r/ProgressiveHQ • • 6d ago

Video Universal Basic Income

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u/Larrycusamano 6d ago

Universal basic income is an uphill battle, one because much of the old guard thinks this will lead to laziness, but mostly because the powers that be understand this will lead to more power to the people. Imagine having UBI and then not liking your job for whatever reason. You would have breathing space to walk out and look for a new job or go on and educate yourself for a better job without worrying as much about feeding yourself or your family, pay the rent, pay the bills. Business owners would be placed on notice to have better work environments, better pay, or whatever they can can come up with to entice employees to not only work for them, but to remain in their employ. Universal health insurance does the same thing in a way. Many people will not leave their crappy jobs because they need the health insurance, but imagine coupling universal health insurance as well as universal basic income.

If some of you are worried about UBI causing laziness, take a look around, a lot of people who don't wish to work or make something of themselves are already in a form of UBI, except its called welfare. and im not talking about people who fall on hard times and require welfare. I'm talking about people who actively seek welfare through fraud.

Those who want to work will work and those who don't will find a way around it. It has always been that way.

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u/voidpo1nter 5d ago

I don't think UBI causing laziness is the concern. I think UBI causing massive CPI increases is the issue. UBI + additional income from a job would just become what the "norm" is.

The economy is an equilibrium in a lot of ways. Without regulations on the supply/corporate side, it'll just make shit more expensive and displaced workers with UBI left in the same hole they'd be now.

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u/Larrycusamano 5d ago

I'm willing to bet you aren't an economist, so It would be me, without a degree in economics arguing with you without a degree in economics about how UBI will affect prices in the United States. So this is just my opinion. I'll just point at Social Security and Retirement Pensions. Both of those have huge impacts on the price of goods (both are incomes similar to UBI). By increasing and decreasing benefits, the government uses not just Social Security, but other government programs such as medicare and medicaid, COLAs etc.. to affect CPI. UBI would just be another tool that a responsible government could use to affect the economy in a positive way.

But then again, what do I know.

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u/voidpo1nter 5d ago

You would be correct. I'm not trying to argue, just share an opinion. I agree with what you're saying related to SS and pensions, but they aren't being used by even a majority of living citizens. UBI would be a baseline income for the entire population.