this post was submitted on 05 Oct 2023
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OK, total personal income for the US is 21 trillion so you've raised $2.1t. 260 million adults. That's about $8000 each. Can you live off that? I'm not sure I could and I own my home outright.
If it's not enough to live off, it's not UBI.
8000 a year? That would be a huge help. Like it would alleviate almost all of my burdens.
When they live off, I think they mean is that enough to where you could live on that and not work. And the answer to that is no/not well in the majority of cases.
With no other income at all?
The point of UBI is that you could just live off that if you were frugal.
Everybody gets it of course, but you'd lose 10% of your current wages too. Everyone under $80k would be better off, everyone over that would be worse off.
The thing with UBI is that you'd lose all other state benefits too. Pretty much anything means tested would go and be replaced with one payment that everyone gets.
People live off one dollar per day.
The most expensive part is medical insurance. That has to come down to international standards. 300 dollars a month should be enough.
You need food from a central kitchen, about 1 dollar per day.
That leaves 4000 dollars for rent, clothing, phone and other expenses.
I think you can work out the next flaw in the plan for yourself.
You call it flaw, I call it obstacle.
If you look outside the US, you can get housing for a price that leaves enough of the 4000 for other expenses.
The easiest option is to connect some barren land to a city center with public transport in a climate zone that doesn't need much insulation. But that just as a proof of concept. More clever options can be realized.