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Re:McKinsey to pay $573M to settle claims over opioid crisis... by TeMPOraL on Thursday February 04, 2021 @05:21PM (#26030477)
> If they had a basic UBI of, say, $20k, would they quit their job, and not look for work, not work on personal projects, not look to go back to school, nothing, just do what they are assuming others will do, sit around, watch TV, that sort of thing? Rather than keep striving, keep working, and have both an extra $20k being paid to them currently, and that safety net in place in case they lose their job?

Depends on person and their situation.

Would I quit my job and go on UBI if I could?

Me before marriage and a kid: in my line of work and with my hobbies, sure! I'll fulfill my need of doing crazy hobby projects and after few years of doing just that (and social life) I'd probably get bored and get back to work somewhere. Or spin one of my projects into a business. Or start contracting half-time to have some more spending money.

Me now: I'd probably cut down work a bit, but I can use the extra cash to ensure good conditions and financial safety for my kid.

Me if I worked in just about any other field: fuck no, not if I knew the benefits would end. Software industry is special (and still will be for at least a couple of years) - a programmer with decent skills can just find a job or start a company. For every other field, the many years long gap in your CV will scream "not good worker material". Keeping the working history continuous is something on the minds of majority of westerners; failing to do that is likely to result in being hireable only for jobs not much better than the UBI.

Re:McKinsey to pay $573M to settle claims over opioid crisis... by malandrew on Thursday February 04, 2021 @10:20PM (#26032683)
There's also nothing stopping people from accumulating all the things they need for a pleasant life of leisure and hobbies and then once they achieve that deciding to freeload off UBI and enjoy those hobbies. I'm less than a decade out from having most of the physical belongings I need for the myriad hobbies I enjoy. Once I get there free time plus 20k a year will be more valuable than being a contributing member of society. This is basically the basis of the entire "dirtbag" lifestyle that many partake in. I've known many dirtbaggers in my life.

The entire idea behind FIRE is achieving a passive income that you earn by being a productive member of society versus UBI giving you for free with no obligation to contribute to society.

Re:McKinsey to pay $573M to settle claims over opioid crisis... by bumby on Friday February 05, 2021 @07:28AM (#26035578)
>There's also nothing stopping people from accumulating all the things they need for a pleasant life of leisure

I think it’s a stretch to say this is available to most. To say it’s available to anyone doesn’t acknowledge the poor circumstances many are born into simply by chance. While still technically true, the possibility is vanishingly small for many. Policy should be based on what’s best for the general welfare and not a smallish subset

Re:McKinsey to pay $573M to settle claims over opioid crisis... by account42 on Friday February 05, 2021 @05:16AM (#26034781)
Many hobbies produce things that are immensely valuable to society.
Re:McKinsey to pay $573M to settle claims over opioid crisis... by bumby on Friday February 05, 2021 @07:34AM (#26035630)
I’ve noticed people sometimes confuse what is valuable to the economy with what is valuable to society. We should defer towards the latter when they are in conflict