A Privately Funded Experiment in a Universal Basic Income

[Kushinator]

Again who is going to pay for it?
11k is nothing. They will demand more claiming it isn't livable.

Who pays for social spending now?

 

[ALiberalModerate]

I am not against the idea, but the reason why social program spending is so high is not welfare or food stamps, its Medicaid, SCHIP, and Medicare. Any basic income program would have to account for the fact that old and sick would need enough to purchase health coverage, and as health coverage is extremely expensive for the old and the sick, we would probably end up spending more on a basic income program than the current safety-nets.

Now, if you have a country like Finland were you have a socialized medicine system and then you implement a basic income program to replace everything else other than that socialized medicine program, I could see where that would work and may well be quite preferable to existing bureaucracies.

 

[ALiberalModerate]

You are freaking out over a possible increase of $600 billion ($2.1 trillion vs. $1.5 trillion) to drop (all?) current social spending and switch to a BIG of $11K/family. I would bet that eliminating all other federal social spending departments, agencies and programs and letting the IRS "prebate" each family that $11K/year would save money in the long run.

How does a retired couple in their 70s purchase health coverage for 11k a year?

 

[ttwtt78640]

How does a retired couple in their 70s purchase health coverage for 11k a year?

I never said that BIG was a good deal for folks, especially those that now get more in "handouts". My point was that it was not as unaffordable as it was made out to be. Some folks get far more now and some folks get nothing but the cost of our federal government per person is huge and growing fast.

 

[Moderate Right]

What do you think will happen? Will they follow basic human nature and waste the money (or find a clever way to abuse it). Or will they use the subsistence income to free them up to improve their situation?

I dont really have a good answer. Its possible that those without the understanding of how to improve can do so even if given a handout. Perhaps this will increase crime as those in the area who dont get the income will move in to steal from those who do.

Unfortunately, our two countries are so different that I don't think you can draw any conclusions from this one way or the other. I am fascinated by the idea of a universal income though, providing it is coupled with corresponding decreases in social programs.

 

[jonny5]

So now they can buy a lot of drugs and alcohol. Maybe OD or something?

I imagine so.

 

[jonny5]

BIG, basic income guarantee, is the thread topic. Wages are income - typically given as cash. Note that the OP makes no mention (as in, none at all) of giving these "handouts" only to the poor (as in, BIG is not means tested). These "handouts" are given to all folks (in that village) just like roads to use, police and fire protection is (yep, even the non-poor use those things too). The idea is to see if those that are said to "lack resources" will benefit from being given some more "resources", and which type of BIG might work better.

Sadly theyre basically just trying to prove socialism works in a controlled environment. We already know it does, and fails in reality.

 

[ttwtt78640]

Who pays for social spending now?

Society - that is why it is called social spending.

 

[Geoist]

Pragmatic libertarian is an oxymoron. I will never be convinced to force one person to pay for another.

It is the anti-pragmatism of dogmatic libertarians which will always keep them on the fringe.

 

[Bobbaker]

Then you have no concept of "society", "the collective good" and "taxes" and how that all functions smoothly when intelligently applied and continuously evaluated.

Yeah that's why as a country, we're $20 trillion in the whole. Progressive thinking.

That's nonsense.

Just because you're from the lone star state doesn't mean you absolutely have to have a single digit iq.

 

[jonny5]

It is the anti-pragmatism of dogmatic libertarians which will always keep them on the fringe.

We dont care. We just want to be left alone. We arent asking you to join us.

 

[Kushinator]

We dont care. We just want to be left alone. We arent asking you to join us.

Until you need a bailout or easy money to rebuild the capital lost from being left alone. :lol:

 

[jaeger19]

What do you think will happen? Will they follow basic human nature and waste the money (or find a clever way to abuse it). Or will they use the subsistence income to free them up to improve their situation?

I dont really have a good answer. Its possible that those without the understanding of how to improve can do so even if given a handout. Perhaps this will increase crime as those in the area who dont get the income will move in to steal from those who do.

It won't matter how it works.. the experiment has little validity to the real world.

1. The samples are not interacting on a global stage
2. The money is not coming from the samples themselves.. Its coming from donation..
In the real world.. those receiving the universal income.. would be paying taxes as well for it.
Among many other problems.

 

[jonny5]

It won't matter how it works.. the experiment has little validity to the real world.

1. The samples are not interacting on a global stage
2. The money is not coming from the samples themselves.. Its coming from donation..
In the real world.. those receiving the universal income.. would be paying taxes as well for it.
Among many other problems.

Yep, but no doubt if there is a little improvement it will be the rallying cry for transforming america.

 

[Geoist]

We dont care.

Then you can fully expect to never get your way.

 

[jaeger19]

Yep, but no doubt if there is a little improvement it will be the rallying cry for transforming america.

Which is probably why such a project is even being funded. I would bet there is an agenda behind it.

 

[Mr Person]

Will people be prevented from moving to said villages?

 

[jonny5]

Then you can fully expect to never get your way.

We dont.