Has anyone listened Sam’s recent podcast with Andrew Yang? If so, what are your thoughts on the discussion, Universal Basic Income in general and Andrew Yang running for President?
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I heard part of this and was surprised to find myself liking the candidate and his views, but later on I came back to a more balanced view (taking into account that all candidates are good at putting their best foot forward and trying to make a sale) so fwiw, my thoughts were:
- liked the recognition that we are headed toward mass elimination of jobs, and use of the bullypulpit to ignite and continue the discussion.
- universal basic income of $1000/month (if I understood) comes from where now? That's quite a bit of money. I think this not only would lead to some sort of drastic violation of freedom, or put in other words would amount to some sort of violation of our constitution, but is not close to practicable/sustainable. That's just my initial guess.
- So, to connect this a bit to the socialism of Sanders, I really can't say I supported it, in the end, BUT some of his views were refreshing enough such that I could have voted for him over the proposed fascist anti-Constitutional bullying views of some of the Repub candidates, and hoped that for the most part the presidency of someone overtly advocating statism/socialism would emphasize airing of views and not full implementation of their less viable or defensible proposals.
- I liked hearing a dark horse being given a platform to discuss things calmly, and while some of his views are arguably fringe, the Repub party gets a massive "fail" from me as to the quality of all of its candidates, and the Dem party usually not doing much better, so it was great just to be reminded that there are probably many flawed-but-good candidates out there.
- coming back to the thought-provoking conversation on coming job loss, I think this was really interesting and hope that the conversation continues with this candidate and others. It calls into question a number of assumptions and points, including assumptions around the long-term viability of our overall economy as presently structured.
kmaz
Level 7
June 27, 2018
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Very good points. I agree the guy was likeable aside from his socialist views. He seemed to be of a moralistic mind and people’s political views rarely sway me to have negative opinions of them. People’s ideas about policies are just a small part of who they are as a person and I am always willing to hear them out.
I agree with the recognition of job loss point. It certainly needs to start being addressed more so that we are not found in a reactionary state when it does happen.
I don’t know how it would be sustainable either. The government putting out $12,000 per year per eligible person seems like a pipedream.
3rd point. Agreed. The sound of something verses the implementation of it is usually not well explained.
Yes, I do enjoy hearing people talk about the hard topics in a reasonable fashion. Yes, both the Dem and Rep have failed as anything resembling leadership. The political climate is a joke.
Job loss due to automation and AI is a favorite topic of mine to discuss. It will certainly affect the overall structure of how we live and operate. The fact that we can see it, discuss and get in front of it is a big plus. I can’t conceive what the answer(s) are, but if the discussion enters the social atmosphere, we can at least whiddle it down. One thing I try to think about is what jobs can’t be replaced and I think we’ll always have a need for doctors, scientists, engineers, teachers, mechanics, administration, business and arts. Im sure there is more, but even then I don’t think that would fill employment needs.
It did sound like he was making UBI his core, and only, platform. The challenge is that UBI has to be a replacement for current spending (i.e., eliminate unemployment insurance or workers comp).
Admin
Level 9
June 27, 2018
1
You’re right, it did seem like that was his only pitch for president. If employment really does go down, the number of claims for unemployment should go up with it anyway right? The UBI of $1000 is greater than any unemployment check and most likely would replace unemployment checks. Still would need more cuts for spending as you said. I can't see workers comp going away because if someone is emplyed in a largely unemployable economy, they would obviously make more and have higher living costs. Food stamps could completely go. Yea, I can see that being a challenge in order to “break even” with the cost of UBI. Not that I would even expect this kind of concept to break even.
On yang2020.com, he explains that the funds will be raised by implementing a VAT.
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