221–230 of 1001 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
To add to this, what about those unable to take care of themselves. Children, the mentally ill, those who are badly addicted, those who are easily taken advantage of (like in borderline elder abuse cases).
BI proponents argue that all social services will be replaced by BI. So, those gov't services would be de-funded.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/01/business/economy/why-a-uni...
The YCR statement says: "We think everyone should have enough money to meet their basic needs—no matter what, especially if there are enough resources to make it possible." Why give free money to people who are too lazy to work?
Why not? Who taught you that you must work or you are worthless?
So, a question for the BI fans: I've seen it said repeatedly that BI will save us money (or at least, not be so outrageously expensive) in part because we can eliminate existing welfare programs. "Just cut a single check, no more overhead from several agencies", they say. But riddle me this: what do you do when someone on BI has a financial emergency or, as will happen with some regularity, just flat-out blows all th…
Delivering the money in small chunks might help. Instead of 70$ every week, make it 5$ twice a day. So no matter how broke you were yesterday, you'll have enough money to eat in a few hours. Another "make it easy to get food even if you really screwed up" option might be to give grocery stores 'first dibs' on the money. Basically, let people spend the money a couple days in advance if they do it at a grocery store. A…
It would also stop the amazingly timed police checkpoint on the first day of the month.
Handling the debt-collector issue is probably going to take something like a law to force payments in very small amounts until legitimate debts are paid off.
I saw someone mention $10k a year but I'm not sure that's official. Also, does anyone know what the qualifications for candidacy will be?
> Although basic income seems fiscally challenging today, in a world where technology replaces existing jobs and basic income becomes necessary, technological improvements should generate an abundance of resources and the cost of living should fall dramatically. I am 100% for this experiment. But the assumption that technology will replace basic jobs seems naive. Throughout human history, we have seen rapid and accel…
> I am 100% for this experiment. But the assumption that technology will replace basic jobs seems naive. Throughout human history, we have seen rapid and accelerating technology improvements. Arguments from "but this is how it always have been" have a tendency to break down when significant societal/technological changes happen.
1) jobs that mostly create economic value (doctors, farmers, programmers): the percentage of these jobs is already small and keeps decreasing with technology.
2) jobs that mostly transfer economic value (marketers, lawyers): these jobs keep increasing. (Note: I'm not saying marketing and law doesn't create value but more marketers and lawyers mostly means more value transfers rather than more value)
3) jobs that arbitrage time and money (executive assistant, cleaning person): I call these arbitrage because the dollar value of time varies between individuals varies and so they trade time and both win economically. These jobs likely grow with inequality.
In a future where wealth is concentrated and more jobs are automated, job types 2 and 3 most likely grow, not shrink. That's what happened because of past technological progress and I don't see a reason to think it will happen any differently this time. In fact, I expect this to happen even more this time.
I'm not saying this is a great outcome. In fact, I think this is an argument for basic income. But I don't think jobs are going to disappear anytime soon.
While their model is conditional, the framework for providing a stipend to cover basic necessities so the kollel members are free to study, is very similar.
You will see a glimpse of what happens. There is amazing achievement, and there is abuse of the system. There are unparalleled social services powered by the community (i.e. hundreds of lending "GMach's" which lend and share everything from baby strollers to expensive fertility meds.)
If you want a glimpse into how Basic Income will work, looking at the full spectrum of Lakewood New Jersey would be eye opening.
You will see some of the most amazing examples of selflessness and accomplishment and you will see outrageous abuse of the system.
All in All, people will be people and the only solution that is sustainable is focusing on solving for the cause, not subsidizing the effect.
For all the kollel stipends that are paid out, ultimately, peoples true nature wins out. The only thing we can do is work to improve that nature.
Better People make a better world, not better circumstances.
(for what its worth, I am a fan of the idea of basic income, after all...if people will be people, than lets at least make sure no one has to suffer from starvation or homelessness.)
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Personally, I'd hope the system would absolutely tell them "tough shit". There's got to be a line where the safety net gives out, because someone is too expensive to help. That's where family and charity hopefully take over. At the same time, I think your instinct is right, and it's something I've never heard mentioned before. It's almost inevitably that there'll then be the "food security" fund, and the "housing gua…
"Tough shit" sucks when parents blow their handout on lottery tickets and drugs, leaving their children in perpetual poverty.
If a parent can't function when the basics are provided, then teachers, neighbours, and family members will be less inclined to use the excuse "but times are tough, and that person is trying hard to be a good parent".
IDK - I am inclined to think, having come from a broken home and having done community service for shoplifting food for me and my brother, if $parent (father in my case) can't get their shit together, the children would have been better off without them.
Will we see an explosion of startups?