Quote (Master_Zappy @ Feb 20 2017 03:22pm)
I dont reject automation, it's the predicable outcome of increased technology. I was comparing the Amish here since it's a "society" that intentionally rejects these kinds of devices to find what they feel is an appropriate balance of community and technological adoption. Bill gates proposing a tax on labor saving devices is regressive in a similar manner and at it's core is trying to address that balance.
Since all wants/demands are infinite and supply and resources are finite how is the government going to allocate the goods under UBI to people's wants without causing shortages? Either the income provided is enough to meet peoples desires, or its not enough in which case the monetary market still exists and goods and services are still subject to the laws of supply and demand. How many steak dinner's does Uncle Sam allow me to have?
the idea of a UBI with supply/demand intact is ludicrous for the exact reasons you list. It would tear itself apart. UBI is the end of freedom, because it is only tenable with no wants of the public taken into account.
This is something that means the end of the constitution, the end of America as we know it. The good news, if you can call it that, for those constitutional believers, is that this won't be instant. It will be the result of decades or even a century of shortages etc. based on the wants of the public on a limited income with no means to bolster it. The will of the people for freedom will slowly be starved out of them until they willingly join the party for a heel of bread and a standard issue cot. Eventually it will become too much and the balance will shift, which could coincide with some sort of worldwide government power controlling the demand of the still developing world countries to keep the economy from collapsing. Essentially the US will get paid to sit back while we industrialize the last corners of the globe.
Quote (ofthevoid @ Feb 20 2017 03:25pm)
The welfare state can only continue as long as it's finite in the number of people it's providing services to.
this is nonsense based on current ideas of productivity, demand, human capital, tax code, etc. None of these things are constitutionally protected much less inherent truths throughout the world.
This post was edited by thesnipa on Feb 20 2017 03:32pm