My issue with a UBI is very simple. If we cut the food stamp, WIC, Section 8, earned income credits, dependent credits, head start, school lunches, and most of not all of the redundant programs and funds and trusts that help poor people, and replace then withe the UBI? I'm all for it. Simplify the means of helping poor people get back on their feet, help the dependent poor not starve and turn to crime and you save the taxpayer money, actually help out those in need and take some the stigma from anti-poverty programs. The problem is that every one of those programs has a lobbying group and as soon as you start striking at sacred cows you will be labeled worse than Trump who wants poor people to die in the streets and wants people to resort to cannibalism etc. When all you are doing is handing out checks to people who meet certain income levels, no need for a whole class of people who do nothing but campaign for more programs. The author even makes the case that a UBI will eliminate minimum wage laws, which I have also seen argued. So much for Union support. Robots are taking jobs away. As has been said elsewhere on Hubski, it is not the Chinese and Mexicans that 'took er jerbs' it is technology and robotics. What are we going to do with 200 million people who do not have any work outlet to earn a living because the jobs are redundant? What is going to happen when you have millions of very idle people living handout to handout, not because they are lazy but because the other pursuits of life that took all their time are gone? There are only so many waitresses, Walmart greeters and line cooks after all. And even those jobs are going to be radically altered by technology. Oh, and you think we have wealth inequality now just wait until only 10% of the country is earning 80% of the income. Like you, calling it SSI like my parents have, or a pension like my grandparents, and we are all fine with it. The next step for guys like us who have that need to work is why is it different?
I think people are clever. And I think people want to do shit. If the poor in Appalachia had a UBI, then a bunch of them would come up with cool ideas, and pursue them. Because, it has been proven that once the stress of meeting basic needs is met, people's health improves, their outlook on life improves, their creativity improves... just, everything gets better because they are not constantly in a heightened state of stress. Will some people be lazy and never lift a finger again? Yeah. Sure. There are those people today, even without UBI. But skimpy handouts and stop gaps (WIC, food stamps, Section 8, etc) don't cut it. They aren't guaranteed, they require certain hoops to be jumped through, etc, so they miss the key element that makes a UBI work: security. I have no idea what someone in rural Appalachia, or the wastelands of Detroit might come up with, if they had a UBI and the gumption to make something... but I sure as hell want to see it! I want them to do something they are proud of, and that makes even more money, so they aren't totally reliant on the UBI. That'd be cool...
NASCAR. And on a serious note? Environmental Tourism is starting to be a thing. People want to go to West Virginia because there are dark skies, mountains, pretty trees and streams and creaks etc. Someone in WV woke up one morning and realized the natural beauty of the place is something they can sell. Maybe with a UBI more people can travel and look at stuff.I have no idea what someone in rural Appalachia, or the wastelands of Detroit might come up with, if they had a UBI and the gumption to make something... but I sure as hell want to see it! I want them to do something they are proud of, and that makes even more money, so they aren't totally reliant on the UBI.
Isn't one's outlook on life subjective to their values? do you have proof showing that creativity improves when basic needs to sustain life are met? Not necessarily to disagree - but creativity is a different beast of psychology than operating to maintain homeostasis. Often the absence of sustaining infastructure is the seed for the creative mind to improvise - to retain a sense of value despite a loss of presence (at least I've observed often)Because, it has been proven that once the stress of meeting basic needs is met, people's health improves, their outlook on life improves, their creativity improves...
I can't give you the direct link due to mobile viewing, but the relevant topic is under "Opinions on Psychological Effects". So far, both of you stated differing, (in your own words) subjective beliefs on what engenders creativity. Clearly, experience gives different opinions, and theven closest thing I could find was an opinion on the matter. That said, I'd welcome you to join me in searching for supporting or opposing evidence. That's what discussion is all about, right? :)
Know what else these programs do besides just give people money? Knowledge and encouragement. They teach people how to feed themselves properly, how to apply for and keep jobs, to know what labor laws and tenants rights are and how they can protect you. Do they always do an amazing job? No. But these programs and the agencies that run them do more than just cut paychecks and if UBI becomes a thing, I think these organizations will find ways to continue to justify their existence. Edit: Now that I think about it, if UBI becomes a thing, this lifts a huge burden off of these programs and agencies, allowing them to focus more on other problems, hopefully making them more effective.My issue with a UBI is very simple. If we cut the food stamp, WIC, Section 8, earned income credits, dependent credits, head start, school lunches, and most of not all of the redundant programs and funds and trusts that help poor people, and replace then withe the UBI? I'm all for it. Simplify the means of helping poor people get back on their feet, help the dependent poor not starve and turn to crime and you save the taxpayer money, actually help out those in need and take some the stigma from anti-poverty programs.
That is why I think we need a national service program. Are you 17- 20 and have no clue what you want to do with your life? Give us 3 years and at the end we will pay for either college or a trade school. Make it like the Civilian Conservation Corps, or some of the New Deal programs that put people to work. Build friendships, build ownership in the country, build opportunities.Know what else these programs do besides just give people money? Knowledge and encouragement.
to me, that is a dangerous relationship people see in how they value money - and it will change before the end of the century. Money, in its basic form, was not recognized as a medium for empowering any condition of self-worth. It was simply agreed upon in basic principle as a medium for exchanging goods and services. Money today is being used by everyone - for means beyond what it's most effective at doing. Before you start empowering the people, the people ought to have a chance to exchange their values freely. The hidden baggage behind fiat currencies today are beginning to show up at the checkout line.Know what else these programs do besides just give people money? Knowledge and encouragement.
Right! Now imagine if those programs could just focus on knowledge and encouragement, and not have to worry about basic monetary needs like food and housing being met! Imagine how much more effective these trainings and personal development courses could be... Know what else these programs do besides just give people money? Knowledge and encouragement.