Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by sidek 3673 days ago
I will meet your challenge head-on and say that that UBI is a worthwhile task, even presented worse than in your imagination. Humans have the right to dignity, food and shelter, and I think even those who are lazy, angry, worthless, deserve these as much as do any other.

But your argument relies on other inherently problematic parts of the American system.

-You say that people would have to "live in a UBI ghetto". Sure, they won't be able to afford a six bedroom house or a downtown Manhattan apartment off UBI. But in cities with public transit, and with non-ridiculous building restrictions, why can't the answer be "downsize and move ten minutes away"?

-You tie high-performing schools to high-income neighbourhoods. This is true in the US, but for bad reasons. Public schools should, and already in many parts of the world do, accept people who want to come from any nearby geographic location. A particularly effective example is the city of Edmonton, in Canada. Kids can choose to go to any high school in the entire metropolitan region (of course with capacity preference for nearby students, which is rarely reached). And it works extremely well.

-You assume through the pejorative "ghetto" that life in a neighbourhood with many UBI recipients will be undesirable. But why is this true? Just because people are less monied does not mean they are worse. In countries which do not allow their poor citizens access to mental health support, sufficient food and education, etc., outcomes are worse. But a high enough UBI would allow these citizens to fix those problems themselves.

1 comments

>But in cities with public transit, and with non-ridiculous building restrictions, why can't the answer be "downsize and move ten minutes away"?

if you are living off UBI, it literally doesnt matter where you live. Move to rural midwest - theres plenty of vacant housing at astonishingly cheap prices.

You could easily get a multi-bedroom house for under 500 a month