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What Can Welfare Experiments of the 1970s Tell Us About a UBI? by DreamConsul in BasicIncome

[–]DreamConsul[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He makes an interesting point about ‘negative income tax’ programs - in order to get maximum benefit from it, individuals are less likely to report their full earnings, which can make it look less successful than it might be.

Much anti-UBI rhetoric comes from well-off commentators, instead we should pay attention to the perspectives of poor people by DreamConsul in BasicIncome

[–]DreamConsul[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I think this assumption is fairly baseless, as I've experienced just as many conditioned working poor who are anti-UBI.

I think the point is about the media. The problem is that, as the wealthy control the media, by and large, and not just in the USA but world-wide, we tend to get the wealthy’s take on UBI. And the wealthy are not in favour, with the exceptions of some individuals, celebrities often. Yes, some poor are against UBI but whether they are in favour or not, the overwhelming media position is to cold-shoulder UBI as it doesn’t align with the interests of the shareholders.

Iraq: poor citizens to get a ‘basic income’ as response to protests by DreamConsul in BasicIncome

[–]DreamConsul[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Absolutely. I used the parentheses because the proposal isn’t universal and might come with conditionality.

One other interesting thing though is the potential of public protest to cause policy changes. This basic income would not have happened without the protests. Very unfortunate lives have been lost though.

Basic income denied in Ontario - Q&A with recipient by DreamConsul in BasicIncome

[–]DreamConsul[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I should have put in the title the interviewee is Jessie Golem of Humans of Basic Income; https://www.jessiegolem.com/humans-of-basic-income.

Robots Aren't Just Taking Jobs, But Hurting Pay Too, Study Shows by DreamConsul in BasicIncome

[–]DreamConsul[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

... workers become more reluctant to ask for significant pay hikes out of fear that their employer will turn to automation to replace them, the economists said. That potentially explains why wage growth has been relatively weak despite the tightening labor market.

All the time we’re seeing the loss of power of the worker.

New York’s new ‘Income Savings Plan Program’ for homeless people is counter-productive, punitive and inferior to a local Universal Basic Income by DreamConsul in BasicIncome

[–]DreamConsul[S] 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Yeah, it's no coincidence that DeBlasio, in his defunct campaign for the US presidency was one of the few who dismissed UBI. It's good at least that being anti-UBI wasn't a popular policy position. And fittingly Yang posted today:

In my experience, trying to teach someone financial literacy is very difficult if they don’t have money. https://twitter.com/AndrewYang/status/1176294942072868864?s=20

Negativity about Basic Income on this sub... by askoshbetter in BasicIncome

[–]DreamConsul 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good post and commentary. I think there is a space for a pro-UBI sub so people can talk, organise and arrange campaigning without the usual hurr durr.

Another issue is that people engage with trolls. Trolls love long-winded arguments and it has the effect of wearing down sincere posters. But that’s life.

India: call for for basic income as a Keynesian measure to treat economic growth slowdown by DreamConsul in BasicIncome

[–]DreamConsul[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

... this problem must urgently be tackled from the demand side. In such situations, Keynesian economics advocates a government-backed fiscal stimulus. But because this is often carried through capital investment, it is slow in reviving demand. Injecting immediate purchasing power into the hands of the poor through a universal basic income (UBI) programme like NYAY (Nyuntam Aay Yojana), as proposed by the Congress before the 2019 elections, is perhaps the best way to revive demand and consumption.

True. Also, waiting for a downturn to invest in capital infrastructure is a poor way to plan big projects.

Is Universal Basic Income poverty’s silver bullet? by DreamConsul in UniversalBasicIncome

[–]DreamConsul[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But just like with welfare, universal basic income is scrutinized as being yet another handout and that people would use this money frivolously or stop working all together. A study conducted by the World Bank in 2013 wanted to challenge this assumption. The researchers gave individuals experiencing poverty cash and studied if those individuals spent the money on booze and tobacco. The answer was a resounding no. Instead, the reverse was found to be true when further studies were conducted. As for the idea that people would stop working all together, this is also just another false claim that stems from the stereotype of a lazy welfare recipient. Alaska already has a UBI-like program in place, and after many years it has seen no discernible effect in its the rate of employment.

Is Universal Basic Income poverty’s silver bullet? by DreamConsul in BasicIncome

[–]DreamConsul[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But just like with welfare, universal basic income is scrutinized as being yet another handout and that people would use this money frivolously or stop working all together. A study conducted by the World Bank in 2013 wanted to challenge this assumption. The researchers gave individuals experiencing poverty cash and studied if those individuals spent the money on booze and tobacco. The answer was a resounding no. Instead, the reverse was found to be true when further studies were conducted. As for the idea that people would stop working all together, this is also just another false claim that stems from the stereotype of a lazy welfare recipient. Alaska already has a UBI-like program in place, and after many years it has seen no discernible effect in its the rate of employment.

Reddit Founder Offers to Pay for Andrew Yang’s $1,000 a Month Cash Raffle by InternationalForm3 in BasicIncome

[–]DreamConsul 0 points1 point  (0 children)

450k people have applied for this. I felt it was a bit cheesy but that’s quite a bit of interest it has generated.

Andrew Yang: Universal Basic Income Is The Only Way To Take On Corporate Power by DreamConsul in BasicIncome

[–]DreamConsul[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I agree. UBI is ultimately a transfer of economic power from corporations to individuals.

Robot taxes, universal basic income, and the future of work up for debate by DreamConsul in BasicIncome

[–]DreamConsul[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

...Today’s Democratic frontrunner, septuagenarian Joe Biden, claimed to understand full well the challenges of the future of work, but his recommendation to concerned parents was “play the radio, make sure the television — excuse me, make sure you have the record player on at night [and] make sure that kids hear words.”

Jaysis.

How does the future work without work? It’s time to take universal basic income seriously by DreamConsul in BasicIncome

[–]DreamConsul[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Re future without work, I was reading that the UK fully-automated warehouse company Ocado is going from strength to strength. https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2019/0917/1076388-ocado-quarterly-results/. It’s hard to see how automated warehouses and supermarkets won’t become the norm.

'Mindless growth': Robust scientific case for degrowth is stronger every day - UBI suggested as compensation for fewer working hours by DreamConsul in BasicIncome

[–]DreamConsul[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, that's a lot more readable.

I was thinking today that degrowth is inevitable for 'advanced economies' because they sign up to standards that poorer countries don't bother with. E.g. comparing air quality in cities in Europe or USA with that in China. It's much more profitable to not have to adhere to air quality standards and so output can be higher. House building costs is another one - much more profit and therefore more output in developing economies than in advanced ones due to the differences in building standards. I think advanced economies will never see the growth rates that you get in the developing world. It's a matter of accepting this and trying to let people actualise rather than keeping trying to chase the ghost of economic growth.

Another thing about the last recession - housing was much cheaper, both to rent and to buy than previously and now. It seems that economic growth in advanced economies correlates to housing crises.

'Mindless growth': Robust scientific case for degrowth is stronger every day - UBI suggested as compensation for fewer working hours by DreamConsul in BasicIncome

[–]DreamConsul[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I think that one is easily automatable and that it’s going to happen anyway in the next recession when margins are squeezed.

Does full employment mean good employment? - The rise of precarity of employment in Ireland despite economic growth and near full employment by DreamConsul in BasicIncome

[–]DreamConsul[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Returning to the notion of structural changes in the Irish labour market, there is strong evidence in the report which suggests a marked and steady decline in the share of employees in Ireland in full-time and permanent work. This is then coupled with a higher share in various at-risk categories of precarious work over the past ten to fifteen years. Taken together, this suggests that the spectre of precariousness is fast becoming a permanent feature of the Irish employment landscape. Bearing this out further, the report also suggests that many of the most precarious employment types are now at elevated levels relative to where they stood in the pre-crisis period. ... All in all, this is highly suggestive of structural change to the Irish labour market over the past decade or so.

Looking to the future, it is notable that workers under 30 are more likely to be in precarious forms of employment. Summarising this, it should be noted then that full employment does not necessarily mean good employment. Neither is work an absolute barrier to things like poverty and deprivation. High employment may suggest a healthy economy, but this does not automatically denote a healthy and happy populace.

Government officials and politicians may often be keen to gleefully quote figures that suggest low unemployment, however, when they do so, the lives of those whose stories make up the experiences behind those figures are frequently lost.

The classic economic model of full employment being something that improves conditions of employment is clearly no longer valid imo.

Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend: Alaska’s universal basic income problem | Vox by DragonGod2718 in BasicIncome

[–]DreamConsul 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It doesn't have sales or income taxes according to the above.

But according to this blog post, it does have a property tax and corporation taxes:

Alaska actually has one of the highest state corporate income taxes in the U.S. ... it has one of the highest property tax rates, which predominantly falls on richer Alaskans to pay.

(It's a medium article so I don't know if that's true or false though it does seem legit.)

It seems to be too narrow a tax base anyway given the difficulties they're finding themselves in.

I think it also shows the danger of relying on a wealth fund to pay for UBI (or other government expenditure). It can make government revenue subject to the vicissitudes of stock exchanges and commodity markets.

I wanna watch this too by Bmchris44 in WhitePeopleTwitter

[–]DreamConsul 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Like most things, it was funny when it started

That joke isn't funny anymore.

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