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Any time such a huge change is introduced into a complex system, it is extremely hard to see all the unintended consequences. I like the idea of UBI, too. Tak

• hanniabu 7y ago
  Doing nothing may cause an even worse situation.
  • vorpalhex 7y ago
    The human race has existed a long time without UBI.
    • brillas 7y ago
      just as it existed for centuries, millenia, without penicillin and without quinine. This isn’t an argument; a history of subsistence doesn’t mean we can’t think of ways to make it all better.
      • StreamBright 7y ago
        What is the downside of penicillin for the p50 user?
    • hanniabu 7y ago
      That's not relevant. The stance of UBI is centered mainly on automation with a side benefit of being able to afford risks and improving quality of life.
  • ThrowawayR2 7y ago
    > "Doing nothing may cause an even worse situation." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politician%27s_syllogism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politician%27s_syllogism Even if it were proven that doing nothing were guaranteed to cause a worse situation, which it isn't, of the myriad of things that could be done, there is no compelling evidence that UBI is the right thing to do.
• gwd 7y ago
  > Any time such a huge change is introduced into a complex system, it is extremely hard to see all the unintended consequences. I like the idea of UBI, too. Taking that leap worries me, though, we might be in for a worse time because of it. I definitely think we need to allow time for people's thinking to change, as well as to allow existing systems to adapt, and to respond to new issues as they come up. A brief look at Mao's Great Leap Forward should make anyone really cautious about making such sweeping changes immediately. I think ideally what would happen is that there would be a planned gradation, where several things would slowly move from where they are now to the targets in sync, maybe changing every year. First year, UBI is $100 / month, minimum page is cut by about $0.75, taxes are adjusted accordingly. Second year, UBI is $200 / month, minimum wage cut again, and so on until UBI is the target "subsitence" value, where you can afford food and a roof over your head without working at all. At that point, minimum wage is done away with entirely. The thing is, it will take time for people to re-adjust their expectations for how much a job is worth. If all my basic needs are taken care of by UBI, then maybe $1-2/hr is all I need to have a bit of extra spending money.
• keiferski 7y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Chesterton%27s_fence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Chesterton%27s_fence
• coffeefirst 7y ago
  Right. This is also the argument for Earned Income Taxes, which is a cash mechanism without the social or political baggage.
• rustybelt 7y ago
  Technology is already introducing huge changes. We take huge leaps all the time without much of an ability to say yes or no.
• skybrian 7y ago
  The good thing is that it's very scalable. Maybe start at lower levels and see what happens? Ideally we would see more and larger randomized controlled trials, too, but that tends to strike people as unfair.