What are your thoughts on Universal Basic Income (UBI)

[philipma1957]

"Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose"

its deep thoughts, its not really true. nothing to lose means a person doesn't have anything left. no wife, no kids to care for or no money/assets at all to protect.

lets see if this person have the freedom to buy something when he has nothing. i bet this person will just rob or beg for a cookie. or most likely do anything to receive UBI or else die in hunger.
people will accept whats given. regardless of whats the catch, they will take the UBI in exchange for their freedom. if the government will need their DNA, they will give it when the stomach says so.

or it was her way of saying you will be free when you are dead.

Because as I see it that is when you have nothing left to lose.

Released on January 12, 1971, Janis Joplin's “Me and Bobby McGee” became the second posthumous single in pop music history to reach #1;
 the first was Otis Redding's “(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay, in 1968.

from google search

Note they released the song after she was dead.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janis_Joplin

(January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970)


She was dead for exactly 100 days when it was released.

[Zed0X]

This could make the middle income earners and some small businesses suffer even more through higher taxes. I'm pretty sure crypto investors and traders will also affected by this if implemented.

I also think it will encourage people to make poor life decisions because they think the UBI could take care of them.

Knowing human nature it won't work. I hope to see it happen just to see if I am correct.

Yeah, it's been abused. A lot of those who are given monthly aid became lazy. They just wait for their share and often gambles with their fellow recipients. I don't even know if they were properly vetted by Government employees that are in charge with the verification.

[DrBeer]

....
At your current status, what would be the effect of the UBI to you if you got this monthly for a year?  Are you in favor of UBI or not?

My personal opinion is that this is a bad way to go. I'll try to explain why.
I'll start from far away. The point is that it is a kind of projection of the utopian idea of building communism
The second problem is that any income, including “guaranteed” income, is based on some kind of efficient work, which forms added value. In this case, the generator of this money for the “guaranteed income” fund will be the state, if it guarantees it.
Another problem is that with “equality” we get global inequality ! It sounds illogical but... Tell me - will you work and pay taxes if your neighbor does nothing, just enjoys life, and gets such an income, and you are forced to work for him?! How are you worse than him? How is everyone worse than him? Who will work then?
The filling of this fund - taxes or printing money ? Printing money is the death of the economy. Taxes - see above “why should I work when I'll be paid a guaranteed income?”

[albon]

The idea is good but it may not happen in practice as the country good deeds are left out in a mostly corrupt political landscape with a tendency towards inconsistency. Most of the people in my country seek help from the government but at the end of the day they are disappointed. I want to say from middle class family that I have not received any kind of government grant even in last few years. But in terms of treatment i have enjoyed some services in government hospitals. But i think poor people need to enjoy this opportunity. If the government after coming to power delivers services to the people with its entire team then its help is not delayed.

[JoyMarsha]

Since my childhood, I do hear about hear about UBI but I haven't in any way know about their purpose of creation, what is meant to be their job. Getting to know about it now, makes me feel annoyed because UBI has failed us woefully in doing the job they are assigned, to reduced poverty and income inequality, encourage entrepreneurship, consolidates multiple benefits into unconditional payment.

[JoyMarsha]

At your current status, what would be the effect of the UBI to you if you got this monthly for a year?  Are you in favor of UBI or not?

From what I learn of recent, UBI will be of good help to the masses, but it will not offer a lasting solution to the economic state of the people. A lot of people will depend on it, and it will cause joblessness. Reducing the rate at which people pay taxes will be a good solution, and creating a lasting job opportunity by building companies and refineries to be a better option. However, In the world we are in, people abuse things, so UBI might not really be a great option as we thought

[Woodie]

Does sound good on paper, paying everyone their natural inheritance because computers took over the world and the economy is running on autopilot..yeah right not happening!!!

For a small fraction of the population this is possible, but supporting the masses doesn't sound feasible as the government can't run by controlling more than half of the industries and all other revenue making businesses...private ownership is needed to compliment government efforts that's for sure and not letting them control everything out there.

Otherwise nice try, this ain't happening.

[DrBeer]

I'm against these decisions. It's an attempt to flirt with the masses, but nothing more.
There are a lot of questions:
- on what means will the basic income budget be formed?
- How will the amount of basic income per capita be calculated?
- WHO WILL PAY for its formation and also for the inflation it will create, because of the rather unfair distribution of money to everyone.

Just try to model the behavior of the economy with this solution. Only evaluate it pragmatically and you will realize what evil it is, under the guise of playing “humanity” and “care”.

[Etranger]

I'm against these decisions. It's an attempt to flirt with the masses, but nothing more.
There are a lot of questions:
- on what means will the basic income budget be formed?
- How will the amount of basic income per capita be calculated?
- WHO WILL PAY for its formation and also for the inflation it will create, because of the rather unfair distribution of money to everyone.

Just try to model the behavior of the economy with this solution. Only evaluate it pragmatically and you will realize what evil it is, under the guise of playing “humanity” and “care”.

These are exactly the same questions, Swiss people rose when they were offered by their government to launch Universal Basic Income. Majority of them decided it would be destructive for their conservative way of life, to what they are used to. And also it would cause increasing of taxes, and that idea doest have any support in Swiss society. Moreover, Universal Basic Income potentially can cause more wide immigrant flow. And as you know, Swiss are not big fans of not-tourist people coming in their country.

[DrBeer]

I'm against these decisions. It's an attempt to flirt with the masses, but nothing more.
There are a lot of questions:
- on what means will the basic income budget be formed?
- How will the amount of basic income per capita be calculated?
- WHO WILL PAY for its formation and also for the inflation it will create, because of the rather unfair distribution of money to everyone.

Just try to model the behavior of the economy with this solution. Only evaluate it pragmatically and you will realize what evil it is, under the guise of playing “humanity” and “care”.

These are exactly the same questions, Swiss people rose when they were offered by their government to launch Universal Basic Income. Majority of them decided it would be destructive for their conservative way of life, to what they are used to. And also it would cause increasing of taxes, and that idea doest have any support in Swiss society. Moreover, Universal Basic Income potentially can cause more wide immigrant flow. And as you know, Swiss are not big fans of not-tourist people coming in their country.

One of the key problems of the Universal Basic Income is that in a country with open borders (we are talking about Switzerland), the emergence of this type of income will immediately attract the attention of millions of idlers who by all rights and wrongs will seek to obtain citizenship of the country. This will create a situation when working citizens of the country will work hard to generate tax revenues, and a huge number of lazy people will get money and enjoy life. It is hard to imagine what will de-motivate the former and what it will lead to. The second problem is the emergence of a huge amount of money on hand, which will hit the market, which is almost guaranteed to lead to inflation. Question - do you think the Swiss really dream of destroying the economy, stability and keeping bums ?

[target]

Is the Swiss government planning to distribute UBI to everyone?

Because of when I saw my government is planning to distribute to single moms, it would only mean to these women will go thru a selection process still whether they qualify for UBI or not. I don't think Swiss government will just give everyone who migrates.

But it's sure is a bad idea to have an open border.

[Etranger]

DrBeer, of course, Switzerland has no interest in destroying its own economy. That is why they rejected the idea of the Universal Basic Income by a majority of votes. But I must say that Switzerland is not an open country. And it is very difficult to stay there, not to mention getting citizenship.

 For example, in order to even be able to apply for citizenship, you need to live not only in Switzerland itself, but also in a certain canton for 10 years. If you change the canton (region, district), the years account is reset. You must work and pay taxes in the particular canton (as the legislation varies from canton to canton). When considering an application, representatives of special institutions interview your friends, colleagues and neighbors, and if someone speaks badly of you, your chances of getting citizenship are reduced.

At the interview, you can be asked absolutely random questions not only about Switzerland, but also about the canton you live in. For example, what is the highest point in this canton. And it would be good for you to know the answers to these questions. In general, it is much easier to marry someone with a Swiss passport, but it is also extremely difficult to do so because the Swiss are very conservative and mostly snobs who are not very welcoming to foreigners.

[bitterguy28]

Does sound good on paper, paying everyone their natural inheritance because computers took over the world and the economy is running on autopilot..yeah right not happening!!!

it does look good on paper because equality is what we are aiming for but people forgot to consider the natural imbalance we would quite literally need to restart everything not to mention humans’ greed to get ahead there are way too many factors that could affect the so-called equality with UBI i do not think it will work or even it does people and the community will not be productive nor in support of this

[target]

DrBeer, of course, Switzerland has no interest in destroying its own economy. That is why they rejected the idea of the Universal Basic Income by a majority of votes. But I must say that Switzerland is not an open country. And it is very difficult to stay there, not to mention getting citizenship.

 For example, in order to even be able to apply for citizenship, you need to live not only in Switzerland itself, but also in a certain canton for 10 years. If you change the canton (region, district), the years account is reset. You must work and pay taxes in the particular canton (as the legislation varies from canton to canton). When considering an application, representatives of special institutions interview your friends, colleagues and neighbors, and if someone speaks badly of you, your chances of getting citizenship are reduced.

At the interview, you can be asked absolutely random questions not only about Switzerland, but also about the canton you live in. For example, what is the highest point in this canton. And it would be good for you to know the answers to these questions. In general, it is much easier to marry someone with a Swiss passport, but it is also extremely difficult to do so because the Swiss are very conservative and mostly snobs who are not very welcoming to foreigners.

I'm not aware of what Swiss government is doing but it should be their right not to welcome immigrants. If they don't want, it's their choice. It's normal for the government of a country to keep the peace of their society.

But let's say US giving billions to countries like Ukraine and Israel for their war while not helping the people struggling after Hurricane Helene. Is it fair for these food victim not receiving support but just 750USD and nothing more or should they be given UBI until they recover?

[Etranger]

I'm not aware of what Swiss government is doing but it should be their right not to welcome immigrants. If they don't want, it's their choice. It's normal for the government of a country to keep the peace of their society.

But let's say US giving billions to countries like Ukraine and Israel for their war while not helping the people struggling after Hurricane Helene. Is it fair for these food victim not receiving support but just 750USD and nothing more or should they be given UBI until they recover?

I am not sure that fairness is the relevant term to use referring to the government and politics. US have their reasons to do so, it is undoubtedly. But just to be clear, UBI is given unconditional, it doesn't matter if you are a Hurricane victim or a descendant from the reach family. That is why, in either case the UBI would be the same.