
‘Universal Basic Income Doesn’t Work’ Says New Prime Example of Fake News - 2noame
https://medium.com/basic-income/universal-basic-income-doesnt-work-says-new-prime-example-of-fake-news-60ea1983b6c4
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ve55
These are all very common tricks that are often used by even the highest-
profile publications. It might not have much to do with anti-UBI sentiment
rather than just for-profit/click motivations, but I cannot personally know
either way.

Although I do disagree with the author when they suggest that we can easily
generalize results across countries, stating:

>As the behavioral economist Dan Ariely replied when asked if what is being
learned in GiveDirectly’s 12-year UBI experiment in Kenya could be applied to
the US, “If you think about the fundamental aspect that you’re testing, people
are people.”

We know there will be fundamental similarities, but countries are vastly
different and have vastly different problems, and direct political comparisons
are thus rarely fair. For UBI to actually be implemented within a country like
the US, you need a lot more than just a small trial in Kenya. Even performing
trials in 'more similar' countries like the UK and Canada leaves a lot to be
desired.

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nudpiedo
I don't like articles like this one, they start claiming a tutorial on how to
identify fake news, and it ends up selling us a _personal opinion_ on the
opposite opinion they are judging, which at the same time can be judged by the
same principles. These principles are highly subjective and the same can be
used to disprove reality and authentic facts which we dislike, in addition, it
is completely charged by a highly polemic topic; probably as much as communism
was on its origins: there were also small communities which saw success in
communism and many of these experiments and studies divided academics and
experts of the time.

Teaching against fake news disproving someone's opinion while pushing for an
opinion of our own between lines is like saying that the evil is in there, and
then listen to me, I am the truth.

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hartator
> It is an observable fact that unconditional basic income reduces stress.
> This fact is indisputable.

Except that's the reverse is true too.

An increase in tax expenses lead to an increase in stress. And to distribute
$1,000 per month, you are gonna have to collect way more than $1,000 per
month.

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microwavecamera
> And to distribute $1,000 per month, you are gonna have to collect way more
> than $1,000 per month

You might want to check your math there but I'm glad you said it. This is a
popular misconception of universal basic income. It's an investment not an
expense. People who receive basic income immediately spend it on taxed goods
and services provided by businesses who in turn pay taxes on their profits.
Businesses in turn use the added profits to expand, consuming more taxable
goods and services and creating additional jobs which minimize reliance on
public services like universal basic income and allows comsumers to purchase
more taxable goods and services. Wash, rinse, repeat. Ultimately it's a net
gain for the economy as a whole.

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hartator
The $1,000 per month doesn't come from nowhere. The government has no way to
create additional value from thin air. It will have been spent in the economy
anyway. And every time governments try to steer the economy in a certain way
the overhaul it create far overweight any upsides. So it's negative feedback
loop, not a positive one.

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akvadrako
The advantage of UBI and why it's supported by well-known libertarians, is
that it involves less steering than other social programs.

