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> simply from cost of goods dropping so low that buying the basics to live will be so cheap that you don't need much money to begin with Basic income gives you
by Mediterraneo10 7y ago
> simply from cost of goods dropping so low that buying the basics to live will be so cheap that you don't need much money to begin with
Basic income gives you not just money, but time. If you receive basic income, you can work less. If people live in a culture where everyone must remain in full-time employment until age 65+ and the vacation time they are allotted is meagre (e.g. the North American situation), then it is cold comfort if the money they make allows them to buy basics for more cheaply.
Secondly, while the basics of food or clothing have become cheaper in developed countries (though often only if you are comfortable sacrificing some quality of the product), housing prices are soaring. While a basic income, too, would have a problematic interaction with housing prices, housing costs would remain an issue even in the alternative future you posit.