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from the Having-UBI-would-afford-more-time-to-spend-supporting-SoylentNews dept.
The fine folks at the CBC bring us the following report:
Participants in Ontario's prematurely cancelled basic income pilot project were happier, healthier and continued working even though they were receiving money with no-strings attached.
That's according to a new report titled Southern Ontario's Basic Income Experience, which was compiled by researchers at McMaster and Ryerson University, in partnership with the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction.
The report shows nearly three-quarters of respondents who were working when the pilot project began kept at it despite receiving basic income.
That finding appears to contradict the criticism some levelled at the project, saying it would sap people's motivation to stay in the workforce or seek employment.
That's an interesting way of looking at it. An alternative viewpoint could be that over a quarter of the people who were working before the UBI trial stopped working. Unclear are the benefits that resulted from their new spare time — such as providing support to an ailing family member.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Common Joe on Wednesday March 11 2020, @05:32AM (3 children)
I know JoeMerchant (but not Gaaark) mentions his income later, but that's a hell of an assumption to make. Many people can barely afford food for their table. That includes some IT people. I have a friend who is in IT. He makes ok money, but he had an accident that will last him the rest of his life. He has/had good insurance and support, and his bills will be through the roof every year. He meets his deductable every year. And he must still pay a lot out of pocket because those "incidentals" are required for him to live and work.
Another poor assumption. High schoolers (girls or guys) are not always reliable and you even if you have a 100% success rate, you'd have to rotate through them every year or two. And, additionally, I doubt they will have the skills to handle someone who is autistic. Or work 5 - 7 evenings per week. Possibly including holidays. It almost sounds like not hiring someone would be easier. Being sick or having autistic kids are expensive -- both in time and in money.
You make a lot of insightful comments, but sometimes like right now... wow. Just no. At this point, I shouldn't be surprised when you make comments like this, but I'll learn eventually not to be surprised.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday March 11 2020, @02:32PM (1 child)
Maybe I read TMB's comment wrong. I read it as getting "a little help", not as "hire a caretaker". I can easily see having an older girl, or even a young woman, high school or college age, to help out for as little as an hour, or as much as 6 or 8 hours, maybe one evening per week, or as much as 7 days a week. It doesn't need to be a professional, at all. No real training required. Almost any girl in her teens can master relations with a slower child. The same girl can probably master helping to prepare dinner, and then doing the dishes. Maybe it would take three such persons - Betty can work Mondays and Thursdays, Trish would love to have a job on Wednesdays, and Sherry is available almost anytime, just let her know a day ahead.
Something like that would give you a lot of flexibility. One night, the hired girl cooks dinner and cleans up, and goes home. Next night, no girls. The third night, the hired girl plays with and/or keeps an eye on the child, leaving you free to tend to all the chores that have piled up.
Of course, scheduling may be a bigger headache than some people can cope with. On the other hand, there are people who live for that kind of challenge.
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Thursday March 12 2020, @03:33AM
If there's a nursing school in the area -- sometimes student nurses can get extra credit for being home volunteers/paid help. That's an incentive for them to be reliable, and turnover doesn't matter so long as the school maintains the program.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday March 12 2020, @03:35AM
Man, don't go getting butthurt with a load of assumptions on his behalf. I said evaluate his priorities and do what gains him the most relief from misery; and offered a suggestion. There is no possible way in which anyone can take that to be anything but helpful, so just stop.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.