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The point of basic income is to provide a baseline level of stability. There are many things that lead to poverty, but it is the inherent instability that traps
by kstenerud 11y ago
The point of basic income is to provide a baseline level of stability. There are many things that lead to poverty, but it is the inherent instability that traps people there.
When there is a monthly stipend that someone knows they can rely on no matter what happens (getting sick, losing their job, family emergency), they are suddenly capable of thinking beyond immediate needs.
Many people caught in the poverty trap know full well that they're making short term decisions that will do more harm than good in the long run, but often the better decision is beyond your means, either financially, or time-wise (because you're working 3 jobs and still falling behind on your bills and coming home completely drained and exhausted).
- thedevil 11y agoI wonder, do you know about countries that have done serious experiments with basic income? It seems interesting although risky.
- dllthomas 11y agoThere have been a number of experiments with basic income and similar things (I am typing this from a phone, or I would dig up links), but nothing at a national scale anywhere. I would guess the Alaska Permanent Fund dividend among the closest things currently running, though of course it's not nearly as high as BI proponents would want.