5 ms·

Frickin' everyone would. If someone offered you 30k/year basic income would you quit your cushy programming job, or would you buy more stuff?

• rglullis 13y ago
  I don't know if that was your intention, but your comment smacks of a defense of consumerism. I may be against the idea of basic income exactly because it would allow people to feed a system that does not but expect them to be consumers of whatever crap society produces. Also, see http://thelastpsychiatrist.com/2012/11/hipsters_on_food_stamps.html http://thelastpsychiatrist.com/2012/11/hipsters_on_food_stam...
  • kijin 13y ago
    Some would say that basic income helps defeat consumerism, because people who really want to spend their time creating stuff can now do so without having to worry about putting food on the table.
    • rglullis 13y ago
      Have you seen the comment I was replying to? I don't feel like discussing what "some people" would say when you have someone right in front of me showing that even hackers (the one class that has everything in their hands to build whatever they want for free!) are inclined to think that having more money means "hellz yeah, now I can buy more stuff!".
• randomdata 13y ago
  Given that programmer incomes tend to be towards the rich end of the spectrum (an average programmer income puts you around the top 5% in North America), and the money has to come from somewhere, your income is unlikely to go up, and will quite possibly go down after taxes. That's fine if you support the greater good, but buying more things seems highly unlikely.
• xavi 13y ago
  Frickin' everyone? I look at the evolution of unemployment rates ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Unemployment_rate_United_states_-_Europe_1993-2009.svg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Unemployment_rate_United_s... ) and I see a clear trend that I think is not going to change. Besides, among the employed, I'm quite sure that an important percentage of people don't like their jobs. And, to answer your question, I would probably quit a "cushy" programming job to pursue my projects and interests.
  • malyk 13y ago
    Isn't that exactly what proponents of basic income hope will happen? People will be free from the shackles of employment and will be free to pursue their own ideas and interests?
    • xavi 13y ago
      Yes, it seems so. However, my argument is not that basic income would not have desirable consequences, but that I think it's not sustainable. I try to look at the whole system, and I don't see how it would work.
    • consz 13y ago
      That doesn't explain how it would help alleviate the tax burden. I would also quit my job if I had a basic income, but my own ideas/interests would not generate me any money so I would definitely go from someone supporting the system (financially) to someone mooching off of it.
• vellum 13y ago
  It's not everybody. 70% of American workers don't like their jobs. 52% have "checked out." The other 18% are actively trying to dick over the company. http://www.geekwire.com/2013/study-70-americans-jobs/ http://www.geekwire.com/2013/study-70-americans-jobs/