Universal Basic Income, the 30-Hour Workweek, and the Economics of Poverty | Michael Slaby
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ก.ค. 2017
- Universal Basic Income, the 30-Hour Workweek, and the Economics of Poverty
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There's enough money in this country alone to make everyone happy. So why do so few have so much of it? Did they work hard for it? Not really. Think about the idea of an hourly wage. If you do X amount of work and the profits increase by Y, shouldn't you get paid more? That isn't true for 95% of the workforce. In fact, most people work hard just to make their bosses or the shareholders and investors of a company richer. Michael Slaby argues that we should revisit the idea of wealth in this country and perhaps swing to a universal base income. We could afford it, and it might make many millions of people a lot happier. Yet it goes against the oft-cited "American work ethic" that is propped up by the 'hard work equals moving up in the world' idea. Poverty could be eradicated using the techniques Slaby talks about, but it would take a lot of convincing to happen.
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MICHAEL SLABY:
Michael Slaby is a global leader in digital and social media strategy, technology and data analytics, and explores how together they can elevate mission-driven organizations. For Michael, it is not only about developing the necessary technological platform, but understanding what it is that brings people together to take action online, as well as offline. Currently, he is Managing Partner of Timshel-a new company working to help solve social, civic, and humanitarian problems via better technology, engagement capabilities development, and creative capital. Previously he was a Fellow at Shorenstein Center at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
In 2012, when the Obama administration began gearing up for re-election, one of the first calls went to Michael Slaby, who was chief technology officer in 2008-when the historical campaign leveraged the internet and social media to raise funds and organize volunteers in ways that had never been seen before.
Michael helped lead Obama for America as Chief Integration and Innovation Officer in 2012, overseeing the CTO, CIO, and CAO, in order to ensure effective implementation and integration of technology across the entire campaign.
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TRANSCRIPT:
Michael Slaby: Look, I think change is scary. I think there is no way around that. I think what is familiar is easier for people, and not everybody wants disruption and innovation and entrepreneurship; not everybody wants to have seven jobs. That sounds terrible to a lot of people.
I think the idea, the sort of assumption that “everybody is an entrepreneur” is a bit of a mistake. I think many people are willing to be entrepreneurs given no other option, but a lot of those people would rather just have a job. Like not everybody is a founder. That's okay, this is not some failure. Founders are sort of unique animals in sort of our social ecosystem.
But what I think it requires of us as individuals is: this pace of change is unlikely to be slowed down in a way that is productive. It could be slowed down in ways that are super unproductive like being isolationists and protectionist and trying to make a global economy smaller in ways that ultimately hurt more people than it will help. There are ways of slowing down innovation, but I don't think any of them are actually good for people.
I think the reality is we have to get better at teaching flexibility. We have to teach critical thinking and adaptability to students as part of how we're preparing people for the future. We also have to be willing-this is where leadership matters a lot-willing to be more ambitious for ourselves. We tend to think about progress in generational terms, “I want my kids to be better off than I am.” Well, why wait for your kids? Like if it's easier and more effective to make something somewhere else we can take on a bigger problem.
And I believe that we can do that, that we have the capacity to embrace something more ambitious for ourselves now in our lifetime in a way that isn't terrifying and in a way that isn’t-it's about seeing these things as opportunities and addressing the anxiety of trying new things and embracing new things, and that requires leadership that is confidence-inspiring and that speaks to the discomfort that we're in, and that meets us at an emotional level of leadership that I think politicians are pretty scared of a lot of the time.
And I don't think it's just politicians...
Read the full transcript at bigthink.com/videos/michael-s...
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They did a study in the 30 hour work week makes people much more productive! The reason we have the schedule we do now is because of outdated laws long ago which also related to child labor. The problem is Americans can't come together and improve their own lives. The rich are really good at splitting people apart based on gender or race or even economic status.
For my kind it's a 40hr+ work week. At times it has been an 83hr work week. And yet at that same time my family scrapes by. They say, I must go to school, i already have several times. Everything i trained for is now obsolete.
Can you list the things you trained for?
That must be both alarming and demoralising.
I would advise that you do what you can. Urge your next generation (not simply your children, and those of your family and friends) to exceed you. Starting with this speaker's counsel.
@@vinnyvince9742 f u, you’re really going to speak as if it’s his fault? People like u r the problem
College is a JOKE. I think trades are the way to go, and if I were to do it all over again, I would have gone that route. My wife makes more than me and she doesn't have a degree in sales/business vs. me as a computer systems administrator with a bachelor's degree is making $25k less a year. WTF! Either way, I'm happy for our double income little family and we're doing just fine, but SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT WITH THE WAGES.
Fundamental misunderstanding: a UBI would be universal. There would be no welfare trap and that is precisely one of the things a UBI would fix compared to standard means tested welfare.
@@eric_864 Yeah, the farm owners would control all food, all water, all tech, all supply chains, the animals wouldn't have a say in anything.
@@eric_864 I used a metaphor, mea culpa, the farmer-owners, are the people that control the system, they own everything, you would be at their hands, depending on them for everything.
@@eric_864 Are you naive enough to believe that in the 21st century? Journalists are 100% bought by people that want to implement Authoritarianism in America, where have you been in the last 10 years?
@@destruction1928 Animal Farm is about Communism, not a Democratic Republic.
@@destruction1928 Huh?
I grew up hearing about this wonderful thing called a 40 hour work week. But, I can honestly say, that at no stage in my work life, have I ever made a livable wage, if I didn't work all the overtime I could. At 56, I'm still working all the OT I can get.
What part of universal doesn't this guy understand? There is no qualification for a universal basic income. That's what makes it universal.
How is it anti-freedom? Everyone pays a % of their income towards taxes (just like we do now), everyone recieves a flat sum from the government. This means that people with larger incomes pay more than they get back, but the system is not "unfair". This increases freedom because it gives people the freedom to not work as much.
+Joshua Argo You don't pay taxes based on how much you make. You pay taxes based on how much you spend.
The income tax rate is based on how much you earn, though. Martin, you seem to be thinking of consumption/sin taxes.
How do we fund government services without taxation of some kind? Why didn't Wesley Snipes pay taxes?
He understands it perfectly well, but he also understands that "universal" is a gross generality that ignores most important details of live, and he understands how humans view "Fairness". Is it fair that I, who is making $50,000 a year, get the same amount of UBI as someone making $25,000, or that I get the same as someone who is making $100,000? Should LeBron James get the UBI? Warren Buffet? Donald Trump?
I may be of the opinion that everyone should get a UBI (simply to make things easier to administer) AND that a system like the UBI is going to be a necessity for our outright civilization to survive, but there are fair and valid reasons to debate the idea that NOT everyone in our society should get it. Or a parallel argument that not everyone should get the same amount of UBI - should someone living in Flint, Michigan making $50,000 a year get the same UBI as someone living in San Francisco making $50,000 a year, when the cost of living is so radically different? Life in Alaska isn't the same as life in Hawaii, nor is life in New York City the same as life in Buffalo, so "Universal" doesn't work out very well.
It's these kinds of details that will be the stumbling block for any UBI in the future - people who don't want it will keep the chaos going by dividing the nations into even smaller chunks (Why is Brooklyn getting the same UBI as Queens? Why is 10th Ave getting the same as 50th ave? Etc.) People who do want it, but don't want someone more "privileged" than them getting the same as them will try to break it down on identity lines (Why does that Christian get the same as that LGBTQ+ person? Why does that Person of Colour get the same as that White Male? Why do women get the same as men? Etc.) and you'll see the "Libertarian"/"Protestant" groups saying "Why should I get the same as someone who's sitting at home with 5 roommates growing pot and playing video games?".
We have to get past them, but it's going to be a huge fight.
I love these types of conversations. They are interesting, thought provoking, and the ideas they present might be a catalyst for something better?
Indeed, this ideas are well planted seeds. One of the fruit is our new innovative system we are trying at Decentria 😉 Feel free to learn more and join us! 💪
Fantastically said. This is one of the most impressive, perfectly articulated opinions I've ever heard. I couldn't agree more. I've been trying to figure out how to explain this and you did it so magnificently that I wrote some word-for-word notes. I can't thank you enough for helping me lay this out in a quick, easily understandable format. I hope I can lay this perspective in front of the right people to help me make positive policy and regulation changes in my community. Making sh*t happen!! P.s dope shirt :)
This is a major problem with the world: Too many of us see each other as competitors, and a lot of us are always trying to drag each other down so that we can have a shot at the upper layers. What legitimately sickens me is that, when something like UBI comes up and offers to start solving the problem, a whole host of people rise up and complain about 'unjustified' privileges being thrown at the 'unworthy.' These people aren't poor because they're dumb or incapable, they're poor because they were born poor, and the system does not allow them to climb. Too many people with potential remain in poverty, unable to contribute to the world, simply because they can't pay.
Emilio Ojeda Cervantes it's the one bad egg that will change that ideal situation in a heartbeat.
blabla62871 and communism has never worked to begin with, so capitalism wins there
+blabla62871 The problem is a lot of people are opposed to the concept of socialism/communism, yet they don't even know what it truly is. The ideology was marred by corrupt leaders, and it has evolved into this 'evil' system. Which it isn't. It just hasn't had an actual chance to prove itself.
Resource Based Economy is the way...
Employee owned businesses.
He looks like a game of thrones character
Didn’t expect to see your comment here lol
He looks like the hound with a haircut.
"Maybe we just need to do a better job sharing the value we're creating, and that leaves more time to be parents." Wish they would have thought of that before my friends and I turned 40! So many of my friends are child-free by choice so they don't have to work that 7th job.
"...and that leaves more time to be whatever we want to be." There. Fixed it for you. Why is the assumption that the only people who need time off are parents? Maybe you shouldn't have had children you don't have time to parent.
Universal Basic Income is a great idea. Nordic countries use this effectively and it works.
On universal basic income: "More complicated in its implementation than most people assume" -- that seems like an understatement.
That complication does not prevent them from taxing us.
Planned obsolescence means people need to keep working because products are designed to break just after the warranty runs out.
Not really, if we repair things instead of throwing them away, that generates a lot more local jobs, will make our ressources last longer and preserve the environment from mining and trash. Fabrication does not employ that many people as it is mostly automated or outsourced. Repair and maintenance cannot be as automated (only diagnostics have become automated with computers in many industries, aeronautics and automotive for example).
You can say Apple it’s okay
It always astonishes me how people think "we have the best system, stop changing it!" when the whole of history is littered with people with that same mindset, who defended everything from theocratic monarchies to authoritarian communism. The harsh truth is that the current economic system is not working - it doesn't improve people's lives, it's not empowering, and most importantly, it requires poverty to exist. So we must change it, and universal basic income is a good step, but definitely not the last step.
Miroslav Asparuhov
Exactly, this system relies on poverty. The rich rely on sapping poor people's money.
Jose Gonzalez Inequality is rising globally which means the rich are consolidating wealth at an accelerating rate; a few people own more wealth than the rest of the world's population etc. www.globalopportunitynetwork.org/report-2017/rising-inequality/
Saiko1Mania
Yess, I'm all about people having the right to be wealthy, or well off, stable. But making billions or multimillions off of the poor is excessive. A person in America can easily live luxuriously comfortable on 500k a year at most. 55million a year is excessive and unnecessary. (Kim Kardashian made 42 million last year. Which is ridiculous) do I believe they earned wealth, yes, but I don't believe that insanely high number of wealth is necessary. If she made 21million, and the other half was sent to WIC for children, it would have provided 700,000 children with healthy food.
Communism/Socialism has failed every single time. Pretty obvious what system doesn't work. Chinese are doing great now. North Koreans and Cuban are still living your Utopian dream.
Because individuals and cultures alike all have the same goals, ideas as you and I.....This is totally going to work the companies are totally so going to go for it... +facepalm+.....All business is evil ...If you watch enough movies and determine that is the standard then i completely agree..
"The rich rely on sapping poor people's money" ..........Yea i hate being forced to buy things in such a nazi like consumer world we live in, i hate when they round us up and march us to their store at gunpoint ...... or how bout they are not good at managing money because a new outfit for the club this weekend is way more fun then just saving that boring old money.
Seriously this a cute attempt when children like yourselves are trying to figure out the real world before you leave your parents nest.
It's good to see the idea of Universal Basic Income become more and more popular. Especially, here at the Big Think as no immediate problems at present require bigger thinking than those economic since the economy touches all else. The speaker made good points. Particularly, that the value workers create can no longer be measured and balanced alone in an hourly wage. However, on the point of UBI, it is by definition universal. There are no means-based tests or other considerations for disqualification. If there are, then it's something else other than UBI. But it's time we have these conversations about work, wealth, and decision-making. Democratic decision-making not just as a matter of politics, but even more so economics or at the places we work.
We collectively create value and we should collectively share in that value. Great sentiment.
When you say no one should live in poverty I agree however I think the goal posts of poverty are always moving.
Many people that are on the brink of poverty live like kings compared to previous generations.
The problem is many people don't know how to prioritise and are very financially insecure.
I feel like the video was a little light on the economics part. I wish I got more out of how redistribution should occur. Ultimately you have to redirect the flow of the distribution of resources but which policies can do that smoothly?
This isn't really a question about individual financing or anyone getting rich.
A note on welfare in america: The TANF program (welfare/cash assistance) is largely defined by each state for their own residents. In California, you have to be participating in Welfare to Work if you are an adult, in order to receive TANF benefits. You can receive it for your children, if you meet other eligibility requirements, if you don't participate, or receive SSI. Going to school can be part of your Welfare to Work plan, during your 24 months with that program (during your 48 total months in which you can receive cash assistance in California). You can instead participate in Welfare to Work activities, or you can send in copies of your paystubs every month to verify hours.
Sources:
CalWORKS MPP/Regulations
I determine applicants' eligibility to cash assistance programs for a living.
Wow. Here we have someone talking about Universal Basic Income and he CLEARLY doesn't have the first clue what a universal basic income is.
Peter, I think he probably knows what it is. I think he's talking about what could be politically possible in America.
UBI is not a defined policy. It is an idea that requires discussion to work out the best method of implementation.
Emilio Cervantes: I agree completely. I read as much as I can find about poverty, lived in it for 20 years as well (I'm talking count out toilet paper squares poor). What I learned is that MOST OF US ARE TAUGHT THE ILLUSION OF SCARCITY. It's designed to scare people & keep them from helping each other. If you can convince each person that there's not enough of anything for everyone, & that every other person is competition, you have control over all of them.
Instead of working harder we need to "share the value of what we're creating"? Can someone explain and give an example?
Meaning like higher taxes on those reaping the rewards so it can be put back into the economy and help the public.
Seems to me the assumption that there are enough resources to sustain everyone is correct. And we've all got ideas about the right system ensure everyone gets basic necessary resources. The problem seems not be the system or the resources; the problem seems to be a character flaw. The problem is that I have plenty while my neighbor has little, but I'm not willing to sacrifice my own good for the good of my neighbor. I want to spend my life breaking that pattern by loving my neighbor as myself, even when those neighbors will squander the resources I share with them. I want to love the squanderers too. I'm fortunate to be part of a group that's committed to the same.
Universal income follows after automation and unlimited energy eliminate scarcity
aducksecho Until you limit population growth, you will never eliminate scarcity, just increase population size as resources increase. That's why the current population of the world is an entire order of magnitude higher than it was before the industrial revolution.
good point but remember that we can use the entire universe for resources with the aid of the two things: automation and unlimited energy
The reason we have more people has more to do with significant advancements in healthcare, and less to do with increase in resources. The least resourceful parts of the world have the most people.
people like you assume that once people get basic income no one would do anything and that''s just stupid
The way game economies function is they separate necessities from marketable items. Being able to play the game is vital, so those items needed to support continued character support are either provided, easily attainable or price controlled. Likewise, being able to make progress in the game is vital, so quest rewards or certifications are guaranteed upon completion of prerequisites.
Meanwhile, luxury items, rare items, limited items and crafting items are often user marketed items subject to inflation and negotiation. The most notable thing about games is that people love playing them and feel like their efforts accomplish something.
This could all be applied to our world.
The fact is that ordinary workers are the real wealth creators. The focus of todays boardrooms is on appropriating more and more of that wealth for investors. So workers and customers are squeezed evermore. This is the road to revolution.
Sad but true… That’s why we created a new system, decentralism, an update to capitalism. Join us! 💪
Universal income intrigues me because it can push people to go back to their passions and contribute to society without worrying for their income or security (how much are basic necessities?). However, universal income seems possible only to the richest but smaller countries. I also believe that it is an idea with a similar weight to legalizing drugs which seems counter intuitive. For example, crime and illegal immigrants will definitely drop with universal income.
Nuanced. Well said. Now, let's start building, measuring and learning, Canada, Finland, India have UBI experiments going on ATM. Ycombinator, meanwhile is funding a study. ;)
I'm amazed at the number of people that expected this guy to give them the perfect answer in under 7 mins. It was a thought provoking piece. It was to make you consider is change possible, would it make my life better, would it make other people's life's better or would it make the world a better place?
The fact is that we are dividing the rich and poor increasingly every year, which is a dangerous situation for balancing economies and keeping businesses in business... they need consumers. We're finding ourselves working harder and being less happy. Is this the world of tomorrow we all wished for??? What are our options ? How do we get there? First port of call is the eliminate poverty, surely we can agree on that. Improve community spirit ... look into Denmark, some of the worlds happiest people and amazing communal living which involves cooking, cleaning and child care routers.
A lot of people in the comment section need to stop being closed minded. Stop waiting for someone to give them all the answers and start looking into what is possible, what's already happening and what can we change.
I think a more significant answer is that America focus on short term big profit as possible, but sometimes it might be wise to take 1 step back if you can take 3 extra step forward in 3-4 years or so...
If we manage to one day have complete peace on earth atleast i think prosperity rate would see no equal, ofc nobody would export death, but thats not such a bad thing...
I guess Americans see value in work but not in workers, they are just another product
As i once read Europeans works to live while American live to work¨
Also America is so stuck on ancestors value, like if a rich businessman die, his sons/daughters get it no matter if they are fit to run it or not, that doesnt encourage talent or anything at all... its pure utter unreasonable... ofc thats not just America but America is certainly a good example
They tried the profit sharing meme in Russia back in 1917, didn't work out too well iirc
His 3 last sentences are gold.
True that! We are implementing a new economic system at Decentria. Come and learn more and join the revolution 💪
This is why I prefer calling it Unconditional Basic Income. Because it's given to everyone, so there's not much need for complex management or bureaucracy. And when someone starts making more money, their tax rate would go up to basically reabsorbs the UBI payment they get, since they wouldn't need it at that point.
I looked up this 'most other counties don't do 40-hour work-weeks' and that doesn't appear true. Seems 40 hours is the norm.
From what I’ve seen, there would be no cutoff for ubi, thus making no valley.
Yeah, this guy doesn't know what a ubi is
Totally agree. We now have a glut of resources that can improve every human life. Not doing so could be not perceiving this possiblity, however more nefariously could be greed keeping the lion's share of wealth at the "top".
A Basic Knowledge of money and the monetary system ought to be considered a modern basic literacy. In other words when discussing Basic Income do the people discussing know what money is? How the current Central Banking system works (or doesn't)? Watch the vid 'Richard Werner prof brilliantly explains' for a look behind the scenes of banking. Also watch Money as Debt and look up the website of Positive Money.
Most of these questions have (more or less) already been answered. Just take a look at Scandinavian countries like Finland. If you are unemployed and looking for work you get this amount of money and otherwise if you fulfill these criteria you get this amount of money and so on. No need to start inventing the wheel from scratch.
Considering the fact that so many jobs will be replaced by automation (30% by 2035 and 50%+ by 2060); we really have no choice but to get ready for a day when we have to implement a basic income.
Watchdog which is EXACTLY why basic income is needed, to keep an innovative economy going.
Your estimates are ludicrously low.
bullshit. automation frees up minds from doing mindless work and offers us the opportunity to do work that is more meaningful. What are you going to do when your kid gets leukemia? As long as there are important problems that remain to be solved, there will be plenty of work to be done.
Idleness is disgraceful.
I'm personally very intrigued by the idea of a UBI and I see the necessity for something like that, but I (like Michael Slaby) am a little wary of its implementation.
Watchdog That's why we need to change our economic sistem.
Brilliant!!! This was extremely inspiring.!!!
Why don't we all just...share the wealth man!
My favorite part is where he said he's not an expert on the subject, because he certainly isn't. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink, buddy.
Great video.
If it weren't for the title I would have never understood him every time he said "Universal basic income." He kept throwing away his words.
A potential solution to the income "valley" would be to taper people off as their income rises. For example, someone who makes $10,000 p/y would receive $10,000 in universal income, and once they start making $20,000 p/y, they receive $9,500 in universal income. A gradation like this would uplift the poor while maintaining the incentive to strive for higher pay.
would be nice if we got someone to talk about universal basic income who knew something about universal basic income.
the first half of this felt like propaganda. A 'global economy' usually includes removing tariffs, moving good paying jobs overseas and creating nike sweatshops and factories with mass outbreaks of suicide.
Any relation to Sandor Clegane?
The main point of making it universal (no matter what a person's income is), is so stigma won't be attached to getting a basic income, which I think is a good idea.
But it will. There will still be lazy people that don't want to work. They will still be considered to be in 'poverty' and be looked at exactly the same way they do now.
It will solve nothing other than devaluing the dollar more than it is and making everyone equally poor.
UBI in exchange for your freedom, your ability to make your own decisions, to live and go where you want/when you want... Sounds fair.
This guy doesn't comprehend the main requirements of a UBI. By definition, it doesn't have cutoffs or requirements. Idk wtf he is talking about. In general ubi is about freedom
Well, who qualifies for universal basic income shouldn't be the question as it's universal right?
Companies have employee stock options. Maybe that needs to become the defacto standard?
Increasing the money supply would cause massive inflation. How would you control that?
One note on UBI, there are no qualifications other than citizenship. If it is treated like some sort of welfare, then it is not universal and severely inflates the backend cost. There is no cutoff.
If a billionaire gets an extra 1k a month, they won't bat an eye as it means nothing to them, but if someone makes 30k a year and they get an extra 1k a month then suddenly they are bumped to 42k a year.
The problem is not the implementation, but instead looking at how to ensure companies and landlords don't jack up prices just because they can squeeze more profit without offering more value.
I would rather have mandatory profit sharing if we had to choose one or the other, but both would be better for the economy and the people.
But adaptability is in the DNA, how can you teach it thru social learning?
more time to be parents! I got a bunch of shit from my boss for being a parent. I was doing 40 hours of work in under 35, due to school, kids, etc,. He laid into me because I was the only person not there 80 hour plus/week. He told me maybe I should work somewhere else since my kid's school schedule is preventing me from being there full time.
Seems reasonable.
Having children is a choice
He has the choice to hire people that can put the hours in for his company.
If you don't want to be picked out as not doing much dont do 30 hours in a place where people do 80+
We are collectively creating the value ,and we should collectively share that value,I belive in that 100%.
I just realized a big potential flaw in UBI. If you run it where every individual regardless of age gets it, this greatly incentuvises having children. Say the individual amount is $10k, a family of four gets 40k a year, a family of 6 gets 60k, and so on. I once saw a news clip of a single mom who had 12 children by 10 different men. She was living in a hotel unemployed but was somehow getting by with all of those children anyway. UBI would pay her $130,000 a year without working for as long as she exerted control over the kids' money.
It is an issue but most plans have it start when you turn 18. Also, that is what the biden child tax credit is. I was worried at first but after discussing it with some of the bills supporters, I am not any more. It has been well researched in Canada.
I'll link it for you if you'd like to check it out
Who is Michael 'Sla?' Could someone please type his full name?
I agree thing need to change but we need to focus on our Technological capabilities and how those abilities effect our world. We can now move pass the need for Monetary Exchange due to Automated and Autonomous Technologies. That would have a farther reaching effects and higher beneficial outcome then a basic income.
This is one of the most intelligent things I have ever heard anyone say on here.
Use some quantitative data to support the idea that this would be feasible. Talking about the way you "feel" on the topic just doesn't cut it. I'm open to ideas but until there is supporting evidence, it's just that, an idea.
Why don't make the employee to invest in stocks?
Profit sharing the corporation give dividens to share holder.
We at Decentria are trying to apply some of the ideas from this video. Join the economic revolution! 💪⚡️
We need a UBI with a cap on wealth. In that way we can shrink the gap between the rich and the poor to something that is better for everyone. We do not have to completely eliminate the gap, just shrink it to something much more sustainable and healthy.
Contrary to popular belief most people prefer working in a already established business environment rather than making one from scratch.
With UBI, won't the prices of everything just increase to adjust to the increased income.
Yes and it will weaken the dollar because remember America governments aren’t sitting on piles of extra gold we are damn near $30T in the hole the moneys getting printed so the poor will struggle 10x more with basic income
The definition of a UBI is that no-one disqualifies for it. Everyone should get it. Everything you earn more is your own responsibility.
Fuck that
UBI just needs to guarantee that no one starves to death or lives in the streets, from there, free education should be a thing, and then if you want anything else you could find a job or something profitable
I just hope that by 20-40 years from now kids look back at this time and get perplexed at the brutal system in which people would die of hunger or lack of housing because they didnt-couldn't work, and even if they did that they could still starve, thats just insane
The issue is what do those who contribute to the UBI of others receive?
If someone works to earn or create more wealth, those who do not, should have some level of appreciation for those that did. The lack of this, is why there is so much envy based politics.
Money represents an amount of work.
If you want to eat, you buy food. That food is grown,harvested and sold in a store.
This all requires work, for which people get paid, however, no one is receiving
the value for their work. If everyone would get what they deserve, we'd all
be working 20 hour per week, no proplems, no unemployment, better health.
Unfortunately, this will never happen. There will allways be people that
have the mayority of wealth, over the backs of hard working people.
From what I understand is that Universal Basic Income is an allowance by the government which the government can and will control always. Who wants to live with an allowance?? So if you are "bad" aka disagree with gov't policies or are politically incorrect, it would be so easy to cut you out of your allowance. Catch my drift anyone?
So how is that any different from your employer deciding not to pay you? If your boss does not pay you and the gov does not intervene you handle it like a gentleman with a stern attitude and a Louisville Slugger.
Money is currently loaned into existence by private banks. Basic income ought be coupled to monetary reform and be spent into existence by the treasury this would incur no debt therefore require no taxes to offset.If private banks can make up money and define it as a debt so can the government make up money and define it as a credit. In the near future people may just find that money ought not be such a big deal as its not real wealth and it is simply numbers used to measure the value of goods and services and fascilitate trade. The current economy is based on a fraud or a many centuries old trick. Perhaps we can grow up let ourselves in on the secret and create a truly modern economy.
The innovative part of a universal basic income (UBI) is the" universal" part. Universal basic income is in essence the inclusion of individual economic viability into the idea of human rights. That is what "Universal" basic income is "essentially about'! As he discusses-without reflection- the second your take away the universal part you are back to gross generalisations about human groups and arguing over values and worthiness. Still it is perhaps not surprising that in the U.S. A. the conversation about UBI is becoming a proxy discussion for finally establishing a workable public welfare system. Out here, in the rest of the developed world, ideas like social welfare, and the public good, have not been so demonised by contamination with over idealised ideas of individual liberty and anxiety fantasies about "government tyranny'. We shouldn't allow the cultural and historically contingent blinkers on American ''thought leaders" to set the tone for a discussion on how societies can deal with the end states of contemporary capitalism. As this little interview demonstrates the U.S. may just be too deep in the 19th century post-Calvinist hole it has dug itself. The needed innovations will come from societies not so ironically enthralled to a myth of liberty that they live in fear of collective action.
Universal just masks the welfare. even if bill gates is getting his 1k a month check he is still paying millions in welfare for services not rendered. So every citizen should pay 1k and every citizens should get 1k so it is fair to everyone.
Basic Income across the world could be excellent, as well, if all prices and values were set the same for all countries, etc. Could save a lot of starving people, and keep most content to have basic needs met, monthly.
"Anybody living in poverty shouldn't be acceptable to us" - we can't reach this goal without changing from a competition-based society to one where we take care of everyone. Just by reading the comments on here it seems like there's a lack of trust amongst ourselves. Some feel it's unfair. Some feel it breeds laziness. We need to transcend past that way of thinking. This kind of separation in beliefs is what has always lead to social unrest in the past....people who believe in one way and others who believe the opposite. The voices for UBI (or some comparable alternative) will rise.
I'm all for a negative income tax. If your annual income in 'full employment' is less than 60%, 70% or 80% of the average person, instead of getting money deducted from your pay check, it gets subsidised. It leaves many of the good aspects of market economies in place while removing many of their flaws.
This is how the collective begins. Don't get lazy out of convenience, true self sufficiency should always be the goal, away from basic income and to split off from civilisation itself into 'communes', the way we are 'supposed' to live by evolution, in small tribes isolated from the rest of human kind. Basic income is a great idea for the time being whilst we figure out how to make and colonise new planets we just have to remember not to get too reliant on the system out of convenience and instead rely on and provide support for immediate community
Just to get things in to perspective.... US numbers. At the moment Around 38% of the population works ( at least 35h/week ). Out of these 18% are in some kind of public service (paid by tax money). 8% work in manufacturing (and here 10% is DoD work). The by far largest sector is the private service sector aprox. 70%. As one can see by this is that the manufacturing base is already very small. Also that unemployment numbers do not really matter, what matters is % of population working (no matter why) to get a "larger picture" of the situation. So automation in the US industrial sector will not change a lot in the near future since it has happened. It does not matter if it is a robot or an Asian doing "your job". The big thing will be transport sector, including both sea and air and lots of mid level "office work". Low level less savings and have happened to some extent. High level, try to cling on and making decisions can do that, people tend to think they are "special" and do not fire themselves. Then of course certain "specialist professions" heard a lot about programs in the medical field diagnosing all kinds of things much better than humans just by being better to analyze large amounts of data and "learning". Surgery probably a big upcoming automation, perfect for that. You seen a smart robot filleting fish?? :)) Would also guess that the financial sector will be hit hard by both AI and block chain. A lot of things are already done better by automation but are not applied yet. Just look at pilots, who needs them?? It is a matter of legal framework and social adjustment/acceptance.
On poverty, not only do we have the wealth, we have the technology, and volunteer enthusiasm to eliminate it. The only thing stopping us is the all powerful ruling class, that see poverty as a valuable intensive to control others to do their bidding.
Basic income is just the end of workfare, which is great, since it's just confiscation of peoples time.
Most work places these days have MAJOR OSHA violations but ...somehow manage to not get in trouble by OSHA... too many jobs put people's lives and or health at risk. This is 2017... it is unacceptable.
Good luck getting businesses to pay they're workers more for less hours.
That sure sounded nice and all...
The capitalist system is based on greed and selfishness as the motivating factors.
The last manufracturing shop I worked for took the bonus we had worked 3 months to earn and told us they had decided to invest it in new machinery for us. Within a month of the machine going on line, I got laid off. That one new machine replaced 3 full-time machine operators with one lower paid tender. So much for working hard and being rewarded.
Perhaps the UBI should work as an entitlement - everyone gets it regardless of income level. Higher income households would have it simply clawed back through progressive taxation. Another possible effect of UBI may be to stimulate entrepreneurship by providing a steady income to new entrepreneurs that removes some of the risk and uncertainty of revenue that currently are a barrier to entry for those who may want to start a new venture.
That's the basic idea. I have know idea what this guy was thinking
I agree 100%. I tell people all the time that you should Not attack people who are homeless, (insulting, harassing or calling the police on them for no good reason), & many horrible people do. But you also shouldn't accept it as just being the way it is. You should only tolerate a problem until you can find an acceptable solution for the problem.
👍😎👍
In order to share profit, you must also share risk. So if an employee get's a share in the profit, they must also have a share in the losses. Otherwise it would not make financial sense. In fact this is why big CEO's make bad decisions that cost companies millions, because they know they will still receive their salaries and a severance packages. This is known as the "agency problem" and it applies to Executives and employees if we are to pursue the avenue of profit sharing. Employees must face the possibility of a loss in a bad year in order to share the profits and gains in a good year. But who is willing to risk their salary like that?
It's very simple. There's enough for everyone's need, but not for everyone's greed. The very rich at the top of the pyramid are so super wealthy, beyond your wildest imagination, that has to end. Period.
he didn't ACTUALLY talk about universal income at all, he mentioned the name and then started talking about a system and it a qualification problems that just do not exist AT ALL in UNIVERSAL income. universal means everyone
I think we also have to take another thing realistically - a lot of people, really most, don't have it in them to be huge innovators but - step on them enough and make their lives miserable and they, understandably so, start degrading the system and behaving nihilitically. That's part of why moralizing success vs. failure isn't a great idea either for our politics or our country's psychological health. We should still encourage the innovative and dedicated by allowing them to be wealthy and have high status but the last thing we want to do is be crushing people who aren't made of that sort of stuff. Either find a way to harness their energy productively and in a way that's rewarding to them and aids their integrity or find a way to leave them alone.
Most people have the opportunity to have a job, take those opportunities, and live meaningful lives. Then there are some who are able to be [successful] entrepreneurs and then make a significant impact on the world, and then there are those who are unwilling to work and will not join the workforce. This is a social construct, not an economic one. The question is: What happens if you have people that have the ability to create value, and choose not to do so?
Michael Slaby, Founder, Timshel (poor vision; have I seen correctly that company name?)
At 1:28, teach flexibility, critical thinking, adaptability
At 3:33: Hourly wages make no sense
At 3:43: a 30-hour work week
At 4:17: a universal basic income
At 6:36: "Anybody living in poverty shouldn't be acceptable to us."
_______________
All these are fundamentally important to us all.
All these are fundamentally important to us all.
the entire reason you don't do the who gets it problem is because it causes a problem you end up spending more on making sure the people you don't want to have it then actually giving the people the money.
The UBI would give people at the bottom more room to negotiate when looking for work, and not be exploited because their basic needs would be taken care of. UNIVERSAL means that everyone gets it regardless of wealth and status. The current welfare system disincentivizes working longer, getting higher pay or studying, which isn't right.
We have grown out of most of these primitive constructs ppl pretty much at the point where there in limbo.
His 'valley' argument applies to current welfare, but explicitly does not apply to UNIVERSAL basic income.
Perhaps, also, the purpose of money itself needs to change. It presently stands in the way of the majority being able to do the productive things they want to do with their lives and for the locales they occupy. Why should it be that people not even residing in a location can use money created through improper banking practices to start poverty-wage branches of business and control people's lives without any emotional capital at stake at all in what happens to the quality of life there?
Is employment at the Will of Either party for public policy purposes or not? We should have no homeless problem in our at-will employment States due to unequal protection of our own at-will employment laws for unemployment compensation. The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.
It's why we would need Heinleinian Stratification. So that residents have this basic level of existence. But citizens would have more options and the only ones with the right to vote.
Most other countries are failing under the current economic system...a call for a right for people to work less hours is likely unhelpful imo
So he wasn't kidding when he said he's not an expert on universal basic income.
Lol ikr
We need to convert all social safety nets into UBI - I personally believe it will help end this cycle of poverty a lot of Americans are suffering from right now. However it still won't change the fact we all need to take responsibility for our own lives.