor differences inluding
punctuation and initial capitals on some words. Both have been retained as they
appear in the original.
Pg. 278: Punctuation fix: ‘Cigars Pa Told’ to ‘Cigars—Pa Told’ - Added missing
em-dash in heading block-quote
*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PECK'S BAD
BOY IN AN AIRSHIP ***
Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will
be renamed.