Re:Can Universal Basic Income Transform Society?
by olalonde on Wednesday July 17, 2024 @09:04AM
(#40985449)
The problem is getting political support for it. I'd be in favor of if it could be done without increasing government spending (aka by massively reducing/eliminating other government programs). Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to resonate well with progressive voters.
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Re:Can Universal Basic Income Transform Society?
by RegnisGnaw on Wednesday July 17, 2024 @09:14AM
(#40985552)
It can't be done without massively increasing government spending, the numbers doesn't even add up.
Re:Can Universal Basic Income Transform Society?
by olalonde on Wednesday July 17, 2024 @09:29AM
(#40985713)
If you're thinking of a UBI that allows people to live a comfortable life without working, yeah that doesn't seem possible. But if you're thinking of a UBI that prevents homelessness and hunger, it seems possible.
Let's say we set the bare minimum at 1000$ per month.
That gives us 1000$ * 260,000,000 adults * 12 months ~= 3 trillion$ per year. That's around half of the federal government spending for 2023. I know 1000$ doesn't seem like a lot but if you live in a low density area with roommate(s) and eat a lot of rice[0], it's do-able. Of course, living in a costly area wouldn't be possible for people who solely survive on UBI. The UBI could even be upped to 1,500$ and still leave government with 1.5 trillion to spend.
[0] https://efficiencyiseverything.com/calorie-per-dollar-list/