Just typing out thoughts as read the article and the comments. What if we were getting closer to the post scarcity economy with AI and robots. One comment even mentioned growth not population being needed. I’m not advocating this just pondering, at what point would it make sense to end all welfare and entitlement programs and replace with universal basic income? I mean for everyone and then have paying jobs for those that require a human. Star Trek is based on such a post scarcity society. With so much debt accumulated and welfare programs such a large part of it, why not eliminate all of them in lieu of ubi? Please don’t roast me I am thinking past my lifetime and into the future like my grandkids and theirs. I’m no longer 25 like when I joined and never thought I would see AI, but I discuss issues with it daily now.
I'm sure we can do it right now. Of course, we'll have to reform Social Security (you'll collect it only if you truly need it and you do not have financial assets).
I believe Elon Musk has expressed thoughts going in that direction. Robots will do just about all the work, the concept of “money” will go away, and people will just live in a post-scarcity society.
Of course the idea can be criticized and potential problems could be identified. But these sorts of ideas are not ridiculous.
And a note for the young: socialism isn’t the thing that will get us to a wonderful post-scarcity society. A very rich industrialist who owns many factories might help us get there because he’s pursuing his own interests. But a tyrannical government headed by someone with a degree in lesbian dance theory who simply wants to burn down western civilization is not going to have the skills that take us to a good place. At all.