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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
(Score: 5, Insightful) by rleigh on Monday October 15 2018, @12:55PM (6 children)
Many things. Agency. Purpose. Pride and a sense of place and belonging in society at large. Friendship. A future for you and your family. Comfort isn't the be all and end all of life; once you've got a bare minimum of needs met, like a roof over your head, other factors are more important.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 15 2018, @01:37PM (2 children)
Maslov's pyramid says that food and shelter, and safety are more important, though.
(Score: 2) by rleigh on Monday October 15 2018, @02:46PM
That would all be part of the "bare minimum of needs" I mentioned above.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 15 2018, @03:21PM
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Monday October 15 2018, @06:14PM
Agency, purpose, pride, friends, family: lucky for us all of those are free!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 15 2018, @08:15PM (1 child)
Those are things that no amount of government can give.
(Score: 2) by rleigh on Monday October 15 2018, @08:41PM
They can take them away however, and IMO UBI would have the potential to do so.