Re:Universal Basic Income is Capitalism 2.0
by lmm on Friday July 31, 2020 @09:56AM
(#24008593)
> also because there is a fixed amount of land (like literally the surface of the earth occupies a finite area at least on human time scales)
Not really. If the Earth's surface was populated at the same density as, say, Paris, that would be over 3 trillion people.
> and because building housing stock takes time
Not a whole lot of time actually with modern techniques. See the speed at which some of the Corona hospitals were built.
> and because of zoning restrictions and other institutional constraints
Which only apply to existing cities.
Right now there are houses in the middle of Iowa - or even Detroit - that cost a small fraction of what a house in a city with good job prospects costs. If UBI became a thing, people would be able to move to those places. Not everyone would want to, but some would, and that would be enough to move the prices.
Not really. If the Earth's surface was populated at the same density as, say, Paris, that would be over 3 trillion people.
> and because building housing stock takes time
Not a whole lot of time actually with modern techniques. See the speed at which some of the Corona hospitals were built.
> and because of zoning restrictions and other institutional constraints
Which only apply to existing cities.
Right now there are houses in the middle of Iowa - or even Detroit - that cost a small fraction of what a house in a city with good job prospects costs. If UBI became a thing, people would be able to move to those places. Not everyone would want to, but some would, and that would be enough to move the prices.