• Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    The problem with UBI is that when you do big payouts like that, they just become a target for price gouging.

    If you have robust laws preventing price gouging, that is not a problem. No one serious is suggesting implementing UBI with no framework around it.

    Incidentally, Alaska has a universal basic income in the form of oil dividends every year and there’s no evidence it’s led to price gouging as far as I know.

    • Wogi@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      A few thousand dollars a year is an order of magnitude different than a few thousand dollars a month. Shits already expensive in Alaska because it’s remote.

      Incidentally a handful of studies are several orders of magnitude different than actual UBI, and would similarly fail to showcase the problem.

        • Wogi@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          Robust laws also prevent the need for UBI in the first place. If we can’t figure out how to run a society without it, slapping UBI on top of that isn’t actually going to fix anything.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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            7 months ago

            You’re making no sense. How is giving everyone the financial help to keep them clothed, housed, fed, etc. without needing to work for it not going to fix anything as long as you prevent price gouging?

            • Wogi@lemmy.world
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              7 months ago

              Ok, let me recontextualize here. “if we can terraform mars, why wouldn’t we migrate because of climate change on earth?” In that scenario, why wouldn’t we fix our climate?

              If we have the power to regulate pricing, why would we need UBI?

              It’s socialism with extra steps. You can just do regular socialism, you don’t need to enshitify socialism with capitalism. You really don’t.

              • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                7 months ago

                If we have the power to regulate pricing, why would we need UBI?

                Because no matter how low priced something is, someone who has no job still can’t afford it.

                • Wogi@lemmy.world
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                  7 months ago

                  So, provide the necessary things. Provide housing, medical care, and clothing to anyone that wants it, doing so will probably be necessary for price controls anyway. I’m not saying those things should be unobtainable. I’m saying UBI is a dumb way to go about providing them.

                  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                    7 months ago

                    So all food should be free? Or should poor people only be allowed to have certain foods for free but rich people can have anything they want to eat?