Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by PeterisP 3288 days ago
The type of work that you list is work where it won't be paid work - I mean, whatever system you create so that people get paid for it is in some way UBI in disguise; the market value for that work is near zero (as you say, people simply don't want to pay the people doing that work), so you may get paid "for" that work, but de facto you'll get paid just because. No matter if you frame such transfer payments as charity or as forced redistribution, it's not payment for the work, it's paid because the society decided to pay you despite the work having no economic value - as in the principle you mention, that the tribe gets a big kill and everyone eats; just because they're part of the tribe and not because of the work they do.

I understand your arguments of going above and beyond that, having much more than UBI - however, as you can see in this thread, even that level is quite contentious, a large jump from the current situation and not guaranteed to happen. Going beyond that is, obviously, even less likely to happen. If/when we'll see a realistic support for UBI, then we may start discussing about maybe implementing what you state, right now it's just wishful thinking.

1 comments

Currently, UBI is also wishful thinking. So why not wish for something that doesn't disempower the masses instead of something that does?

The world does not have to bend to my will. But I also do not have to bend to its. I can continue to desire a better system for how we treat people, no matter how ridiculous that seems to so many people.