[tylerdurden]

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Yes, paying someone $100 to dig a ditch and fill it back up increases GDP. Just giving someone the $100 for no work would not increase GDP. In this comparison, if you think that paying the guy is better for the economy than giving the money away, you're actually subscribing to the labor theory of value.

Wait, did I just say that giving the $100 away would be better for the economy? Yes. In that case, the laborer has the $100, plus he's still available to do someting actually useful.

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BTW, note that for the purposes of this discussion, I'm ignoring the crime of using taxation to fund this wild goose chase.