> The problem with basic income is that people need purpose, not charity. This is based entirely on the assumption that work=purpose, which I think is bogus.

> The problem with basic income is that people need purpose, not charity. This is based entirely on the assumption that work=purpose, which I think is bogus. > Look at the success of programs in Africa that give people the ability to make a living... For many, perhaps most of the poor, simply BEING poor inhibits them from being able to make a decent living. Jobs may not be available, the means to get to a job reliably may not be available, the physical/mental health to sustain a job may not be present and the resources to be treated and rehabilitated are obviously not there. In effect, the hypothesis is that in a highly developed economy, handing out cash might be the equivalent of "teach to fish" for, say, rural Africa. And even then, at least one study showed that basic income guarantee did amazing things for an african village, increasing education and entrepreneurship (sorry - don't have the link handy, maybe someone else can point to it). > suffer mostly from hopelessness On a final note, be careful here... if I have cancer, and I can't do anything, do I suffer mostly from hopelessness or do I suffer from cancer? Hopelessness is a symptom of people suffering from poverty.