4 ms·

> Where does this "trust fund" come from? It doesn't just magically appear. I agree completely. People work more than they currently need to because they don't

> Where does this "trust fund" come from? It doesn't just magically appear. I agree completely. People work more than they currently need to because they don't have a trust fund. I'm not arguing that we should give everybody their personal trust fund, I'm explaining why people work and try to save up money even though they don't need those savings in the next 10 minutes.

pdonis 6y ago
> I agree completely. No, you don't. See below. > People work more than they currently need to because they don't have a trust fund. No, people work more than they currently need to because they are exercising prudence, common sense, and planning for the future. Which every adult human being is supposed to take responsibility for doing for themselves, and not expect a "trust fund" to magically take care of for them. You're arguing that if people had a "trust fund", they wouldn't need to plan and save for the future. But no such "trust fund" can exist in the first place unless some people are exercising prudence, common sense, and planning for the future. You can't get rid of uncertainty about the future or the need to plan and allow for it. So, again, you are saying that the people who are going to take responsibility for planning and allowing for that uncertainty are going to be punished by having the fruits of their planning be taken from them to provide a "trust fund" to people who didn't bother to plan and allow for uncertainty. In other words, you disagree with me completely. I think I should plan for my future, and you should plan for yours. You think I should plan for both our futures, and then you should get to just take resources from me when you need them in the future since it's a "trust fund".
- thisiszilff 6y ago
  UBI feels like a way of addressing the incoming loss of jobs due to automation. > No, people work more than they currently need to because they are exercising prudence, common sense, and planning for the future. Which every adult human being is supposed to take responsibility for doing for themselves, and not expect a "trust fund" to magically take care of for them. It may not be materially possible for everyone to actually do this within our current economic organization in light of automation. People that benefit from UBI may very well be responsible and organized. We can twist this a little and say that the responsible and organized thing is to plan for automation, to develop skills that make sure you aren't put out of work, etc. Personally I find that position logically valid, but I ideally would push for UBI while also making sure I have a good chance for not needing it. A cynical take is that UBI is just enough to ensure the masses of unemployed would be complacent enough to not riot.
  - pdonis 6y ago
    > UBI feels like a way of addressing the incoming loss of jobs due to automation. A better way of doing that would be to allow automation to make the necessities of life drastically cheaper, so that the amount of work required to obtain them is drastically reduced. In the limit, if automation can produce all the necessities of life for everyone at essentially zero cost, then those necessities should simply be free, the way air is free now.

pdonis 6y ago

> I agree completely. No, you don't. See below. > People work more than they currently need to because they don't have a trust fund. No, people work more than they currently need to because they are exercising prudence, common sense, and planning for the future. Which every adult human being is supposed to take responsibility for doing for themselves, and not expect a "trust fund" to magically take care of for them. You're arguing that if people had a "trust fund", they wouldn't need to plan and save for the future. But no such "trust fund" can exist in the first place unless some people are exercising prudence, common sense, and planning for the future. You can't get rid of uncertainty about the future or the need to plan and allow for it. So, again, you are saying that the people who are going to take responsibility for planning and allowing for that uncertainty are going to be punished by having the fruits of their planning be taken from them to provide a "trust fund" to people who didn't bother to plan and allow for uncertainty. In other words, you disagree with me completely. I think I should plan for my future, and you should plan for yours. You think I should plan for both our futures, and then you should get to just take resources from me when you need them in the future since it's a "trust fund".

thisiszilff 6y ago
UBI feels like a way of addressing the incoming loss of jobs due to automation. > No, people work more than they currently need to because they are exercising prudence, common sense, and planning for the future. Which every adult human being is supposed to take responsibility for doing for themselves, and not expect a "trust fund" to magically take care of for them. It may not be materially possible for everyone to actually do this within our current economic organization in light of automation. People that benefit from UBI may very well be responsible and organized. We can twist this a little and say that the responsible and organized thing is to plan for automation, to develop skills that make sure you aren't put out of work, etc. Personally I find that position logically valid, but I ideally would push for UBI while also making sure I have a good chance for not needing it. A cynical take is that UBI is just enough to ensure the masses of unemployed would be complacent enough to not riot.
- pdonis 6y ago
  > UBI feels like a way of addressing the incoming loss of jobs due to automation. A better way of doing that would be to allow automation to make the necessities of life drastically cheaper, so that the amount of work required to obtain them is drastically reduced. In the limit, if automation can produce all the necessities of life for everyone at essentially zero cost, then those necessities should simply be free, the way air is free now.