What if.

originally posted by: scraedtosleep
a reply to: MRinder

That would be a start.

What do you think we should try?

There better be a crap load of gold somewhere.

I don't think we need to try anything different. We can maybe tweak a few regulations here and there and get rid of a lot of regulations.

Let me ask you:
Do you have a place to live?
Do you eat food everyday?
Do you have a car?
Do you have a phone?
Obviously you have internet?
Do you have clothes?

We already have UBI. It's called WELFARE. It provides food, housing, etc... I have no problem with people who are truly disabled or completely unable to find a job getting welfare, but if you are able bodied and able minded then you need to work or just starve to death.

a reply to: scraedtosleep

Your vision relies upon people who love life and love life in others. People who find glory and fulfillment in serving others. So yes, these people would ''dig the ditches'' because they would know it was for the benefit of people. They would work alongside others who ''dig ditches'' because they all would be friends. This would be their service to all.They would strive to ''dig the best ditches possible'' because it would be service to others.

''Digging ditches'' could be ''pulling wires'' or ''paving roads'' or '' cleaning out septic tanks''. It would be in service to other people instead of service to themselves. Change that ''service to self'' to ''service to others'' and the world turns upside down.

And yes, as you say you can dream. Don't listen to others who say but but but. Make that switch in yourself and be happy in your freely given service.

a reply to: scraedtosleep

You are a dreamer and an idealist, my friend

originally posted by: scraedtosleep
a reply to: IAMTAT

Would you agree to letting any/all taxpayers that want to, legally 'opt out' of paying to alleviating your stress?

Fine with me.

But those that opt out do it completely.

Well, if you agree taxpayers should be able to 'opt out' of paying for UBI in exchange for not receiving it...

...you must agree taxpayers should ALSO be allowed to 'opt out' of having their taxes paying for free abortions & free healthcare for illegals...in exchange for not personally benefitting from them.

a reply to: DBCowboy

Widget-making has been completely automated; Kevin has been out of work for months.

originally posted by: DictionaryOfExcuses
a reply to: DBCowboy

Widget-making has been completely automated; Kevin has been out of work for months.

I hate Kevin.

originally posted by: Nyiah
Personally, I think it could work, based on the fact that people without work right now are going absolutely apes# nuts with boredom.

Boredom is a great opportunity for growth, creative spark, and epiphany. Our culture is obsessed with productivity, which often leaves people with no time or energy to exercise and develop their birthright as creative beings.

Simply because currency is, at best, a representative middle-man.

Give me a plastic & sintered metal printer and an automated aquaponics system.

The software for the former is scalable all the way up to concrete, but I could just print my own parts for it at that point.

This has benefits beyond meeting basic needs as well, including establishing a decentralized manufacturing base and food supply.

¯_(ツ)_/¯

originally posted by: DictionaryOfExcuses

originally posted by: Nyiah
Personally, I think it could work, based on the fact that people without work right now are going absolutely apes# nuts with boredom.

Our culture is obsessed with productivity, which often leaves people with no time or energy to exercise and develop their birthright as creative beings.

Oh the poor things... There is no such things as birthrights or even human rights for that matter.. They are just a construct of man.

Maybe people need to manage their time better. I love liberals. They think people aren;t going to work and they are going to then create all kind of great # in their free time. 99.9999% of people would just sit on their ass with a phone or a tv glued to their eyes.

a reply to: DBCowboy

All Kevin ever wanted was to make widgets. He curses the brave new world engineered into being by the nerds. Kevin will be radicalized.

a reply to: MRinder

You seem to be calling me a liberal. You seem to be triggered.

There are such things as birthrights and human rights. Just because they are constructs doesn't mean they don't exist. Do we say, "widgets are a construct of man, therefore they don't exist?" No.

Just because not every person will write "Pride and Prejudice" or invent the lightbulb doesn't mean that we aren't creative beings. Ideas are there for people who follow their own inclinations and have faith in where they lead. We do have birthrights as creative beings: we create our minds and realities through intention. If you think that's pie-in-the-sky fanciful poppycock, I'm glad I have my life and not yours.

originally posted by: scraedtosleep
a reply to: BlueJacket

So you became jaded and lost your hope.

I'm 40 and lived a very hard life on the streets and I still have hope.
I think we can change for the better.

This doesn't have to be doom the way people seem to want it to be.

No, thats not what happened. I realized that struggle develops ethics, where-withall, will power, vision.

Giving children everything, created a lack of value, a disinterest or ability to manifest goals for themselves.

I dont live on the street, because I grew up hard, wanted more and was forced to earn everything I got...and a healthy dose of good fortune occurs when you prepare the ground.

originally posted by: scraedtosleep
Now when we work it's to gain something we want

Like, I dunno, a goddamned paycheck!?!?!

My God people, get the hell over yourselves. Life owes you nothing, go out and earn what you want and STFU already.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

Then surely you donate your Alaska Permanent Fund dividends?

a reply to: DictionaryOfExcuses

$1,000 a year is UBI for one of the most expensive places to live in the nation?

a reply to: burdman30ott6

Serious question: How would you suggest I do that? Ive been trying to figure it out for years.

My typical day is that I spend about half the time writhing in pain, doing my absolute best to hide it from the people who care about me (Id rather them think me lazy than know the truth). Taking care of basic tasks, like getting food ready, letting the dog out, etc. pretty much max me out. Im relatively experienced in terms of things like programming, but I find that certain levels of pain make it very difficult to perform mental tasks. I just end up spending most of my time fixing errors I made. Ive tried everything from web design to general programming to lutherie, but everything takes me so long that I cant actually compete outside of people being charitable.

On a good day, I can get maybe an hour of activity done. My work ethic is such though, that when I get started.. I really struggle to stop. So, I have to be careful. Im not good at it, even after all these years.. Usually a "good" day is me pushing way too much, and then followed by about a week of.. Bad Days.

The standard approach is to just give me money. Disability is not much, but better than nothing. Of course, those systems are not only a nightmare to deal with, they are very, very explicit about *not* using funds to gain independence. Im sure thats just coincidence...

However, I want to be self-sufficient. And, I dont just mean in terms of currency. Its what drove me to completely rethink all the technology I had started working on before I got sick. I see massive potential there, more than ever, in fact. Conceptually, I wanted to create something(s) that provided self-sufficiency across the board with a strong focus on decentralization. I figured if my work could enable me to be self-sufficient, it could do the same for everyone.. if it was designed with that in mind.

Despite my best efforts, however, I deteriorated before I could really bring my work to fruition. I knew it was a race against time, but there were also some folks that decided to take advantage. My project was ambitious for a team of healthy people, much less solo and sick with some readily taking advantage of the vulnerability and need for help.

Definitely not looking for pity, it would likely ring hollow anyway.. But I do wonder if there was anything I could have done differently, or do differently now. Im greatly restricted because I cant build up more than $2k in assets (total...), or else I lose assistance. So, anything done would need to be ready to go right off the bat, likely for the rest of my life. Which, in spite of it all, I absolutely cherish and hope that its many decades to come.

a reply to: Serdgiam

You seem to type and participate online perfectly fine... have you looked into a career in web development, writing, editing, etc?

However, I want to be self-sufficient.

Having the government hand you a free check because you exist every 2 weeks or every month, as the OP is suggesting, is the opposite of self-sufficiency.

No thanks.

Much of the current generation already seems to think that the world owes them something, that participation trophies are good and losing isn't real among many other ridiculous things.

You might as well ban words like motivation, competition and success as being too toxic then while you are giving people a UBI.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

I have indeed. I mentioned it Once I exhausted the opportunities of folks that were willing to be charitable and patient, it becomes.. tricky.

I looked at writing as well, YouTube videos, etc. The latter looked most promising until the changes in the past few years.

The problem comes in the form of actually earning enough to make a living, not just now but for years to come (hopefully). I can earn money, just not much and without any semblance of consistency. I can go months on end where I struggle to move, though a walker can help. And, given the likely course of events, whatever I do would need to be sustainable for the rest of my life.

I spent the first few years fighting tooth and nail to avoid any government assistance, but actually getting on it took another ~decade. So, if I lose that assistance, it would have to be replaced by something that somewhat reliably covers living costs even in the case that I continue to deteriorate.

a reply to: Serdgiam

OP is proposing UNIVERSAL Basic Income.
Would you consider your unfortunate situation "Universal"?