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> we put everyone to work > Work, but work less (adjust according to demand as needed, adjust compensation as necessary). "Hey Kek you are a programmer right?

> we put everyone to work > Work, but work less (adjust according to demand as needed, adjust compensation as necessary). "Hey Kek you are a programmer right?" "I am indeed" "We need you to work 80 hour weeks because we don't have many programmers, don't worry though we will give you another half ration to make up for it" "No, i'm only going to work 20 hours like the street cleaners" What does this fictional UBI government do then? Put a gun to my head and force me to work seems to be the most common solution to this problem historically. The problem is all human work can't be divided evenly among all humans, we need doctors more than we need fast food workers thus doctors typically work longer hours. For the system to be "fair" we can't pay doctors all that much more than fast food workers, maybe 10% - 15% or even 100% more but not the 1000% more they see currently. What if doctors decide that isn't enough and all become fast food workers instead? What do we do then? That is the problem UBI and Communism has yet to solve.

platz 9y ago
I didn't say anything about everyone getting the _same_ rate of pay, or that is it managed by a central planning government. please do not put words in my mouth
ared38 9y ago
UBI has an incredibly simple solution (that you already quoted): The programmer gets paid way way more than the basic income, because she also has a real job (vs a government subsidized basic job). If her current employer is demanding 80-hour weeks, she's free to quit and find another. Unless you're imagining a post-scarcity utopia, UBI isn't supposed to provide anything close to a luxurious life. For example, GiveDirectly has been experimenting with giving just enough money for food in Kenya. A first implementation in the US might be even less (relatively speaking), perhaps enough to make a minimum wage job livable. Practically speaking Communist countries also incentivize important work. Do you really think the NK scientists working on their missile just get "another half ration" more than farm workers?
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platz 9y ago

I didn't say anything about everyone getting the _same_ rate of pay, or that is it managed by a central planning government. please do not put words in my mouth

ared38 9y ago

UBI has an incredibly simple solution (that you already quoted): The programmer gets paid way way more than the basic income, because she also has a real job (vs a government subsidized basic job). If her current employer is demanding 80-hour weeks, she's free to quit and find another. Unless you're imagining a post-scarcity utopia, UBI isn't supposed to provide anything close to a luxurious life. For example, GiveDirectly has been experimenting with giving just enough money for food in Kenya. A first implementation in the US might be even less (relatively speaking), perhaps enough to make a minimum wage job livable. Practically speaking Communist countries also incentivize important work. Do you really think the NK scientists working on their missile just get "another half ration" more than farm workers?

deleted 9y ago
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