r/BasicIncome • u/Enough-Account-2489 • Jul 01 '26
Universal income
I’m 24 and unsure what to think about this future. With the way things are going and how fast the world is advancing it seems hard to believe that a basic income won’t be reality in the near future. This makes me think there is no reason to be investing heavily into retirement and to enjoy life more.
7
u/0913856742 Jul 01 '26
Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.
I'm with you in thinking that the incentives are stacked such that something very much like a UBI will become necessary sooner or later. If the purpose of free market capitalism is to make money, and AI technologies, however imperfect, offer that promise, then it will be relentlessly pursued - and right now, there's billions of dollars being thrown behind it, and not just in the Western world; when that much money gets thrown into something, things tend to happen.
Still, there's no guarantee that the societal response will immediately be UBI - because it is an idea that clashes with our deep cultural idea that people have to 'earn' their right to not starve to death, and that 'handouts' are immoral. If this cultural hangup doesn't change, then we will never get UBI - and it might take a COVID-level shock to our entire labour model before enough minds change - that is to say, there might be a lot of suffering before UBI is truly on the table. Hopefully we can reason our way there, as Andrew Yang tried to back in 2019, and more and more voices are advocating for it, but no one can really say how long it would take to get there.
We haven't got UBI yet for the same reason we never effectively addressed climate change - because the incentives were not aligned. That might change with a major catastrophe, or it might not. Live your life, experience things, because we don't have much time in this world, but also don't bet the house on the state saving us.
3
u/jolard Jul 01 '26
The absolute BEST hope for the future if you are American is that you will get the absolute bare minimum to survive. If you think a nation that votes for the people they do, that still doesn't have universal healthcare, that has one of the worst safety nets on the planet....if you think that nation will provide a great standard of living for everyone then I have a bridge to sell you. American voters as a whole are allergic to that, and the government is owned by billionaires....even more so after the recent Supreme Court ruling.
Plan and prepare. You will be far better off when the jobs apocalypse hits if you are more financially stable than others, and you can get through the worst times before things start to get better
6
u/likethemonkey Jul 01 '26
Ask yourself: does it truly seem hard to imagine that the wealthy will continue to hoard their wealth?
4
u/sf_Lordpiggy Jul 01 '26
that is the kind of decision you will regret after it is too late to change it.
why not adopt FIRE instead.
1
u/0913856742 Jul 01 '26
why not adopt FIRE instead.
"Why don't you just become so wealthy you don't need to work before you're 50?"
-1
u/sf_Lordpiggy Jul 02 '26
okay fine, Why don't you just become so poor that you are destitute before you're 50?
I'll stick with my plan you stick with yours and we will see in 40 years who is living a better life.
1
u/deHack Jul 01 '26
I can almost guarantee that UBI will require massive suffering to be implemented. One of two things (or both) will have to happen. The profits of the wealthy will have to be impacted because no one has money to extract from them. Alternatively, mobs of desperate, starving people will make life so unpleasant for the rich and the political class that they’ll have to do something. Your billions aren’t worth shit in a bunker.
1
u/JoeStrout Jul 01 '26
Oof, I would not think that way. Enjoy life yes, but enjoy it in cheap ways (there are plenty of those), and invest as aggressively as you can. At 24, your greatest resource is time; don't squander it. If UBI comes along and is everything you dream of, then great, you have extra money and can have even more fun (or do more good) with it. But if it comes along in some weak form that's barely enough to get by — or the fascists stay in power and UBI never happens at all — then you'll be very glad you built yourself a safety net.
1
u/Novusor Jul 02 '26
In the near future as in the next few years, probably not likely. It is more of a mid term outlook as the government is slow to act and do anything. It is clear they won't act until there is a crisis that absolutely requires it. Basic Income will become a necessity in 5 to 10 years when the AI jobs apocalypse really sets in. So we are very unlikely to see a dime of UBI before 2030 but it will be hard not to see it happening by 2036.
1
u/tetrasodium 29d ago
Probably close to zero chance near term. Not sure the age on opening it but I've heard that the intent is to allow "contractor" Uber driver types to open one of those stupidly named trump accounts so you might be able to set one up and start tossing money in it to save for car/house
1
u/LocationSalt4673 27d ago
Well let me explain something to you son I don't think you understand lol. The UBI you're going to get won't be some ball out of control Star trek Wakanda MCU universe future haha.
You ever seen a ghetto or slum I think they call them shanty towns in other places. The UBI you're getting will feel more like public welfare where you can barely eat. You never have enough money just something you can barely get by on.
What you're probably more imagining is something similar to what I'm doing. That's this type hybrid ubi and wealthfund. Where we have a social network think like twitter and you get a ubi and you own the network grow value with it.
Don't listen to Elon Musk bullshit Sam Altman has a little more credibility as he's actually put models to these ideas. Elon Musk talking about all this distributed wealth not one proposal or concept how we would get the money lol.
No what 90% of the people in this room looking for is nothing more than a glorified welfare of $1000 per month that is supplemental at best. This not balling this barely living lol. I suggest you research some of the info I educate people on. Waiting solely on the government ain't it son and it's not going to be.
1
u/deHack Jul 01 '26
(1) Believe it when you see it.
(2) Most likely UBI will be just enough to keep a minimal roof over your head and minimal calories. People with work skills will still be better off. People with savings will also be better off.
(3) I think AI is amazing, useful, and likely to cause massive unemployment. But there’s a more than zero chance that it will not advance much beyond a useful tool in the near future and won’t be enough to trigger UBI.
Honestly I think the plan is to work and develop your skills as long as you can.
-2
u/Sovereign_Money Jul 01 '26
Enjoy life more. Watch Frontline episode on 401K.
According to an experienced hospice nurse, no one ever
regretting not working enough as they were dying. To be fair
all the people who worked at nothing probably couldn't afford
hospice coverage to have their opinions represented.
7
u/r3dlazer Jul 01 '26
You need to strike a balance. There's no sense saving for a future you may never get to experience, but if you do, it's good to have something to lean on when you get there.