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In before anybody mentions "universal basic income", I want to remind that it was exactly the major selling point of Communism: machines will raise productivity
by atemerev 9y ago
In before anybody mentions "universal basic income", I want to remind that it was exactly the major selling point of Communism: machines will raise productivity to such levels that nobody will even need money, as material products will be plentiful for everyone.
This grand vision was unsustainable and led to millions of deaths.
Universal basic income is no less unsustainable (even government retirement and pension funds, which require much less money, are struggling everywhere). I really can hope that this false promise will not lead to similar catastrophes.
- daptaq 9y agoUBI was never a "selling point" for Communism (except if you have a very vulgar concept of Communism), quite the opposite it's what sustains Capitalism beyond the point it should have already had died off.
- atemerev 9y agoReally? I am Russian, I went to a Soviet school, and I am quite aware what was and what wasn't a selling point for Communism. It was -- down to being mentioned in every socialist realism book, in nearly every major TV report, even as a running joke. There was a line in a popular Soviet movie: "no more worries, no more rat race, robots are toiling, man is happy" -- and this line was taken at a face value, as a defining feature of the future Communist utopia we were all building.
- RealityNow 9y agoCentral planning dictatorships an universal basic income are totally different. There's no reason that UBI can't be sustainable. And last time I checked, retirees are still receiving their social security checks.