scottsantens

scottsantens, 4 days ago to random

Stop trying to make poverty so complicated. It's a lack of money. Just move people above the poverty line with an unconditional universal basic income floor set at the poverty line or higher. Tax the rich more so that even though they get the UBI too, their after-tax incomes go down vs up.

scottsantens, 5 days ago to random

Stop insisting on work requirements. Just provide cash unconditionally. People will still work.

Stop insisting on targeting the poor. Just provide cash universally. Tax the rich more than the amount. That way we won't exclude anyone in need.

On these core tenets, Unconditional Universal Basic Income exists.

scottsantens, 6 days ago to random

Many politicians believe that when someone with a disability is married, it's the job of the spouse to pay for their disabled spouse's survival and thus PwD lose their SSI checks as a result of marriage and thus often "choose" to remain unmarried.

Unconditional Basic Income would change this. Marriage would never mean loss of one's UBI.

Also, because everyone gets UBI, no one with a disability would not get it, whereas with SSI, 4 out of 5 PwD don't get it.

image/jpeg

scottsantens, 8 days ago to random

Struggle should be, "I can't figure out how to make fusion energy work," not "I can't figure out how to not live in poverty despite being surrounded by abundance."

scottsantens, 9 days ago to random

The idea that we should earn our survival is a narrative rooted not in freedom, but in control. Universal basic income challenges this by asserting that access to basic needs isn't earned, it's a right. Let's shift the narrative. Survival amidst plenty shouldn't be up for debate.

scottsantens, 12 days ago to random

"One year into the [Basic Income for Artists] pilot, research suggests that the BIA payment is having a consistent, positive impact on almost all indicators; positively impacting practice development, sectoral retention, well-being, and lessening deprivation."

https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/fb393-arts-sector-gathers-to-discuss-status-of-the-artist-in-ireland-results-from-first-year-of-the-basic-income-for-the-arts-pilot/

scottsantens, 15 days ago to BasicIncome

Published a new article yesterday. This one's in response to Elon Musk talking about "universal high income" as opposed to universal basic income. In short, UBI can be any amount, although there are theoretical and practical limits to consider. #BasicIncome

https://www.scottsantens.com/universal-basic-income-or-universal-high-income-ubi-uhi-amount/

scottsantens, 17 days ago to random

Universal basic income is society as a whole saying to every individual member of society, "I have faith in you. Show me what you can do."

Anyone who has ever accomplished anything has first had someone in some way demonstrate their faith in them and their potential.

scottsantens, 18 days ago to random

Do not confuse welfare with Universal Basic Income. If you get $1k in welfare does it make sense to take a $1k job, lose your welfare and end up with the same $1k? No.

If you get $1k UBI, does it make sense to take a $1k job and end up with $2k? Yes.

This is why so many pilots show increases in work.

scottsantens, 20 days ago to random

To all the supporters of universal basic income out there, what happened to make you support it even more after you already came to support it?

For me it was learning the many dirty details of traditional welfare benefits and how programs like TANF are designed and treat people, and how many people in need they don't help.

scottsantens, 20 days ago to random

The 'godfather of AI' says the government will have to establish UBI to deal with the impact of AI on inequality.

"I was consulted by people in Downing Street and I advised them that universal basic income was a good idea."
—Geoffrey Hinton

He thinks that AI will increase productivity and wealth, but that the money will go to the rich and not the people whose jobs get lost and that’s "going to be very bad for society."

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cnd607ekl99o

scottsantens, 23 days ago to random

When we talk about Universal Basic Income, we're not dreaming of some fantasy utopia. We're advocating for a more equitable platform where everyone has the freedom to pursue their aspirations without the anchor of financial despair.

It's time to level the playing field.

Let's make UBI a reality.

scottsantens, 24 days ago to random

"Everyone has to work to eat (unless rich) or else no one will do any work" is such a messed up way of thinking about human behavior and our apparent need to sustain poverty to prevent the collapse of civilization.

Most everyone wants more than a poverty line unconditional basic income would provide.

scottsantens, 25 days ago to random

Money is like shit. If we spread it around, it functions as fertilizer, enabling incredible ideas to sprout and grow. If instead we just pile it up into mountains, it stinks and all the great stuff that could sprout and flourish is starved of nutrients.

Universal basic income is the good shit.

scottsantens, 26 days ago to random

Universal basic income mitigates tunneling, meaning that people are more able to think beyond just one focus. The need to earn survival income tends to function like blinders that block out everything else but your focus on basic needs. Until they're obtained, we can't think beyond.

scottsantens, 27 days ago to random

Happy Mothers Day to all the moms out there whose work goes unrecognized as work because it isn't paid, despite civilization not existing without that work, and yet who are told to fill out forms to prove they are working or seeking work in order to obtain help when they need it.

scottsantens, 28 days ago to random

Imagine a robot that can do anything a human does but faster and of greater quality. Also imagine one person owns all of them. Now ask a few questions.

1. How do humans buy what the robot makes?

2. Who owns the natural resources that the robot was built out of?

3. Did public money go into R&D?

4. Should one person be the beneficiary of a technology built by generations of humans all building off the work of previous generations?

5. Should citizens be treated like stockholders via dividends?

scottsantens, 29 days ago to random

I make a point of posting and amplifying posts about the concept of unconditional basic income. I do this in the hope of inspiring others to do the same. UBI isn't the only change we need to make, but I do believe it's the single most important one. If you agree, please help amplify UBI posts.

scottsantens, 30 days ago to random

Let's bust another myth wide open: Unconditional Basic Income isn't a handout; it's a ladder. It's about giving us all the rungs we need to climb out of the cycle of survival mode and into lives where we can truly thrive. Let’s build a society where no one has to start at level 0 with nothing.

scottsantens, 1 month ago to random

Day-to-day survival should not be our main gig.

Humanity is meant to do far more than just not die.

Unconditional basic income is the foundation for a humanity where survival is guaranteed, and figuring out how to truly thrive becomes our main gig.

scottsantens, 1 month ago to random

People with unconditional basic income reach for the key. They are free to think about things beyond their basic needs.

We have a society full of people reaching for the bread because it's all they're free to think about, and as long as that's true, they'll never be truly free.

scottsantens, 1 month ago to random

Everyone in Alaska has enjoyed a Universal Basic Income for over 40 years for just breathing in Alaska. Has it harmed them? No. Employment increased. Inflation slowed. Poverty went down. Obesity went down. Child abuse went down.

They basically used Thomas Paine's argument.

https://www.libertarianism.org/articles/thomas-paines-solution-poverty

scottsantens, 1 month ago to random

The irony isn't lost on me that the very folks crying out against Universal Basic Income are often the same ones benefitting from a myriad of hidden societal subsidies. From tax breaks to bailouts, we already live in a world where people get "free stuff" - it's just for the rich.

scottsantens, 1 month ago to random

The concept of Universal Basic Income isn't about discouraging hard work; it's about ensuring everyone has the fundamental necessities to survive. Our society should not be one where survival is a privilege. It's time we make it a right. Basic income is not charity; it's justice.

scottsantens, 1 month ago to random

Anyone who has ever dealt with the bureaucracy of proving you are in sufficient need of assistance to get assistance should recognize how huge of a difference unconditional basic income would be in our times of greatest need.