| "No, they prove that people who are in a program that is very clearly temporary will not end their careers for a short pilot program. This means nothing." This is a really good point. But it will apply to the government program as well. Just because we have such a program at full scale, doesn't guarantee anything. * The UBI might not always be above the poverty line * The UBI might be terminated at any time, or after an election (That can be partly covered with proper laws, but nobody would go that far without trying it out in the first place) * The UBI might get strings attached, like "needs to work parttime", etc. All in all, it's a chicken egg problem. The thing is: If I have saved maybe a million in cash, UBI would encourage me to just stop working. Period. UBI will cover a good chunk of the basic living expenses (especially if you don't have to live near hotspots due to work anymore) and then the investment winnings of my savings would cover me for life. That of course is still possible without UBI, but UBI just makes it that much more approachable, since you don't depend on investment to stay afloat. I.e. "I need to win with my investments for this to work" becomes "If I want to buy me something besides food and rent, I need to make good investments". Those two are like day and night. I am not convinced that UBI will result in overall improvements. I would love UBI and it would enable me to stop working more quickly. Will I still provide value to humanity? Very likely, I have lots of ideas for what to do. Will I still provide value to the economy? Not nearly as much as before. That alone tells me that UBI is probably not a good idea, because it empowers the middle-class to retire early, doesn't do much for the poor (instead of a shitty job, they can now do nothing, except paint and sing perhaps, i.e. being creative; but they will still be poor nontheless) . It also doesn't do anything for the rich. |
You'd already be "encouraged" to take a lower-paying part time and/or less stressful job. But most millionaires aren't going to be satisfied with the downgraded lifestyle that would entail.
doesn't do much for the poor
It does a lot for the poor. It lets them earn additional money without worrying about losing benefits, which is a big problem with current welfare systems. And more importantly it gives them negotiating power; they can walk away from abusive employers without the worry of homelessness or hunger.