I would like it if my children could peruse poetry... If you know the quote.
It Is Time For Basic Income
381–390 of 761 posts
Re: It Is Time For Basic Income
#382I once stumbled upon a YouTube video consisting of a woman who received ~$1,400/mo entirely supplied by Government Assistance Programs. I once saw a job posting for a Web Developer/Python position where the client stated: "$1,000/mo is enough in Belarus." I stopped to think for a bit: "I hardly made $800/mo when I was freelancing, and I was happiest when I was not working." I think the biggest argument for Basic Inco…
$1,000/wk* is enough in Belarus.
Re: It Is Time For Basic Income
#383Earlier quoted context omitted.
If we can create , then we can destroy just as easily.
It's not enough to 'destroy' money, you'd have to prevent it from reappearing. Since it's easy for communities to create 'money', destroying it won't bring any freedom or radical change; just disruption. It's just as with anarchy - you can destroy government, but you can't prevent "government"(s) from springing up to replace them, and usually worse than the ones before.
It's not enough to 'destroy' money, you'd have to prevent it from reappearing.
If you can't get rid of drugs and prostitution, you won't be able to get rid of money.
Re: It Is Time For Basic Income
#384I'm reading the comments, and surprised at what's missing. What happened to the business approach? The US government is delivering a large number of products with wildly varying costs, efficiencies, and price points. e.g. unemployment, welfare, food stamps, etc. There is a proposal is to replace those products with only one. The new product fills (mostly) the same need as the existing ones. It will do so at less cost…
Let us not delude ourselves into thinking any healthcare system is self-contained and self-sustaining, equipped to deal with all the needs of its citizenry. Most European nations ( and Canada, Australia & New Zealand ) are great at dispensing - what can be termed as - "subsistence medicine." Most ailments, procedures and surgeries are handled quite well, although - it has to be said - a tad frugally. ( It is not unco…
So let's charge these rich people coming over here for premium care a bit extra and redistribute subsistence care to those traditionally not covered.
Re: It Is Time For Basic Income
#385Replace income tax with land value tax. Then it's not redistribution of income. The argument for a land value tax is Georgist: land is not property because it is not the product of one's own labor. Therefore land 'owners' should pay rent to society in the form of the land value tax (though not on the property built on the land). That rent is then paid to society as a universal basic income.
(And to preempt those who might question why anyone would both owning land: because like any investment there is a cost that can be exceeded by profit.)
Re: It Is Time For Basic Income
#386Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Basic income is the first step to an empirically ethical society Not sure, but wouldn't basic income induce increased prices for commodities? If disposable income increases for everyone, then there is an incentive to increase prices everywhere (including accommodation which is a significant part of monthly expenses), thus negating the positive effects of basic income. Then you know what would happen next... people…
> Not sure, but wouldn't basic income induce increased prices for commodities? Yes, it would be expected to shift the demand curve somewhat, because you'd be redistributing income to people with a higher propensity to spend, increasing demand. > If disposable income increases for everyone, then there is an incentive to increase prices everywhere (including accommodation which is a significant part of monthly expenses…
If you tie it to a dedicated revenue stream and set the benefit amount based on the revenue divided among the eligible population, you establish a control mechanism.
How do you keep some demagogue from campaigning on abolishing this mechanism and just giving people more money?
Re: It Is Time For Basic Income
#387Wouldn't businesses just raise prices to offset the basic income, rendering it useless?
Only if they were colluding with one another. Lower prices remain attractive to consumers even when they have extra cash to spend. Reasonably priced goods would still win out in volume of sales over unnecessarily high-priced goods.
"Only if they were colluding with one another"
If everyone knows they can get basic income for doing nothing, the majority will not choose a job that pays less than or equal to the basic income.
This means businesses will have to increase wages (and costs of goods and services). No colluding necessary..just economics.
Re: It Is Time For Basic Income
#388I think if you could see close-up how these systems work now, you'd be convinced that it's completely not worth the cost in practice to try and figure out who "deserves" each of the many, many special benefits/allowances/exemptions available (plus it's incredibly difficult for potential recipients to figure out what they're eligible for, plus it imposes those costs on the people who aren't eligible, but end up having…
This seems like a good way to destroy all the virtue and competence that our species has accumulated over the last half million years. What is the purpose of keeping around millions of incompetents as unlovely human pets belonging to the state?
Re: It Is Time For Basic Income
#389I think if you could see close-up how these systems work now, you'd be convinced that it's completely not worth the cost in practice to try and figure out who "deserves" each of the many, many special benefits/allowances/exemptions available (plus it's incredibly difficult for potential recipients to figure out what they're eligible for, plus it imposes those costs on the people who aren't eligible, but end up having…
> So since this is HN... is there any way to get to an MVP without having a sovereign state to experiment with?
Seasteading might be an answer to your question.
Re: It Is Time For Basic Income
#390I agree. Unemployment runs no lower that 70% among disabled people in the best of times. Anyone that is not literally perfect (beautiful, slim, brilliant, healthy, emotionally well centered) faces huge obstacles from the powers that be in our society.
Don't forget, in some cases, young.