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Literally anyone who’s read the results of any other time this experiment has been tried. Why are we still trying to prove the concept?
Here’s the link if anyone wants it!
Universal basic income seems to improve employment and well-being
We’re still trying to prove the concept because in the West, Big Business and their owners, The 1%, are screaming at the thought of having to give up a little money so everyone can get universal income that supports life – meaning jobs either have to pay you to put up with the literal shit or people can walk away from them without becoming homeless.
Our entire system is basically based on people being so afraid of homelessness and starvation that they’ll accept any shit job for shit pay.
Past experiments have shown that UBI:
Increases high school graduation rates
Reduces:
Domestic violence
Alcoholism
Emergency room visits related to mental health
Road traffic accidents.
All while not disincentivizing employment for most groups (the exceptions being high school students, who were able to focus on their studies, and new mothers…who were using it as maternity leave!)
People, for the most part, want to work.
UBI would allow us to expand the definition of “work.” If somebody can live off of UBI, then they can devote themselves to things which we don’t currently value financially such as the arts, raising children well, etc.
And if somebody wants to stay home and play video games all day…then so be it. Not that many will.,..and of those who do most will probably find some way to make that into their “work,” whether by providing play throughs and tutorials or competing seriously.
If somebody stops working all together as soon as they get UBI and stays home to play video games, they probably desperately needed a break.
There are so many people who are struggling with mental and physical illnesses, and chronic pain, who are still breaking themselves working because they don’t have another option – because it can take years to get on disability, and it’s not enough to survive on, so people keep going as long as they possibly can.
Even if it’s not a matter of disability, as such … people get burned out?
We’re not really built to do school and work with minimal breaks to the extent that we do.
Despite what our puritanical culture says, there’s no shame in needing a break.
I listened to a podcast episode once (I think it was Freakonomics?) that discussed UBI. They had a couple experts on that said that the Denmark study may be irrelevant to knowing if it would work in America because the culture is so different. Scandinavian people are generally more hardworking and giving to their communities that it made sense that they would continue to work. On the other hand Americans are generally more lazy, self-centered, and always looking for get-rich-quick schemes. Some experts have even used this pandemic to do research on how UBI might affect Americans.
But what do I know. I’m just a lazy American who couldn’t even properly site their claims…
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