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posted by martyb on Monday October 15 2018, @05:18AM   Printer-friendly
from the perpetual-motion dept.

Think of it: The government prints more money or perhaps — god forbid — it taxes some corporate profits, then it showers the cash down on the people so they can continue to spend. As a result, more and more capital accumulates at the top. And with that capital comes more power to dictate the terms governing human existence.

UBI really just turns us from stakeholders or even citizens to mere consumers.

Meanwhile, UBI also obviates the need for people to consider true alternatives to living lives as passive consumers. Solutions like platform cooperatives, alternative currencies, favor banks, or employee-owned businesses, which actually threaten the status quo under which extractive monopolies have thrived, will seem unnecessary. Why bother signing up for the revolution if our bellies are full? Or just full enough?

Under the guise of compassion, UBI really just turns us from stakeholders or even citizens to mere consumers. Once the ability to create or exchange value is stripped from us, all we can do with every consumptive act is deliver more power to people who can finally, without any exaggeration, be called our corporate overlords.

No, income is nothing but a booby prize. If we're going to get a handout, we should demand not an allowance but assets. That's right: an ownership stake.

https://medium.com/s/powertrip/universal-basic-income-is-silicon-valleys-latest-scam-fd3e130b69a0


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  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Monday October 15 2018, @07:43AM (4 children)

    by Rosco P. Coltrane (4757) on Monday October 15 2018, @07:43AM (#748875)

    The thing is, it's already the case: most people, even at the bottom rung of society, dream of a revolution but will never actually do it, because the state provides just enough handouts to make them think again. That's what social security is for: it's not meant to help the poor, it's meant to prevent the poor from turning truly violent out of desperation.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 15 2018, @09:38AM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 15 2018, @09:38AM (#748922)

    It is an interesting way to look at it. One problem is that USA doesn't have the level of poverty that is seen in many third world countries. Really, if you are qualifying for food stamps you are better off than millions of people already. The other problem is that poorer people don't revolt, they scamper here and there looking for something to eat - whatever they can - and they don't have time to think about the 'system' and 'society'. Some of them may even kill you if it meant they got to sleep on a couch with beer.

    This is a basic flaw in socialism actually which Winston Smith makes in 1984. Poor people never revolt.

    Revolutions, and discontent itself, is a function of inequality. This is why Saudi Arabia wasn't revolting before they found oil, and aren't revolting after they found oil.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 15 2018, @09:56AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 15 2018, @09:56AM (#748930)

      This is why Saudi Arabia wasn't revolting before they found oil, and aren't revolting after they found oil.

      Everything about Saudi Arabia is pretty revolting tbh.

  • (Score: 2, Interesting) by fustakrakich on Monday October 15 2018, @02:34PM

    by fustakrakich (6150) on Monday October 15 2018, @02:34PM (#749053) Journal

    Riot Index [ssrn.com]

    --
    La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
  • (Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Monday October 15 2018, @02:47PM

    by hemocyanin (186) on Monday October 15 2018, @02:47PM (#749065) Journal

    Gore Vidal has a good quote on this topic with regard to FDR, something along the lines of: "people complained FDR was a traitor to his class -- he saved their ass."

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E76ArLbSABA [youtube.com]