> people will not vote for welfare unless it's means tested
I would. We have so much wealth, food and stuff in Western countries. We could provide a basic level of comfortable living for anyone with no strings attached. We could then remove minimum wage and all the things we do to subsidise low income workers and let the market find the floor that motivates people to work for a more luxurious existence.
Not that it would ever happen. I feel like a significant number would rather people would just die rather than being poor and "lazy". Of course, if you're rich and lazy, no matter how the riches were acquired, that's fine.
> We have so much wealth, food and stuff in Western countries. We could provide a basic level of comfortable living for anyone with no strings attached. We could then remove minimum wage and all the things we do to subsidise low income workers and let the market find the floor that motivates people to work for a more luxurious existence.
1. How is a system fair in which some people work producing food and other people get that food for free? The people who work will not put up with such a system. Why should they?
2. In such a system, over time, fewer and fewer people will choose to work. The economy will shrink, the country will become poor, and it will no longer be able to afford UBI.
When we have robots performing labor then we can reassess all this. Until then, means tested welfare is the only acceptable kind.
Are you saying that you'd rather live a very basic life with no work? That's the compromise I offered - a life of basic amenities without the system hassling you, and if you want more than that then you'd need to start working.
> In such a system, over time, fewer and fewer people will choose to work. The economy will shrink, the country will become poor
I don't think this would be a change for a lot of people, I certainly want more than the basics.
> How is a system fair in which some people work producing food and other people get that food for free
Our current systems are far from fair. Probably less fair than this by a long way. If you are a farmer and produce food what do you care where it goes so long as you're compensated for it?
I would. We have so much wealth, food and stuff in Western countries. We could provide a basic level of comfortable living for anyone with no strings attached. We could then remove minimum wage and all the things we do to subsidise low income workers and let the market find the floor that motivates people to work for a more luxurious existence.
Not that it would ever happen. I feel like a significant number would rather people would just die rather than being poor and "lazy". Of course, if you're rich and lazy, no matter how the riches were acquired, that's fine.