I upvoted for the detailed reply, but I disagree with one of your premises: I think Americans are willing to give up specific jobs like coal, they're just not w

I upvoted for the detailed reply, but I disagree with one of your premises: I think Americans are willing to give up specific jobs like coal, they're just not willing to shift in to entirely service and "whitecollar" based jobs. The struggle comes from poor communication about why. That vision is a failure of a dream pushed primarily from urban centers, simply trying to replicate themselves in more of the country rather than take a more holistic view of the economy and regional needs. I personally don't agree with it, and think that "bluecollar" work is vital to economies. What troubles me is that proponents of UBI (such as yourself) conflate UBI with the end of "bluecollar" work, when the two aren't related. You're arguing, in essence, that UBI need to be part of a whole package of social change, or not happen at all. I agree we need to compromise: detach the notion of UBI from the death of "bluecollar" work! UBI is an enabler of the "bluecollar" work those people want -- not its enemy! Why are you surprised people reject UBI when you tacitly assume it destroys rather than enables their goals? That's the root of my frustration with you conflating the issues: you're projecting the failure of the messaging with some kind of fundamentalist intransigence, then throwing your hands up and going "well screw the whole thing!"