Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by AndrewDucker 3632 days ago
A UBI doesn't take away the incentive to make money. Give everyone enough to _not starve_ and then they can work towards a better level than that, safe in the knowledge that they aren't going to suffer from losing the benefits the second they earn a tiny amount (and thus earn _less_ for having a job).
2 comments
atemerev 3632 days ago
Oh, but food is not even close in the share of expenses. Food is cheap, and hunger is very rarely something to fear of in civilized societies.

Rent, medical insurance and taxes — these are the bulk of poor person's worries (tax breaks etc? When you are hustling 18 hours per day, you don't have time to do the shitload of paperwork it requires. And if you were relatively well the previous year, then suddenly lost the means of income, but got the tax bill from that previous year — well, tough luck.)

In no way UBI is going to challenge that.

link
lackbeard 3632 days ago
No one is starving in the US anymore. The poor are fat, and have cell phones.
link
drabiega 3632 days ago
False.

> An estimated 14.0 percent of American households were food insecure at least some time during the year in 2014, meaning they lacked access to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members. The change from 14.3 percent in 2013 was not statistically significant. The prevalence of very low food security was unchanged at 5.6 percent.

> Economic Research Report No. (ERR-194) 43 pp, September 2015

http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/err-economic-research-r...

link
Turing_Machine 3631 days ago
Their own definition of "low food insecurity" is:

"Low food security (old label=Food insecurity without hunger): reports of reduced quality, variety, or desirability of diet. Little or no indication of reduced food intake."

http://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/foo...

That's not the same as starving. At all.

Their definition of "very low food security" is:

"Reports of multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake."

WTF does "disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake" mean? Missing breakfast because you're late? Dieting? Impossible to say.

In any case, very, very few people starve to death in the United States (barring medical conditions like anorexia, metabolism disorders, etc.).

link