So, Prager U released a video bashing UBI today, and I won't do a super deep dive on it as it's a massive gish gallop of all of the usual talking points against it I'd expect from a conservative, and many of them aren't really that good or worth really considering at all. Still, being the UBI guy, I do want to address some.
Yes, we know that UBI will raise taxes. I support a $1250 UBI that costs $4.3 trillion. I know this will pretty much double our taxes. But I have found that despite that, 73% of workers would benefit directly, and scaling in families this goes over 80%.
You see, you're not gonna functionally pay back a $15000 UBI until you earn $75000 through working. And given every family member gets a UBI, this can often scale much better.
The same applies to Yang's plan. You would need to spend $120000 to break even on his VAT tax, anyone under that is a net beneficiary.
Yes, I'm aware if you print money that would be dangerously inflationary. I don't advocate for doing that.
Yes, we need other programs than just UBI. Medicare for all, free college, and a housing program are top priorities of mine along side a UBI as those three industries seem to suffer the most extreme market failures and UBI would be unable to properly provide for them.
Yes, people might sit on the couch, but most evidence shows that people would continue to work.
You even cited the UBI study later done in finland in which they found no more people were employed than under their unemployment system. But the same applies the other way, people werent particularly less likely to work either, and this effect has been replicated over and over again. Because UBI can be designed to both give people a basic amount of money, but not enough to discourage useful work.
I say useful work because I don't fetishize employment for its own sake. Screw your stupid "dignity that comes from work", whenever I see anyone, left or right, push that idea, I can't help but think of a certain phrase a certain german had about their super not cool death camps. It's a completely arbitrary idea that humans came up with to try to justify people working.
On the topic of personal responsibility, it's good to some degree, but I don't fetishize it. Also I feel like UBI empowers people and provides them the same dignity without work. You might wanna read Charles' Murray's book on that one.
And oh, purpose? Yeah, screw your purpose. That crap comes from the protestant work ethic and christianity. Let people find their own purpose, not have it imposed on them via authoritarianism from the state or church. let's get calvinism out of our economics once and for all. I admit I intend to replace that with nihilism and absurdism, but I'd rather people figure out their own purposes than literally live out the myth of sisyphus.
Im not a fan of social cohesion, I'm a fan of freedom. But this guy did just give away the game in saying that social cohesion is a primary purpose behind the work ethic. Basically, because some have to work, conservatives want all to "share in the misery" and find meaning and purpose and solidarity with others through work. I don't value these things, i see them as authoritarian. I value freedom and liberty.
Also, don't get me started on how the cohesion narrative is BS anyway, the right has been pushing their form of grievance politics against minorities and allegedly lazy people for decades. They dont value cohesion. Half of their voter base votes for them because of a white hot rage that other people that they don't approve of exist.
I'm not interested in being forced to live out the myth of sisyphus so that I might find meaning in my suffering dude, and also hate on everyone who doesnt suffer like I do.
Yes, if UBI is implemented, it will be hard to repeal it, that's the point. i don't want what happened to the child tax credit happen to UBI. I want it to be a third rail of politics like social security.
And yes, the amount will have to be raised over time. I already advocate for $1250 a month because $1000 a month was so 2014. Inflation happens, ya know?
And back to Finland, so...they found people to be happy...and that doesn't matter to you? I mean, you give away the plot in being like "well duh, they're getting free money!" Shouldn't that mean that basic income is a good thing? Shouldn't we want people to be happy? Then you realize these guys' idea of life is based in calvinism and shared suffering building solidarity with others so i guess not.
Honestly, conservatives are gonna crap on good things. because their ideology is anti good things. They're a bunch of regressives who think that suffering is good and provides dignity and purpose, and their worldview is literally based on one of the more batcrap insane versions of christianity.
In leaving christianity in 2012, I abandoned these attitudes for good, and I rebuilt my ideology without them. And that's why I support UBI, because I have HUMANIST ethics, not conservative religious ones. This guy is just spending half the video claiming about the fiscal problems and the other half complaining about his own ideology's moral problems. But as an ex conservatives, i say screw their ideology. There's a reason I keep saying conservatism is intellectually and morally bankrupt. And this is why.
But yeah, that's my summarized approach to the points in his video, and it only took me a bit longer than the video itself did. Honestly...it didn't deserve much more attention than that.
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