Posted on 03/03/2018 2:08:08 PM PST by blam
As automation and AI destroy millions of middle-income jobs, permanently forcing (primarily male) workers from the workforce, Americans are beginning to reconsider their attitudes toward a radical policy tool that’s popular among some segments of the left: Universal Basic Income.
According to CNBC, a recent poll conducted by Northeastern University and Gallup found that 48% of Americans support the measure. In an association that’s hardly a coincidence, the poll also showed that three-quarters of Americans believe machines will take away more jobs than they’ll generate…
Unsurprisingly 65% of Democrats want to see a universal basic income and 54% of people between the ages of 18 and 35 do. In comparison, just 28% of Republicans support UBI.
While proposals for universal basic income programs vary, the most common one is a system in which the federal government sends out regular checks to everyone, regardless of their earnings or employment. That system is being tested in Canada and Finland, as well as Stockton, California, which recently emerged from bankruptcy but remains mired in poverty.
Support for UBI and wariness about automation/AI have become closely linked in the public consciousness. The movement has even inspired America’s first “anti-automation” presidential candidate: New York businessman Andrew Yang is launching a “longer-than-long-shot bid” for the 2020 Democratic nomination, on a platform of adopting a “freedom dividend” (a fancy term for UBI), to help offset the impact of automation.
Advocates say all of the UBI-focused experiments being conducted are an opportunity to show that the policy could boost both productivity, as well as individual happiness and overall wellbeing.
“The claim is often made that if you give people a basic income, they’ll become lazy and stop doing work,” said Guy Standing, co-founder of the Basic Income Earth Network.
(snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at newzsentinel.com ...
Then most people will just buy stuff built by Chinese robots and shipped on automated freighters.
The government will be bankrupt in the next 20 years anyway.
Who was polled? The leftist and commies! Oops the leftist are commies..
I’m still waiting for the flying cars.
Don’t you mean Americans willing to return to slavery? As long as they get a pittance guaranteed.
Not surprising.
Do you think they surveyed people standing in welfare lines??
We’re already there.
The minimum wage in the United States is set by US labor law and a range of state and local laws. Employers generally have to pay workers the highest minimum wage prescribed by federal, state, and local law. Since July 24, 2009, the federal government has mandated a nationwide minimum wage of $7.25 per hour
Means-tested welfare programs encourage dependency and idleness because no one has any incentive to work harder. If you make more than what you qualify for welfare, you lose the benefits. I never thought that’s sound social policy.
Under UBI, its the reverse. You have a floor you can’t fall through. If you want wok harder you can and you can keep what you earn without losing the UBI. If we replaced all of our welfare programs with it, we would come out well ahead.
And give people lifetime financial security.
“First The Robots Will Take Our Jobs, Then They’ll Kill Us. Really?”
I never said that. The robots wouldn’t have to rebel and kill you the evil government will do it for them.
I said that the Universal Basic Income = slavery.
I will expand and say it = death.
And yes, providing people with the UBI would work like welfare and make the recipients lazy, just look at the multigenerational welfare recipients. It is a dream of the left to completely control society. UBI would allow them to achieve that dream.
Yes, because the sinful fools will want something for nothing it will come but it is not a good thing and should be resisted.
“They all had to have this mark, or else they could not buy or sell anything. This mark stood for the name of the beast and for the number of its name.”
Revelation 13:17
(Contemporary English Version)
That verse describes UBI.
UBI is the nightmare to end all nightmares.
Who was polled...
What exactly was asked...
Did the pollees understand that there was no work requirement?
But if people had lifetime financial security, where is their incentive to work at all?
“Universal basic income” means getting paid to do nothing. We’ve had that for generations under another name - “government jobs”.
They have one job. Vote Democrat. Democrats will ensure they are supported on the backs of people who actually work and pay taxes.
I have an American Indian friend who gets monthly checks from casino income...his children and grandchildren get money too.
Forgot to mention that. I have a few
friends in the Navajo NAtion. They also
receive stipends. It shows if you’ve
ever visited an Indian reservation.
Alcoholism is one of their biggest
problems.
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