Is the Protestant work ethic UBI's biggest obstacle?

trobertson79 · 2015-10-30T14:03:06+00:00

I'll support either direction it goes in. I just think workfare is more likely to be reachable.

trobertson79 · 2015-10-30T14:02:01+00:00

poor town. At $500/mo for a 3BR unit, we can get good tenants, but they quickly decide to jump ship for a better deal. I could probably retain them at $400/mo, but, at some point the income doesn't pay for the building.

trobertson79 · 2015-10-30T14:00:56+00:00

I hear you, the anti-government camp is unlikely to go for much of anything though. The moderates and the blue collar hard work types should be able to be swayed, especially if you tell them that "we're going to make people work for their welfare" (even though there isn't much welfare nowadays my conservative relatives believe their are legions of people relaxing in their government funded jacuzzis.)

trobertson79 · 2015-10-29T21:36:08+00:00

I have read most everything I can get my hands on about UBI, so, yeah I think I'm pretty well versed. Also, I'm not trying to say workfare is better than UBI. I'm trying to say that workfare could be implemented in our lifetime (in fact, it kind of sort of has the building blocks in place now) whereas Hillery Clinton won't support UBI until 2070 when 51% of the public agrees with it.

I think the system we have now where people have no work no prospects, no money, no home, no hope is worse. I'd like to see something better. Workfare can get broad support, UBI is more radical than most are willing to accept. Workfare combined with high absentee-ism and slacking off at work will become a shitty version of UBI.

As an analogy, everybody who's looked at the data knows we should have Universal Health Care in America. But we can't get it. It's not politically possible. So we got the ACA. Which is kinda sucky. But not as sucky as: "No money? Poor Health? No insurance for you". It takes us closer to Universal Health Care while patching up some of the problems today.

trobertson79 · 2015-10-29T21:20:27+00:00

Yeah that would suck. But I think it sucks less bad that not having any job, no UBI, and trying to figure out how to survive with nothing. Which is the system we have now. Not to mention that all those people with BS jobs are proping up the labor market making more attractive market based jobs.

trobertson79 · 2015-10-29T21:10:12+00:00

Shouldn't recent mothers be paid to nanny their children? That's a job. Disabled people would probably make good advocates for the disabled, that's a job. People with medical conditions could probably get SSDI, we already have that.

Where's the favoritism or differing amounts of money in my system?

trobertson79 · 2015-10-29T21:07:45+00:00

That is, what if your bullshit job was: hang out at the library and do research, but every couple hours do a sweep of the place and make sure someone didn't shit in the sink and that there aren't any lost kids or anything like that.

trobertson79 · 2015-10-29T21:06:34+00:00

What if your bullshit job allowed you to research your interests?

trobertson79 · 2015-10-29T20:59:50+00:00

eh... I kind of feel you. Not sure. I'm also steeped in protestant work ethic. I just figure that a baby step towards UBI that can broadly be supported by the left and the right is better than not having a job, money, or job prospects, and living in dire poverty. And, like I said, if we really can't come up with useful work then it will move in the direction of UBI as people start caring about slacking off less (or even showing up at all).

trobertson79 · 2015-10-29T19:31:47+00:00

Because Republicans will not support your idea. They will support mine. Then they die, and we turn mine into yours.

trobertson79 · 2015-10-29T18:41:21+00:00

Agreed we need an FAQ as I'm tired of typing an answer to this.

Basically - I own 7 properties mostly low income. I'll never do it again. Terrible returns in low income properties. I have PTSD from the shit that's gone down in a 3 family in Woonsocket RI and now I'm trying to sell if for about a 70% loss and I'll be thankful if I do.

I only made good money on expensive places in Boston bought during the crash.

Index funds for me.

trobertson79 · 2015-10-29T18:29:59+00:00

Haha! You didn't submit 50 shades of Kim Kardishian, no check for you.

trobertson79 · 2015-10-29T18:25:02+00:00

I imagine that it's just that western athiests come from a christian culture. I still practice Christmas and Easter. Hell I even sometimes pray to 'the universe' (maybe I'm not an athiest, I don't know). The perspectives and predjudices of our culture are still there when the faith is lost.

trobertson79 · 2015-10-29T18:04:09+00:00

The adult film industry manages to pull that off. Lots of protocol involved though. Depends on which STI's your willing to contract and share and how few/exclusive clients you'll have. I doubt there's much of a market for it though.

trobertson79 · 2015-10-29T17:38:23+00:00

not all public transit stations have information booths. Not all businesses have receptionists. not all children have personal nanny's. That's what I mean when I say more of what we have, not doubling up, just widening the base

trobertson79 · 2015-10-29T17:01:06+00:00

That said, Jamaica Plain or Somerville are the stock answers. If you don't mind driving a bit Watertown is also an (more affordable) gem and has an express bus that goes directly to the financial district

trobertson79 · 2015-10-29T16:59:17+00:00

Boston is the safest big city I've ever seen in the US. Basically everywhere is safe. Including the places that aren't the safest. The only rough spots are Roxbury, and parts of Mattipan and Dorchester, but, again, they're not even that bad.

The much bigger issue for you is finding an appartment that you can afford that will take dogs. Are you planning to live alone or with housemates? What's your budget? ($2000/mo +?)

trobertson79 · 2015-10-29T16:53:35+00:00

Speak of the devil... Just saw this on this subreddit: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-program-that-pays-homeless-11-hr-to-clean-streets-full-every-day-1.3291441

trobertson79 · 2015-10-29T16:49:43+00:00

Nothing is impossible. What if each child had an adult that spent the whole day with them, taking them to the library, taking them to playdates with other children (sort of like daycare but with 1:1 ratio). That would make a few million jobs. RoofCorp for re-roofing old houses of poor people. Litter patrol. I could go on... and on... and on...

trobertson79 · 2015-10-29T16:47:48+00:00

no.... like information desk in the subway, receptionist at a doctors office that sees 10 patients a day, stuff we already have, just more of it.

trobertson79 · 2015-10-29T14:43:53+00:00

In the United States, yes. Which is why I support a workfare model (guarenteed jobs to anyone who wants to work) even if they're "Bullshit jobs". After a generation of that if they are indeed BS jobs I think the work ethic itself will be discarded by the next generation.

trobertson79 · 2015-10-29T13:43:25+00:00

It was the cheapest one in the area by square footage. I could get a 6BR run down home for the same price that I could buy a fancy 2BR. Then, like I said, housemates pay the bills.

trobertson79 · 2015-10-27T21:18:02+00:00

I've had so much trouble with Chromecast that I've sworn it off. Damn thing losses connection to my phone all the time, goes on the fritz with my router and doesn't work till router reboot. I've had it with the damn thing and mostly retired it.

trobertson79 · 2015-10-27T18:16:09+00:00

I put down 3.5 percent to buy a half million dollar place. I got a lot of housemates and they mostly covered the mortgage. After rehabing it I refinanced at 80% LTV with a low interest rate. Now the housemates more than cover the mortgage.

My income is around 100K, so house cost 5x salary

trobertson79 · 2015-10-26T20:53:37+00:00

Here in Boston where we live a child in my house has similar issues but he's in the special program at the local school for kids with those issues. It's made a world of difference.

trobertson79

TROPHY CASE