Universal Basic Income Is Easier Than It Looks

submitted by Orangutan from (ellenbrown.com)

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[–]thajuggla 2 insightful - 3 fun2 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 3 fun -  (5 children)

Get a job.

[–]JasonCarswell 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

Bullshit. Don't punch down.

Punch up.

Get the corporations to pay fair wages rather than force people on food stamps to externalize their expenses.

[–]thajuggla 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Hanging the people who gave corporations those tax breaks, and making laws to allow them to monopolize industries would be much better.

Government is your problem, not corporations taking advantage of laws government passed.

[–]JasonCarswell 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

I agree.

So how does "Get a job" apply?

Get active, occupy factories to take back the means of production, volunteer, protest if you must, boycott if you must, but "Get a job"? Really? Next you're going to tell me disabled folks are lazy and old people deserve their pensions taken away because they're useless eaters.

[–]thajuggla 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

My response was to the title of "universal basic income is easier than it looks." It's actually not, if we want to debate the intricacies of what's wrong in our world, then by all means, let's get to it, but simply stating the title will be met with a simple "get a job" response from me.

Nice straw man, going right to disabled people. The title, nor the article mentioned anything involving disabled people, nor does it mention what to do with regards to pensions.

The article mentions trillion dollar coins, really?!? Check out how Zimbabwe did with regards to issuing more money, they have trillion dollar notes. It's worked well for them. Then the article goes into talking about debt, what would trillion dollar coins be, debt free?

Each and every Federal Reserve note is created on the basis of the treasury paying it back on interest, which means that perpetual debt will always be created. The only way to fix this would be to dissolve the Federal Reserve.

Maybe you should learn a little more about how the treasury, and the Federal Reserve (which is a private entity by the way, not a government operation) works before trying to be upset with me about disabled people.

[–]JasonCarswell 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

A more appropriate response would have been "Bullshit".

"Get a job" is loaded with all sorts of implications and judgments. Heavily.

My over obvious strawmen were not about the UBI. They were about the commonly unemployed. The jobless. I picked the first easiest targets. I didn't even start down the all the prejudices of our rigged systems against race, mental health, family units, communities, occupied states, outsourcing, NAFTA, China, etc etc etc that make it sooo very difficult for many people to "get a job".

I'm not talking about the article.

What you say about the Fed Rez is true. I already know it.

I was triggered by what seemed like punching down at the unemployed.

Maybe you should watch where you sling those heavy words before trying to be upset with me about whatever you try deflecting to.

[–]Vigte 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Communism Junior.

[–]JasonCarswell 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

It's neither communism nor welfare. It's a great start to fairly helping people at the bottom who need it, though it won't impact the middle class nor the rich.

But it's also potentially a dependency trap, regardless how you may or may not judge people, their work ethics, etc.

And yes, it may potentially be a doorway to more totalitarianism.

Capitalism is inverted totalitarianism compared to communism's totalitarianism.

[–]JasonCarswell 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

UBI could be a good thing, and even in the best circumstances always has the potential to be a future trap.

If the Dems or GOP push it through it will most certainly not be good and likely be some kind of overly complex scam when it need not be.