Believing the myth that Universal Basic Income will lead many of us to quit our jobs is like believing a safety net encourages high-wire performers to fall purposely. UBI doesn't take away the incentive to work; it's about providing a foundation from which we can all aim higher.
The only ones pushing that narrative are the bosses who know people WILL quit low paying jobs if they're not treated well, and the uneducated fools who also think that taxes are theft and roads/services just get performed by the government's wishes upon a star
It's like that old argument against the NHS... if we reward sick people for getting sick by treating them then there's no incentive for them to be well
It’s acknowledging that wealth must circulate & re-circulate to be effective. In 1964, 17 hands touched every dollar until the super wealthy vacuumed it up. Today, between 3 & 4 hands touch that same dollar. We’ve got to spread the money around or why even have it?
Here in Italy something like that (not universal and calculated on numerous factors) was attempted.
"Obviously" it was the reason nobody wanted to work anymore especially in restaurants and/or seasonal jobs. So it was taken away.
But lo and behold, those people still can't find anybody
I may be wrong here but it looks connected to that strange phenomenon where immigrants who are stealing our jobs are the same immigrants that are lazy and come here to steal the welfare... It always happen around the time they ask for fair pay and equal treatment
Yes and no. It's unfair to expect UBI to solve all ills, but that is often the marketing, particularly as you move rightwards along the political spectrum and into the libertarian domains.
Which is why I'm suspicious of UBI without UBS or other welfare programs.
Yes, that is the economic design. A certain proportion of the population need to be desperate and starving to make that shit wage look good.
And I'd argue that this design is bad and patches don't address bad design.
It does a lot more than that. It also gives money to non-workers: kids, the elderly, the disabled, caregivers. You cannot mathematically tackle poverty by simply regulating shit jobs to pay better. The distribution of non-workers across households will not allow out.
Hear, hear, but I have one cautionary note: we must produce less to survive the ecological emergency, so UBI * should be* part of a plan to allow less production (or less "work"/jobs). A German friend opposes UBI in Germany out of fear it will lead to more consumption as people stay at same jobs.
It would be damn handy if you posted using the hashtag in your profile - the most important posts of yours would float to the top, and you'd be way more searchable/findable as a result. Love your work.
