Getting an extra $1000/month wouldn’t suddenly create a bunch of entrepreneurs and revolutionize the economy
Obviously it will. You are just underestimating the number of people on bullshit jobs because they lack the capital or motivation for anything greater. I will not focus on the obvious justifications for UBI like “the fact that technological unemployment is only going to get worse. Nearly half the population is employed in jobs that could be replaced by automation, and that number will only get higher as time goes on”.
Sometimes, people just need help. Especially the elderly. Maybe they’re sick and can’t afford medicine. Maybe they’re just lonely and don’t have many family members to speak to. Maybe they’ve been out of work for so long that they’ve fallen off the grid. A simple cash payment could help alleviate some of the stress they’re feeling. Now, this isn’t to say a basic income would fix all these problems. Construction for a building can’t begin until all the materials have arrived. A basic income would alleviate some of the stress of poverty, but it can’t be the only solution. People still need access to medical care, and they need other sources of support. However, a UBI could help provide that support when those services aren’t available.
Maybe you are focusing on the fishermen thing too much, what about focusing in “countable happiness points”? What about counting the number of people that spend 180 hours monthly cutting a bread in half (Subway workers)? What about counting all these works that require 180 hours in sub-human conditions to just have the minimum condition to ask for food for other members? Then we get sick and no one cares, beg for food if you have any friend to help you, this is fairly common on my country. Not even 40% workers on my country earn more than $167.0 dollars monthly. These are 54 million people on probably bullshit 180 hours monthly jobs. Just shut up and multiply.
For my friend that is driving Uber for 12~14h each day to get $400.00 monthly on my country. Even though he started studying HTML, CSS, etc, and getting on the path to get something bigger, he needs the money now. He can’t focus on building his online business. His father died and no one cares about him. He does bullshit things (like driving Uber) to get money and to afford the basic bills: rent, electricity, food, internet. The next time he gets sick he will ask me for help, and what about me?
I can’t focus 100% on solving realworldproblems and also creating online businesses because I have to spend a lot of time begging for money to pay the bills that my father was used to pay and to help the peers that no one helps. It includes creating bullshit softwares for random people on online freelancing websites, online math/physics private lessons for high school students. If everyone were getting basic income, I would be studying, programming and inventing new things 100% the time, not trying to get the next $5.00 to pay the monthly $150.00 impossible to negate bill and wouldn’t need to be working all the time to help the members that earn less than me and don’t have any formal education and no idea how to get money. I am basically wasting my hours because otherwise the higher earning members of my tribe would call me “an useless member that is trying to understand how to solve these unimportantproblems”, and they wouldn’t offer me existential protection (roof, bread and support when sick).
My partner spends 140 hours to get $200.00. If she could spend 140 hours studying and doing free random search on the internet monthly, she would be discovering, creating and contributing, instead of complaining about how life is shit and suicide is an option to overcome problems.
Every peer of mine is doing bullshit because everyone just wants a roof, a bread, a bed and the internet connection. How can you desire anything other than that when you don’t have even that guaranteed?
Maybe they pick up a part-time job, like at the grocery store where they can bag groceries in the evenings. Maybe they start doing nails out of their house once a week. Maybe they buy a single-user franchise business like a cupcake truck. Maybe they create profitable lemonade stands on every corner. My mom decided to sell candies. The point is, a basic income for these folks doesn’t just increase their quality of life—it also vastly increases the economy. The more money people have, the more they spend. And a UBI would give everyone more money, even if just enough to cover their basic needs.
Do you want a bunch of entrepreneurs? Give people enough leisure time (by giving money), then you will see what happens. Just bet with me.
Obviously it will. You are just underestimating the number of people on bullshit jobs because they lack the capital or motivation for anything greater. I will not focus on the obvious justifications for UBI like “the fact that technological unemployment is only going to get worse. Nearly half the population is employed in jobs that could be replaced by automation, and that number will only get higher as time goes on”.
Sometimes, people just need help. Especially the elderly. Maybe they’re sick and can’t afford medicine. Maybe they’re just lonely and don’t have many family members to speak to. Maybe they’ve been out of work for so long that they’ve fallen off the grid. A simple cash payment could help alleviate some of the stress they’re feeling. Now, this isn’t to say a basic income would fix all these problems. Construction for a building can’t begin until all the materials have arrived. A basic income would alleviate some of the stress of poverty, but it can’t be the only solution. People still need access to medical care, and they need other sources of support. However, a UBI could help provide that support when those services aren’t available.
Maybe you are focusing on the fishermen thing too much, what about focusing in “countable happiness points”? What about counting the number of people that spend 180 hours monthly cutting a bread in half (Subway workers)? What about counting all these works that require 180 hours in sub-human conditions to just have the minimum condition to ask for food for other members? Then we get sick and no one cares, beg for food if you have any friend to help you, this is fairly common on my country. Not even 40% workers on my country earn more than $167.0 dollars monthly. These are 54 million people on probably bullshit 180 hours monthly jobs. Just shut up and multiply.
For my friend that is driving Uber for 12~14h each day to get $400.00 monthly on my country. Even though he started studying HTML, CSS, etc, and getting on the path to get something bigger, he needs the money now. He can’t focus on building his online business. His father died and no one cares about him. He does bullshit things (like driving Uber) to get money and to afford the basic bills: rent, electricity, food, internet. The next time he gets sick he will ask me for help, and what about me?
I can’t focus 100% on solving real world problems and also creating online businesses because I have to spend a lot of time begging for money to pay the bills that my father was used to pay and to help the peers that no one helps. It includes creating bullshit softwares for random people on online freelancing websites, online math/physics private lessons for high school students. If everyone were getting basic income, I would be studying, programming and inventing new things 100% the time, not trying to get the next $5.00 to pay the monthly $150.00 impossible to negate bill and wouldn’t need to be working all the time to help the members that earn less than me and don’t have any formal education and no idea how to get money. I am basically wasting my hours because otherwise the higher earning members of my tribe would call me “an useless member that is trying to understand how to solve these unimportant problems”, and they wouldn’t offer me existential protection (roof, bread and support when sick).
My partner spends 140 hours to get $200.00. If she could spend 140 hours studying and doing free random search on the internet monthly, she would be discovering, creating and contributing, instead of complaining about how life is shit and suicide is an option to overcome problems.
Every peer of mine is doing bullshit because everyone just wants a roof, a bread, a bed and the internet connection. How can you desire anything other than that when you don’t have even that guaranteed?
Maybe they pick up a part-time job, like at the grocery store where they can bag groceries in the evenings. Maybe they start doing nails out of their house once a week. Maybe they buy a single-user franchise business like a cupcake truck. Maybe they create profitable lemonade stands on every corner. My mom decided to sell candies. The point is, a basic income for these folks doesn’t just increase their quality of life—it also vastly increases the economy. The more money people have, the more they spend. And a UBI would give everyone more money, even if just enough to cover their basic needs.
Do you want a bunch of entrepreneurs? Give people enough leisure time (by giving money), then you will see what happens. Just bet with me.