A friend of mine who happens to be a philosophy professor sent me this article in the Times based on some discussions we've had. It's an analysis of problems with replacing certain current government benefits with a "universal basic income" - the government writes a check to every citizen to cover basic needs.
http://ift.tt/1RQbaP4
The author brings up some very good points, but I think many of them are addressable. The problem of people receiving the UBI who don't need it is easily addressed with an income tax adjustment; it's much easier to assess and tax away the money for those who don't need it then to try to restrict who gets it on the front end.
It also seems unlikely to me that the UBI would stop people from working who actually can work. I could see parents with young kids taking advantage of the UBI to stay home with their kids, but I see that as a good thing. And for those who currently face barriers to finding employment (homelessness, lack of minimal training), a UBI could certainly provide the resources to get past those.
As a conservative with a strong preference for market-driven solutions, providing people with raw resources and allowing them to decide how to use them to better themselves seems like a pretty good mechanism for social welfare.
http://ift.tt/1RQbaP4
The author brings up some very good points, but I think many of them are addressable. The problem of people receiving the UBI who don't need it is easily addressed with an income tax adjustment; it's much easier to assess and tax away the money for those who don't need it then to try to restrict who gets it on the front end.
It also seems unlikely to me that the UBI would stop people from working who actually can work. I could see parents with young kids taking advantage of the UBI to stay home with their kids, but I see that as a good thing. And for those who currently face barriers to finding employment (homelessness, lack of minimal training), a UBI could certainly provide the resources to get past those.
As a conservative with a strong preference for market-driven solutions, providing people with raw resources and allowing them to decide how to use them to better themselves seems like a pretty good mechanism for social welfare.
via International Skeptics Forum http://ift.tt/1Uhubf6
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