I'm curious to know what your take is on a basic income for all US citizens versus our current 'conditional' welfare system. What do you think short term and long term outcome would be? Would the increased tax burden on the upper classes result in a total collapse rendering a basic income useless? My personal opinion is that it is necessary given the increasing rate of job automation coupled with our increasing population size (not to mention aging). Am I delusional? If so, why?
My personal opinion is that it is necessary given the increasing rate of job automation coupled with our increasing population size. Am I delusional? If so, why?
You might not be delusional, but in order to prove that it is necessary, you should at least take into consideration the fact that automation has been increasing for over a century, as well as population, and yet unemployment has remained relatively constant (ie, within a range unrelated to the amount of automation or population growth).
If your hypothesis doesn't deal with those two facts, then it's in the realm of fantasy, not reality.
Good points. However, both the population increase as well as the increase in automation is happening at an exponential rate, not linear as I infer (perhaps incorrectly) your statement to be.
This would also address more than solely unemployment though. It could lead to the abolishment of the minimum wage, which expecting people to live on is sort of a joke anyhow. It could provide a means for a single mother to actually be around enough to raise her kid(s) which has all sorts of positive societal benefit
However, both the population increase as well as the increase in automation is happening at an exponential rate
It has been growing exponentially for a long time. There's been no correlation between either population growth and unemployment, or automation and unemployment. If your hypothesis is correct, then you need to explain the lack of correlation.
It could lead to the abolishment of the minimum wage, which expecting people to live on is sort of a joke anyhow.
Almost no one lives on minimum wage. Look up the demographics of a typical minimum wage earner some time, almost all of them live in a nice middle-class income household.
Honestly though, I think it'll remain firmly in fantasy land
Don't. Base your worldview on facts. That is the only way we'll ever get the cheap energy, because people are looking at scientific facts and how we can use them.
... you should at least take into consideration the fact that automation has been increasing for over a century, as well as population, and yet unemployment has remained relatively constant
I am not necessarily worried about unemployment; I am worried about the increasing gap between the elite and everyone else. Early automation created the need for the middle class, as the wealthy needed trained people to run the machines. But in the past 40 years automation has become far more capable and sophisticated. It requires less people to run modern machines, but they need to be far more skilled than the last generation. This has lead to the shrinking middle class, the rising 1%, and also the rising
... you should at least take into consideration the fact that automation has been increasing for over a century, as well as population, and yet unemployment has remained relatively constant
I am not necessarily worried about unemployment; I am worried about the increasing gap between the elite and everyone else. Early automation created the need for the middle class, as the wealthy needed trained people to run the machines. But in the past 40 years automation has become far more capable and sophisticated. It requires less people to run modern machines, but they need to be far more skilled than the last generation. This has lead to the shrinking middle class, the rising 1%, and also the rising upper middle class.
Accelerated, more sophisticated automation didn't by itself led to a shrinking of the middle class. It is not even the primary factor.
Globalization did that. A middle class that was not educationally prepare to move out of what I call "manual/rudimentary" manufacturing, and a national difficulty to operate efficiently, those two played a significant role.
Remember, middle class used to denote blue collar jobs.
But those jobs started to go bye bye quite some time ago. It even preceded 2000's globalizat
Our policy is, when in doubt, do the right thing.
-- Roy L. Ash, ex-president, Litton Industries
Opinion On Basic Income (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm curious to know what your take is on a basic income for all US citizens versus our current 'conditional' welfare system. What do you think short term and long term outcome would be? Would the increased tax burden on the upper classes result in a total collapse rendering a basic income useless? My personal opinion is that it is necessary given the increasing rate of job automation coupled with our increasing population size (not to mention aging). Am I delusional? If so, why?
Re:Opinion On Basic Income (Score:3)
My personal opinion is that it is necessary given the increasing rate of job automation coupled with our increasing population size. Am I delusional? If so, why?
You might not be delusional, but in order to prove that it is necessary, you should at least take into consideration the fact that automation has been increasing for over a century, as well as population, and yet unemployment has remained relatively constant (ie, within a range unrelated to the amount of automation or population growth).
If your hypothesis doesn't deal with those two facts, then it's in the realm of fantasy, not reality.
Re: (Score:2)
Good points. However, both the population increase as well as the increase in automation is happening at an exponential rate, not linear as I infer (perhaps incorrectly) your statement to be.
This would also address more than solely unemployment though. It could lead to the abolishment of the minimum wage, which expecting people to live on is sort of a joke anyhow. It could provide a means for a single mother to actually be around enough to raise her kid(s) which has all sorts of positive societal benefit
Re:Opinion On Basic Income (Score:4, Interesting)
However, both the population increase as well as the increase in automation is happening at an exponential rate
It has been growing exponentially for a long time. There's been no correlation between either population growth and unemployment, or automation and unemployment. If your hypothesis is correct, then you need to explain the lack of correlation.
It could lead to the abolishment of the minimum wage, which expecting people to live on is sort of a joke anyhow.
Almost no one lives on minimum wage. Look up the demographics of a typical minimum wage earner some time, almost all of them live in a nice middle-class income household.
Honestly though, I think it'll remain firmly in fantasy land
Don't. Base your worldview on facts. That is the only way we'll ever get the cheap energy, because people are looking at scientific facts and how we can use them.
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
... you should at least take into consideration the fact that automation has been increasing for over a century, as well as population, and yet unemployment has remained relatively constant
I am not necessarily worried about unemployment; I am worried about the increasing gap between the elite and everyone else. Early automation created the need for the middle class, as the wealthy needed trained people to run the machines. But in the past 40 years automation has become far more capable and sophisticated. It requires less people to run modern machines, but they need to be far more skilled than the last generation. This has lead to the shrinking middle class, the rising 1%, and also the rising
Re: (Score:2)
Globalization, not automation. (Score:3)
... you should at least take into consideration the fact that automation has been increasing for over a century, as well as population, and yet unemployment has remained relatively constant
I am not necessarily worried about unemployment; I am worried about the increasing gap between the elite and everyone else. Early automation created the need for the middle class, as the wealthy needed trained people to run the machines. But in the past 40 years automation has become far more capable and sophisticated. It requires less people to run modern machines, but they need to be far more skilled than the last generation. This has lead to the shrinking middle class, the rising 1%, and also the rising upper middle class.
Accelerated, more sophisticated automation didn't by itself led to a shrinking of the middle class. It is not even the primary factor. Globalization did that. A middle class that was not educationally prepare to move out of what I call "manual/rudimentary" manufacturing, and a national difficulty to operate efficiently, those two played a significant role.
Remember, middle class used to denote blue collar jobs.
But those jobs started to go bye bye quite some time ago. It even preceded 2000's globalizat