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These numbers don't mean much on their own. Sure, if you live with mom and pop and you got laid off from a job and had a place to fall back onto, yippee If yo

These numbers don't mean much on their own. Sure, if you live with mom and pop and you got laid off from a job and had a place to fall back onto, yippee If you live in pretty much any major city and you're the breadwinner then it doesn't cover rent/mortgage. We froze foreclosures, so there are estimated millions pending. Unemployment is still in pre-pandemic numbers - all though improving. I think our reliance on "job" to live is problematic when a virus doesn't care about the societal ramifications of a job. I think we should talk more broader UBI programs and talk about what countries did that worked... do a huge retrospective and make things better for the future.

maxerickson 6y ago
I don't think we need a UBI that makes it easy to live in a city where ~$3000 month ($2400 + normal unemployment) won't cover expenses including housing.
- supernovae 6y ago
  2400 a month is rent here in Austin - and not even expensive rent. Without income, those rentals will foreclose/be evicted. Are you saying future pandemic responses should imply much of society simply deserves to be destitute?
  - maxerickson 6y ago
    Unable to afford $2400 month housing in an expensive city isn't the same thing as destitute. There's houses available in much of the country for $100,000 or less. I'm fine arguing that people can have the option to struggle paying high rent or move, we don't need to pay the high rent just because they prefer the place.
    - HappySweeney 6y ago
      Those houses are $100k or less because the only jobs nearby don't pay enough to buy something more expensive.
      - maxerickson 6y ago
        What does that matter if the house is in good condition and has a sensible amount of room for a family?
  - JohnCohorn 6y ago
    > 2400 a month is rent here in Austin Just no, not unless you live in a luxury dwelling or location. Here’s an example place I used to live long ago. Centrally located, next to the major highways, and not unsafe. It’s old and not fancy, but under $1000 and your living expenses can be much lower than that with a roommate. https://www.livechevychase.com/floorplans https://www.livechevychase.com/floorplans
    - supernovae 5y ago
      Dude, I have a wife and 2 kids and my house is small and yes, it would cost 2400 a month to rent it, luckily i bought it before it tripled in value... i wouldn't buy it for 500k today... (also, every single room but an efficiency is sold out and there is no pricing on their 3 bedrooms)
jandrewrogers 6y ago
In Seattle, I know people who received the equivalent of $75k/year on unemployment from various government sources. That exceeds the median household income in the State, never mind individual income. This is on top of, in some cases, a generous severance. That easily covered their mortgage and their lifestyle, even in this expensive city, and was in no way sustainable. They had no interest in looking for work while they were receiving those benefits, but now that the benefits are disappearing they've started looking for work again.
- macintux 6y ago
  Conversely I know a young couple in Indiana who have no idea how they’re going to feed themselves each week. There are always examples of abuse to point to, but for many people the safety net is a wet paper bag at best.
  - jandrewrogers 6y ago
    There was no implication of abuse intended in what I wrote. The intent was temper the notion that everyone receiving unemployment benefits is on the brink of poverty. The reality varies widely. The topic requires more nuance.
deleted 6y ago
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maxerickson 6y ago

I don't think we need a UBI that makes it easy to live in a city where ~$3000 month ($2400 + normal unemployment) won't cover expenses including housing.

supernovae 6y ago
2400 a month is rent here in Austin - and not even expensive rent. Without income, those rentals will foreclose/be evicted. Are you saying future pandemic responses should imply much of society simply deserves to be destitute?
- maxerickson 6y ago
  Unable to afford $2400 month housing in an expensive city isn't the same thing as destitute. There's houses available in much of the country for $100,000 or less. I'm fine arguing that people can have the option to struggle paying high rent or move, we don't need to pay the high rent just because they prefer the place.
  - HappySweeney 6y ago
    Those houses are $100k or less because the only jobs nearby don't pay enough to buy something more expensive.
    - maxerickson 6y ago
      What does that matter if the house is in good condition and has a sensible amount of room for a family?
- JohnCohorn 6y ago
  > 2400 a month is rent here in Austin Just no, not unless you live in a luxury dwelling or location. Here’s an example place I used to live long ago. Centrally located, next to the major highways, and not unsafe. It’s old and not fancy, but under $1000 and your living expenses can be much lower than that with a roommate. https://www.livechevychase.com/floorplans https://www.livechevychase.com/floorplans
  - supernovae 5y ago
    Dude, I have a wife and 2 kids and my house is small and yes, it would cost 2400 a month to rent it, luckily i bought it before it tripled in value... i wouldn't buy it for 500k today... (also, every single room but an efficiency is sold out and there is no pricing on their 3 bedrooms)

jandrewrogers 6y ago

In Seattle, I know people who received the equivalent of $75k/year on unemployment from various government sources. That exceeds the median household income in the State, never mind individual income. This is on top of, in some cases, a generous severance. That easily covered their mortgage and their lifestyle, even in this expensive city, and was in no way sustainable. They had no interest in looking for work while they were receiving those benefits, but now that the benefits are disappearing they've started looking for work again.

macintux 6y ago
Conversely I know a young couple in Indiana who have no idea how they’re going to feed themselves each week. There are always examples of abuse to point to, but for many people the safety net is a wet paper bag at best.
- jandrewrogers 6y ago
  There was no implication of abuse intended in what I wrote. The intent was temper the notion that everyone receiving unemployment benefits is on the brink of poverty. The reality varies widely. The topic requires more nuance.

deleted 6y ago

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