I think you're confusing the ideas of what work is worth and how much money people ought to get.  As most people use the word "worth," it means the amount of wealth something embodies (one good measure of which is the market price).<p>The distinction becomes particularly clear when you consider societies of one-- e.g. a castaway.  If he wasn't industrious enough, a castaway could clearly work in a way that wouldn't guarantee sufficient food and shelter.  Ergo it is possible for work to generate less wealth (= be worth less) than would guarantee food and shelter.<p>I think what you mean to say is that if people can't generate enough wealth to cover certain minimum requirements, the rest of us should make up the difference.  And I don't think anyone would argue with that general principle.