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by dragonwriter 2970 days ago
> UBI will lead to societal degeneration

No, it won't.

> Prices of essential services and goods would skyrocket

If you do a constant-value UBI and set the value too high, yes, that would happen in a positive feedback loop, but that's why UBI should be tied to a revenue stream with a value set by splitting the revenue stream with a reserve cushion to build a fund to allow preserving benefits in short-term revenue decline.

> people would lose direction

I don't see a credible argument for that replacing status quo means-tested social support with UBI would cause this, and indeed much of the motivation for UBI is to remove adverse incentives in present benefit programs that manifestly do produce this effect.

> I call UBI gay-space-communism

Which is dumb, because it has nothing to do with homosexuality or outer space or, as it retains private property, Communism.

> suggests that all human beings are capable of handling themselves outside of employment and daily routine.

No, it doesn't, not that that would justify your ludicrous label even if that was true.

1 comments

Any value of UBI higher than 0 creates positive feedback loop:

1. government announces UBI

2. retailers, in anticipation of higher demand raise prices.

3. UBI beneficiaries see that they cannot buy as many goods as they want/need so they start demanding more money.

4. government see that they have more tax revenue due to higher retail sales (and the price raise from step 2) so it easily agrees to increase UBI amount.

5. go to step 2.

Do you think other financial aid formsfunded with tax money have this effect too? Or do you think UBI is qualitatively different because all taxpayers get it?

I think you can be cured of the latter if you consider the fact that it's exactly equivalent to a negative income tax system.