Comment by hal9000xp | Hacker News Reader

Comment by hal9000xp | Hacker News Reader

Yes, it's a free money! What else it could be??

You give free money to people who don't work (and probably don't want to work at all) and you naively expect them to have high-level of responsibility in the sense they eventually find a job and pay back money in form of taxes.

Do you know what's happen if you give free money to people? They just ask for more money! They won't feel guilty for not working because they would think it's rich people who has to pay back what they "stole from society" during last centuries. They would create complicated conspiracy stories which justify their side.

Many people (if not most!) are completely irresponsible for their own life. Face it! If it were not true, people in Russia wouldn't support paternalistic ideology of Putin's government, people in Venezuela wouldn't buy free-lunch ideology of Hugo Chavez, people around the world wouldn't believe in god to whom they would beg for solving their problems.

The only reason many people work (and contribute to economy) instead of drinking beer is that they need money for that beer. If you don't believe me, just go to Ibiza's San Antonio West End street and see how brits got wasted.

Perhaps, as a society, we don't need everyone "working" (as in participating in work-for-wages, as opposed to other forms of ad-hoc and uncompensated work). In fact, the idea that we do is very new - it's only really in the last 60 years or so that women, a good 50% of the working-age population, have entered the workforce.

Instead of using involuntary sexism as a basis for shrinking the working population, perhaps building a system in which working several hours 5-7 days a week for a wage is more voluntary would be a good thing and allow the rebuilding of communities and society.

Anecdotally, I have been on the receiving end of 'free' food and shelter from a friend or family member on several occasions (as an adult fully capable of working, but un- or under-employed). The benefits to my mental health were immediate and lasting, which in turn benefited those around me. I had free time and energy to further my education, write songs, produce videos, and try out some business ideas. I was also glad to take up more of the yuckier household chores, so those who were earning more wouldn't have to.

In the end, I found that yes, it was easier to be 'more lazy', but that allowing myself to didn't make me happier (more contented, perhaps, but not by much in the long run). I realized I would ultimately be better off bringing in more money doing something that matched well with my higher abilities.

As a man, it didn't fully occur to me until I read your comment how closely my experience matched that of housewives of the past-- many of whom, as it turned out, very much wanted to do more sophisticated and lucrative work once they had the chance.

Basic income should be perceived by everyone. Working or not.

Everyone, except for illnesses and severe disabilities, is actually working.

Why would you call worker someone with a salary on a construction company building other people houses but not someone, with UBI, building its own family house ?

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