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It seems like a lot of people have already responded to your comment, but as the original poster, I feel obligated to add on. My answer was of course a simplification, but yes, fundamentally I think as we step into the future, we not only should but need to be taxing the owners of automation. Because if we don't, inevitably, wealth will become so concentrated within the hands of a minority that the overall functioning of our economies will simply stop working at some point. The current capitalistic based systems we have set up depend on continuous and increasing spending/consumption in order to function. There's nothing inherently wrong with following this method. In fact, I personally think it's fine. The issue, however, is in the fact that as automation continually replaces humans, money starts getting "stuck" as allocated spending pools from consumers increasingly diminishes. Sure, in the beginning, it'll look great on paper as corporations and businesses enjoy massive cost savings/increased net profits. But at some point, there will come a tipping point where there literally won't be enough money in circulation to support the economy. Think about it, what happens when 30+% of the human population becomes unemployed due to automation? And 30 is honestly a very optimistic number in my opinion. I could easily see unemployment rising to 50, 60, 70, 80, even 90+%. Do you realize how few people we actually need to be working? 99% of the work done today by humans both blue collar and white collar can and will be automated. Sure, I guess when no one has money to spend, corporations/businesses will inevitably be forced to lower their prices to near zero values, and the “invisible hand of the market will have made all good”. But think about how ugly and messy that transitionary period will be. No profit driven entity will just willingly lower their prices like that. And in the meantime, people will starve starting from the bottom up, from those with the least privilege, opportunity, and means to escape the encroaching unemployment that awaits them. All a Universal Basic Income does is speed up the inevitable while circumventing the mass starvation, rioting, and violence that will occur without it. And if you can think of a better solution too, I would honestly love to hear it because this isn't some far away issue. We're going to see massive upheaval in the next 5-10 years, starting with self-driving as it decimates the rural American population. Huge swaths of small towns all across America are almost 100% dependent on the trucking industry and the inflow of truckers that stop along the way to spend their income there. When truckers lose their jobs, those small towns go with them. If your answer is to tell them to move somewhere else or find a new job, what about those who can't? For example, how is a 50 year old truck driver who has spent his entire life driving trucks supposed to, on zero income mind you as they no longer have a job, go back to school and learn how to code when he or she likely barely finished high school 30 years ago? And no, even if you choose to completely disregard the inherent value of a human life opting to let people who are unable to successfully transition starve as a solution, you still aren't scot free. Because, what do you know, angry restless starving people riot and protest! Though I personally think it's important that everyone has the right to fundamental basic standards of living, even if you could care less about whether the person next to you starves to death tomorrow, the purely selfish individual still supports a Universal Basic Income. Any other move is a losing play. |