Why we should give everyone a basic income | Rutger Bregman | TEDxMaastricht

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Rutger Bregman (1988) studied at Utrecht University and the University of California in Los Angeles, majoring in History. In September 2013 Bregman joined the online journalism platform De Correspondent. His article on basic income was nominated for the European Press Prize and was published by The Washington Post.
In September 2013 Bregman joined the online journalism platform ‘De Correspondent’. His article on basic income was nominated for the European Press Prize and was subsequently also published by the American newspaper The Washington Post. In September 2014 his newest book ‘Gratis geld voor iedereen En nog vijf grote ideeën die de wereld kunnen veranderen’ came out.
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[@ohwhatworld5851]

People don't want to be rich, they just want to be secure. Food, a nice but modest home, family and friends. That is what people really want.

[@ThePeterDislikeShow]

I read somewhere that people would rather be poorer and more equal.

[@nonetaken7873]

So they should get a job or start a business and earn those things, not steal them from someone else.

[@Marialla.]

There are many serious barriers that are put in place by the system itself that make it extremely difficult for the poorest people to ever climb past that economic threshold into middle class. Just saying "get a job" ignores these difficulties. Probably you say that because you have no idea about these barriers, and that's not your fault. The system doesn't advertize them, because it wants to appear "fair" to everyone.

[@nonetaken7873]

All the problems that tear jerking story girl there have alluded to are exclusively caused by the government. Trying to start yet another government program to counter the effects of previous programs is totally counterproductive. In a free market there are always plenty of jobs and economic opportunities. The government takes this away by creating monopolies, price controls, taxation, regulation, barriers to entry, etc. The real solution is less government, not more government. Welfare is extremely destructive, maybe even more so that warfare. It is destroying Sweden, it is destroying America, Along with big government it's is basically destroying all of western civilization.

[@raysommers2903]

Really, just because they "want" things is no reason it should be given to them. Let them earn it like the rest of us working saps.

[@jish55]

To every naysayer about this. I'll give you an example of how well it's worked. Back in 2008, a German catholic church did a social experiment by giving each individual within the African town of Namibia, the Equivalent of $12 US dollars, which to them was enough to survive each month comfortably. They did this from January of 2008 and ended it in December of 2009 (about 2 years). What they discovered is that it not only helped the people, but the people used it properly, they didn't squander it, they didn't stop working, but the economy boomed and not only did crime go down immensly, but education rose as more students went to school. This alone is proof that it can work wonders and even proves that most people will not abuse it.

[@cawheeler27]

David Frigault that would defeat the purpose of a universal income. As soon as you set conditions, you introduce means testing and all of the inefficiencies that go along with it. You'll have to trust other people, or it doesn't work.

[@cawheeler27]

That type of system is inherently less efficient. If the government is going to pay directly to my landlord, someone has to be employed to set that up. That is expensive. We already do this with welfare today. In one of our programs, TANF, 53% of the money we spend on it goes towards ensuring people aren't wasting the money. That's just idiotic. And why should the government be telling people what's best for them? I find that offensive. I don't need more government paternalism. If people make bad choices, that'll be on them, it isn't the role of government to keep people from making stupid decisions. Just give people the money and tell them that the choices they make are on them, so they should make good ones.

[@KungFuChess]

David Frigault We already have this its called food stamps and section A housing which has layers of bureaucracy attached to it. If you were homeless with no income and were given 2k a month I can guarantee you most definitely wouldnt squander it unnecessarily.

[@KungFuChess]

David Frigault Obviously not the same thing but they are a form of welfare controlled by govt. All that policing you propose will just lead to more bureaucracy.

[@aleatoriac7356]

Caleb Wheeler Anonymity and privacy have to pretty much vanish for this to work. If people have no choice but to trust each other... I wonder if they would? A year I ago I was completely terrified of this concept. But now... Some skeptical thinking has helped me see this is probably the best way to go. I know - in the wrong hands this is fascism, but implemented properly, wow.

[@MrKirbinio]

now that I think about it I don't want to be rich .. I just want to be free

[@Orf]

+MrKirbinio bingo

[@salasvalor01]

What's your background?

[@DavidTitus_]

Yep. #FreedomOverForcedLuxury

[@nowheretosit]

+Max A. That's moronic. It's a win-lose situation because one side is forced at gunpoint to give up their money. It's robbery is what it is.

[@nowheretosit]

Socialism has always been a dead end, both logically and historically. There's nothing there but corruption and economic collapse. Socialism has every bad property in the book, from extreme centralization of power to lack of work incentives to waste of public resources. It's just a vote buying gimmick to get young fools to vote for corrupt politicians.

[@narekounanian9037]

Universal basic income would certainly solve many major problems of the world and pull millions of people out of misery.

[@MaruskaStarshaya]

hahaha

[@merlin3921]

Where does the money come from?

[@jamesanton3000]

Neil it comes from taxes on the richest people and corporations

[@merelaartman5046]

@@jamesanton3000 they don't pay taxes

[@Starwars277]

James Anton so socialism?

[@nvheesify]

I personally do not need a basic income, but I thought about what it would do for me. I am pretty sure it would increase my job mobility and geographic mobility. It would take away some of the fear and worry surrounding changing jobs. I would gain more, and more diverse, work experience. I would choose more innovative and more risky fields of work. Which, all in total, would make me happier anymore productive. I would also be happy for other people to have a basic income because I would not be confronted with people in dire need every day. I would rather spend my charity work time on helping people educate themselves than on trying to keep people from starving.

[@MaruskaStarshaya]

it will force you to leave your job one day. Same will be with others - no one will work, but keep demand. Great future is coming - whole world will turn to Africa

[@Syklonus]

@@MaruskaStarshaya Define "work"? You are clinging to the old notion of "job" as the only definition of work, when there is so much positive activity in the world to be done for the greater good and not just corporate profit. Take your thought process out of the 20th century.

[@MaruskaStarshaya]

@@Syklonus hahah, show me someone who is voluntary work at least 6-8 hours on weekends or on their vacation. No one. That's why there will be no service, no medical treatment, no transportation in case of airplane travel and other things. Those 2-4 hours you will do is will be referred to dish washing, cleaning and laundering and you will be done. People by it's nature are lazy and seeking for comfort, not for issues to solve.

[@mbrightster]

@@MaruskaStarshaya nope. You are cynical and short sighted.

[@MaruskaStarshaya]

@@mbrightster lol. So you wanna say you would voluntarily work? Full 8 hours?

[@bloodystuff13]

$1000 dollars a month would pay majority of my basic bills. I live very frugally and with my bills paid, I will be able to use 90% of the money from my two jobs to spend more time with my family (I see my parents once a year because they are out of state and I cannot afford plane tickets and my car is too old to make the drive), it would allow me to finally pursue the things I love (Personal training, spending time outdoors, etc.) UBI would create a healthy social environment for everyone in this country by taking the boot off our throats just to survive. I’ve become introverted because I know I cannot afford things so I’ve reclused myself to sit at home, go to the gym, go to work, and maybe hangout once a week when I can afford it. This will spark the creative genius and so many others minds and will revolutionize our society

[@elliotkim13]

Anyone else here because of Andrew Yang?

[@5linx4lif]

Elliot Kim yes sir

[@michelemarie1276]

Yep

[@dorisemrich448]

Yes, Andrew Yang is our man.

[@andywomack3414]

Nope, watched the previous Ted and think the idea is worth considering so let this play as well. Andrew Yang should have a place among Sanders advisors. Tulsi Gabbard Sec of State or Defense Liz Warren Senate Majority leader That's a part of my dream team. Thanks for the Yang addition to that list.

[@homerenjan]

Yup

[@peterwarner553]

After contemplating what I would do if I was given enough money to cover my living expenses, I'd immediately move to working 3 days per week and go to university to gain the qualifications for more meaningful and rewarding employment.

[@keithpanton]

A line in particular stood out for me 'each man given this money knew what would be best for him'. This is why we don't need food stamps, restrictive benefit payments on cards, and voucher systems. Give a poor man cash, and you'll see a man who knows how to get the most out of that money. Sure, a minority will 'waste' it, but the majority will do what they can to help themselves, and we shouldn't hamstring that ability by locking assistance down to only the ways we feel the poor should be allowed to help.

[@siddheshpatwardhan4920]

Andrew Yang 2020

[@lucaa.9709]

😥😥😥😥😭😭😭😭

[@adarkimpurity]

£1000 x 12 months x 66,000,000 people = £792 Billion Astonishingly, for 2019, total public revenue was £792 billion for the UK. We could do it here, but would have no NHS, schools, military, police, other social protection, many other Gov costs etc... I'm sure we could raise taxes or lower the monthly amount, also the extra VAT circulating will increase some revenues. For 2020, total public revenue is budgeted at £811.4 billion so we're already close to some form of feasibility!

[@zlatko8051]

@@adarkimpurity They're talking about America, and the NHS is that much of a train crash failure.

[@AZN234]

Universal Basic Income concept did not actually came from socialism.. Far from it.. It's a concept closer to capitalism mostly favored by the 1% who hold the most concentration of capital who also desired lesser social safety net costs.. Please see Milton Friedman's explanation of Universal Basic Income.. Universal Basic Income - Brought to you by Soros...

[@adarkimpurity]

@Reuben Thomasson I did watch it, I'm not arguing you can't use other instruments etc. Just a tangible brass-tax look at the rough numbers. Debt isn't always bad, especially for the people getting paid the interest, but a model that doesn't rely on it as much is a much better/stable model in any case.

[@richasinh]

Poverty is not lack of character, it is just lack of money - amazing insight !! May there be prosperity in every life 💐

[@davidking4779]

I strongly disagree.

[@loriwbahadur]

@@davidking4779 ... So, you would give up all your money to prove you're right in mind and deed, to support your beliefs; correct?

[@davidking4779]

@@loriwbahadur You socialists are so anxious for working people to give their money to you. I don't need to give up my accomplishments to prove what I know about poor and poverty. I was born into a migrant farm working family who had no money for many years, but they were not poverty. We were hard working clean law biding people who lived by Christian morals. We were dust bowl, post depression immigrants to the west coast from Oklahoma. We were uneducated, we talked differently and we lived with many prejudices against us. I doubt that you know much about poverty or being poor personally.

[@xxNATHANUKxx]

@@davidking4779 Your story is excellent but statically speaking the poor arent lazy and there are many factors out of their hands that can lead to poverty. At the end of the day, an individual can make their own lives better, but SOMEONE has to work the jobs that pay little ie cleaners etc because society doesn't function without them and the free market isn't willing to pay it a respectful wage

[@davidking4779]

@@xxNATHANUKxx I was born poor, but no one in my group was lazy. You do have to work your way up the value ladder in order to get the highest reward for your labors. There is a need for unskilled labor and many are content staying in those positions, while many use them as a stepping stone on their way up the value scale. Free market is always willing to pay for the value of labor, look at what the trades today are paid in comparison to 30 or so years ago. My son is a $100+ per hour contractor. He worked his way up from being just a $15 per hour laborer. Many are content to stay as a laborer and do, less responsibility.

[@JoliArtist]

If quantum physicists are right and this is in fact a simulation, then a basic income makes sense. Even "The Sims" starts every player out with a modest home, simple furniture and a few simoleons in the bank. Same with monopoly: everyone starts off with $1500 plus $200 whenever you pass go. The game would be a lot less fun if one player started out with negative -$500 and another player started out with a small loan of a million dollars from their father...

[@anoniem32]

Great point! 😂

[@rickrandom6734]

In monopoly different persons gets rich and different people end up broke if it is played many times. Same would be true in life if we could get another try.

[@GolDRoger-kn5kw]

realistic monopoly game would be one player owning the bank, all others just have bank accounts at his bank and he decides to inflate money by printing new money whenever he likes to

[@unknownx7252]

Love, your comment, monopoly and the game from rich dad poor dad is what I thought about when I first learned of UBI.

[@mikedbconnect]

@@GolDRoger-kn5kw That may be, but the idea of universal basic income is not to destroy capitalism or competition, rather to encourage more players into the game more often and, by granting each player a small base from which to play more creatively, improve the game and the playing experience. As an individual, what would you do with your time if you didn't need to stress about water, food, housing, transport, electricity, healthcare, education and other modern essentials?

[@jakegamesnake]

Basic income won't kill incentive because people can earn more money by working. It'll just make people happier because they won't have to work just to pay the bills. They can choose jobs that they WANT to do.

[@LazyCrazyCat2]

Yeah, and who would like to work as a lumberjack, garbage collector or miner?

[@jakegamesnake]

LazyCrazyCat2 Good point. To be honest I'm seriously grateful just for housing benefit in the UK. If I had to pay rent I would be living with my parents like forever.

[@jameswhite3415]

+LazyCrazyCat2 Automated robots love that kind of work and slowly evreything else

[@ansoc1173]

+LazyCrazyCat2 People who can do those jobs and want extra money to afford luxuries for their families, such as vacations, cars, their own home, etc... Only difference now is that they would be much happier because they wouldn't need to worry about having to work in order to survive.

[@LouSaydus]

Robots. Or those jobs would be really high paid jobs and miner, garbage collectors, plumbers and other "mundane" jobs would live like rockstars when not at work.

[@CartoonManWhoo]

ANDREW YANG in the US is the only candidate for this!

[@vinhqngouoc]

Burnie, hilarious Hillary are for Ubi however Yang got balls to bringing it forward along with his game changer policy in democracy dollars. Legalized all drugs (Portuguese model). Vote Yang

[@thezyreick4289]

yet everyone is opposed to trump actually doing it, yet he still does do it cause he don't give a damn what they think.

[@albertdaza9782]

Wow,!!! That's amazing... I'm living in the Philippines where majority of the people are struggling against poverty and no one seems to care about all of what you've said..no one,including our politicians and government.. Thank you for the enlightenment, Mr.Bergman..

[@Orf]

9:00 poverty is not a lack of character. It is a lack of money.

[@verifymyageful]

Yea, but often the lack of money is due to a lack of character.

[@Orf]

***** I agree that is often the case. But I'd argue most people who are poor, are poor because of conditions outside their control. Lack of education, jobs, being born into poverty,...bad luck really.

[@Justin-hb9wc]

they have no character because poverty destroys their soul

[@THECIGARRALPHY]

+Matt Orfalea some of that is true but they don't have to stay poor. They can change there circumstances if they stay there in a ball crying about there situation that's where they will die. Yes some of us were born into poverty but none of us have to stay. Shit is not perfect in the world but atlas there in the states we have the freedom to go out and make a change to our situation.

[@verifymyageful]

***** I live in an area on the border of poverty and wealth. The ghetto area has schooling provided to them - just like with anywhere else. The issue is that their particular subculture does not value education in the same way. There is a much deeper issue that simply giving people money will not fix. It is a cultural issue/mindset, which can be seen clearly through the high crime rates and drug abuse.

[@sonicbroom8522]

"The Greeks in their era of greatness had only contempt for work: their slaves alone were permitted to labor: the free man knew only exercises for the body and mind. And so it was in this era that men like Aristotle, Phidias, Aristophanes moved and breathed among the people... The philosophers of antiquity taught contempt for work, that degradation of the free man, the poets sang of idleness, that gift from the Gods." -Paul Lafargue Automation + Basic Income = Liberation

[@munkhtulgabattogtokh1602]

You're saying modern slaves are robots? Sacrifices of slavery is often said to be the boom of knowledge in the West. So what you say make sense

[@wolfy6500]

I don't think that's how economy works....

[@R251400]

@Sofia X Africans were enslaving each other & sold slaves to the Arabs & Europeans.

[@willhelmberkly3025]

"Re-segregate Baseball!"- Scoop Dunbarton

[@TanPham-sn3fc]

We should go a step further by making foods, accommodation, health care and education free for everyone if we are going to abolish poverty. These are the basic needs of a society.

[@samantha5384]

But who pays for it? If all that is now free, how do people working in those professions get payed? How do doctors get payed? The teachers, the cooks? Are they just supposed to do it for free out of the goodness of their hearts?

[@jamesbarbour8400]

​@@samantha5384 furthermore, just where does all the money for this UBI come from in the first place ! ? Is there a magic money tree somewhere that I don't know about ! ?

[@summondadrummin2868]

One thing People ought to note is its the flow of currency which drives the economy. The Basic income would be the equivalent of making the desert bloom where it formerly was well a desert...Technological unemployment is inevitable and already happening... Also simply people we need to experiment and The Basic Income is a great Experiment!!

[@briandbeaudin9166]

"Desert bloom" --fantastic analogy!

[@fleur-de-lis_uk_usa]

I dare to hope that this idea is embraced by leaders around the world because I know from experience that you need a certain amount of money to keep your dignity and move your life forward. Since the results from programs like this are overall positive for EVERYONE, it seems like a no brainer... but prejudice and lack of empathy may mean that it will never happen 😢

[@TheTTstudio]

ANDREW YANG will make it happen!!! Let's do this everyone. Vote for Andrew Yang for the next president of the United state!

[@vinhqngouoc]

Spread the word. Vote Yang

[@SuperMustache555]

Well this is disappointing

[@thehikikomoripact]

Spoiler from the Future. He drops out and Endorses Joe Biden.

[@AZN234]

Universal Basic Income concept did not actually came from socialism.. Far from it.. It's a concept closer to capitalism mostly favored by the 1% who hold the most concentration of capital who also desired lesser social safety net costs.. Please see Milton Friedman's explanation of Universal Basic Income.. Universal Basic Income - Brought to you by Soros...

[@Photik]

Yang 2024.

[@tranquiloSU05]

It’s not left or right, it’s Forward. We are the owners and shareholders of our country.

[@larsjj2794]

This speaks to me very much, because my partner and I have realistic ambitions, about studying, working and moving. But it's always a lack of money that holds us back. Not a lot, but just not enough to do proper saving, to invest and to grow. We get around, we're not poor, we're comfortable. But at the moment we're stuck to our wallet and moving forward goes slowly.

[@n2nurulnadia]

Hello, I'm intrigued by your insight. May I ask, let's say UBI is implemented now. How much should UBI be for your financial to be enough? Because I think the definition of enough is different for everyone. What if UBI is implemented but we still lack money? Would UBI be effective then?

[@larsjj2794]

@@n2nurulnadia we're just not able to put money aside. Sometimes we to, we save some, but in the end it's emergency savings. When somethings up with the car, or a new washing machine. But just not enough to pay for a descent study, or to move to another place with more opportunities. And that's frustrating. With ubi would could cover our basic needs and use the rest for building a future, buying a house, et.

[@deborahbaca1345]

So interesting to see the quality of men who believe in UBI. Such compassionate, intelligent respectful humans. So refreshing. AY46 "Corporations of today are like the monarchy of the past."

[@theFutureSoundWaves]

I came to Canada/Quebec as a skilled IT professional, I speak 4 languages fluently, I had a job before, a career going on a good path. Only to discover that all my university education and work experience is completely discarded and disregarded in Canada. I've been unemployed for more than 4.5 years out of the last 6 years. All I am dreaming of now is to get any normal job just to be able to save a bit and get out of here. It's better to work for China or Russia for a stable income of 1500-2000 dollars/month than to live in poverty and unemployment in (a dying, sinking) North America and being regarded as complete trash.

[@isabelanegoita2300]

When asked to imagine an ideal world, ever since I was little, I always thought of this concept. I'm glad to find out that it has a name and I'm not crazy, it's something other people believe in

[@BLINDTUBEMARES]

I've been thinking along these lines for a few years. It started when there was a news story saying that one of Britain's unions (can't remember which now) had proposed that we should work less hours per week for the same amount of pay. Similarly, it sounds crazy at first but my view was, and is, that if progress can't make all our lives easier and more enjoyable what's the point of progress?

[@tonywang9032]

Yang2020

[@kareldezoonvanbennie]

Are you familiar with the "pyramid of maslow" ? Its a theory of hierarchy of needs, so if you are poor the only thing on your mind is how do i get enough money to buy food and pay rent. So you are stuck in your mind! Always thinking of how do i make it to the next month. So you can't contribute to society in a way that you would if you where free of that problem, you can have an open mind if you don't have to care for money. With a open mind you can create more ideas.

[@MaruskaStarshaya]

next step: people will demand brand clothes, computers, cars, big houses, alcohol, free prostitutes, jewelry and so on. Let people to get all of this by their labor!

[@MelvinGundlach]

Maruha Starshaya Which is the idea of UBI. It covers the very basics and you work for everything else.

[@bogartchichi]

Owe I don’t need to think about it. It’s a good idea I’m 55 seems a long way to 62 this is the worst time it’s ever been . This just look around. Andrew Yang needs to win in 2020. Trickle up Economics!!

[@darkultra9605]

If he doesn't win then America loses

[@TheAlibabatree]

@@darkultra9605 America lost.

[@tomaalimosh]

Just imagine all the money you save by eliminating the bureaucracy of social security. You'd get rid of all that by using guaranteed basic income.

[@dodec8449]

tomaalimosh Would the sick and elderly for example get the same amount of basic income? I think they wil get less money they get now from the government.

[@aleatoriac7356]

tomaalimosh Add some technological advances that are rapidly approaching... this will become the only moral choice, the vast majority of Humans will be displaced by automation and AI. Recycling and better energy sources will allow a major change in the way things are done.

[@Rainofskulz]

IThinkWithMy Liver Yea violence is strongly correlated with stress/poverty and with this violence would be significantly reduced BUT it should still _exist_ for the rare crazy guy although significantly downsized.

[@Brickwallhood1]

+tomaalimosh Or any other "financial help" that the government already provides such as WIC, food stamps, etc.

[@StephenKavanagh]

Should be based on current cost of living ensuring everyone has access to an acceptable standard of living!

[@5linx4lif]

That’s why Yang2020 is so important.💰🇺🇸🦅

[@SometimesCompitent]

Wow this is the best TEDtalk I've ever seen

[@Sugho2023]

I hope it doesn't take 30 years. I think we should already have it. Jobs are disappearing everyday because of automation. Social security is bullshit, it takes lots of paperwork, periodic show ups and many other humiliating things. Just start small, no need to start with 1000€ a month. Start with 400€ a month in 2020 for example. With 400€ a month i would pay all my bills, water, internet, gas, electricity and 1-2 weeks of food. Then with the money i earn from working i would be able to invest in myself to finish my studies and get a better life and contribute more to society. And i wouldn't need to accept jobs that offer ridiculous salaries, extra unpaid hours or abusive employers. Basic income still this decade!!!

[@mikemartin8495]

Andrew yang for president 2020 🇺🇸

[@azioprism3635]

*i cant fucking wait for 30-50 years jeezus...*

[@panpiper]

There will be a few people in the world that will not have to wait that long. There are a number of countries talking about starting 'experiments' to see how it affects a small community. (This despite the fact that those experiments have already been performed and they were already a resounding success.) So far it is just talk. Those experiments will take several years. Then it will take several more years for any political will to go further to build up. Finally there is a chance that maybe one country somewhere in the world, will actually implement this in maybe ten or fifteen years. Once that solitary country has it running for several years and other nations start to realize that not only did that country not collapse under the financial strain, it is actually thriving, Some other country will decide to try it too. (A basic income could be provided for no additional budget strain simply by restructuring existing transfer income programs to work as a basic income.) That second country will be fifteen to twenty years from now. Very slowly, the rest of the world will start to adopt it, especially when their unemployment crises reaches the thirty to forty percent level. The basic problem is that people are both ignorant and stupid. If you ask people on the street about basic income, 99% won't have the first clue what you are talking about. If you take the time to explain it to them, the majority will not be in favor of it, because they don't like the idea of paying people who are doing nothing. This despite the fact that we are in fact doing precisely that right now. The difference is that right now we pay them as long as they are not working, which is the literal equivalent of paying them to 'not' work! A basic income pays them whether they are working or not, but if they are working comfortably, simply taxes it back. Worse than the people being ignorant and stupid, politicians are both ignorant and corrupt. They are utterly clueless about economics, almost as much as the populace in general, but worse is their fundamental corruption. In order to get anything done, they must stay in power. To get into and stay in power, they must coddle special interests, ultimately betraying every principle they ever had, all to achieve power. Once they have power, they have to continue their prostitution to special interests simply to maintain power. The idea of actually putting their necks out to do what is right for their country is of very little concern. These ignorant and corrupt politicians will do nothing until the ignorant and stupid public believes in something enough to actually make it happen. That is not going to happen any time soon. If you want to have it happen sooner, spend the next couple of decades doing as I do, writing post after post after post desperately trying to get people to understand the idea.

[@jalem1066]

Keep helping people understand this important idea, friend!

[@captntwinklestar2568]

maybe just work instead of being lazy bums

[@panpiper]

+Capt'n TwinkleStar And what of the single mom whose deadbeat husband ditched her with infants to raise on her own, are her children to starve because you think she is a "lazy bum"? What of those crippled by disease and infirmity? What about those who got laid off of their thirty year job and are now essentially unemployable in their fifties and sixties with skills completely out of date? There is not an infinity of jobs for such people, indeed there are virtually no jobs for such people.

[@captntwinklestar2568]

Peter Cohen Moot point. I'm sure you're aware of this, but there are welfare benefits for unique cases like that. But hand out 1k to every single lazy 20 year old? No. It would cause massive inflation and jacked up living costs

[@lbranta1]

it is amazing how many people are closed minded to new ideas.

[@davidking4779]

Getting something for nothing is not a new idea.

[@nebularain3338]

@@davidking4779 It's not something for nothing. It's a small fraction of the collective wealth of a nation redistributed to give people a basic standard of life. It's called being civilised. We do it here in the UK and we call it the NHS.

[@davidking4779]

@@nebularain3338 Government is taking away too many small fractions and they add up to a large fraction. I am sorry, but I don't want the lifestyle afforded the people in the UK. I think our current lifestyle is superior to yours. Take from people to give to people is what I fear. I do not want to join a Communist collective, I want a benevolent free market association based on personal freedom and responsibility.

[@annaynely]

David king the system you want does not exist any longer. It is disintegrating and a new world is emerging. AI, nanotech,3D printing, automation advanced tech in general people who want to keep living in the system of the past are obsolete you just don't know what you are saying.

[@davidking4779]

@@annaynely One of us doesn't know what we are saying, that is true. Technology doesn't erase freedom, it expands it's possibilities, as it does all other possibilities. Freedom seems to be obsolete because of the Socialist pressures against it. Freedom and free markets are not bad, they are just under extreme pressure for those trying to limit both for their advantage. Central power and control is the ideology embraced by the younger people today and I have never seen were that was the best system in the end. It is interesting that in our society the young keep telling the old that they don't know what they are saying. My 70 years of experience is not as valuable as your four years of study and lack of personal experience, I am not so sure. You may not agree, but I absolutely know what I am saying.

[@AnnoyedDragon]

The economy is pretty much on life support at this point, because Capital have squeezed Labour for decades by taking away their security and stagnating their wages, relying on cheap credit to top up the difference so they can still go out and buy the latest widget. But the the chickens have come home to roost now, the 2008 crisis saw the end to cheap credit and the illusion evaporated. We have seen a change in consumer habits from luxury and mainstream brands to cheap alternatives, supermarkets are the clearest example of this. People are dumping ASDA, Morrisons, TESCO etc. and are now doing their shopping at Aldi, a cheapo store they would once turn their noses up to. Creating a race to the bottom in that sector, with the workforce and suppliers being forced to accommodate these tighter margins. A poorer society means once successful businesses go under, with the remaining having to adapt to survive. They often do this at the expense of the labour force, creating an never ending spiral of impoverishment as workers on lower pay chase cheaper goods. People forced onto zero hour contracts and other terrible employment conditions aren't going to run out an impulse buy the latest thing, they cannot afford to, so the economy suffers. Government tax receipts fall as less people qualify for income tax, justifying even more cuts that push more people into low wage conditions. If businesses are so intent on committing suicide they need only continue, keep strangling the wages that are ultimately the source of your income. Keep paying your workers less and less, so they spend less and less on your goods and services. We need an intervention to introduce more disposable income into the economy. If businesses refuse to be part of that solution, then as always the government has to step in and do it for them. They're already doing that with unemployment benefits and income support such as tax credits, effectively supplementing the public's income. Arguably quango jobs are another measure to get money flowing through the economy rather than have it hoarded on some offshore balance sheet, where so much of businesses profits often end up. They don't care about the inefficiency of all this because we're trapped in dated ideology, requiring people to do any unproductive busy work to "earn" the economies supplemental disposable income, because the idea of just giving people the money is such a toxic one in the old mindset. We're pissing money up a wall rather than implementing a basic income, simply because the political and social mindset isn't ready. We have to ask ourselves why the economy exists, whether it's ultimately to serve the public good or if we human beings are a disposable commodity to be sacrificed at the economies alter. There are actually people who believe the latter, but argue it leads to the former, that human suffering in necessary for the greater good (even if you can't see it). I personally don't believe in that free market preacher ideological nonsense, I'd rather we work towards a future for everyone rather than a system of stabbing each other in the back to get ahead; fighting over artificially limited security.

[@trop68]

AnnoyedDragon The main problem at the end of the day comes down to the Banking system. How banks publish the money that workers and producers create as falsefied debts to themselves subjected to unwarrented interest. Im an advocte of Mathematically Perfected Economy. Under MPE there would be no banks and all the unearned interest to banking would be instead put towards princable. This would resolve over 90% of all the worlds debts. Poverty would be eradicated pretty much over night. Banks are the problem.

[@wargamechampion]

***** This is why the three monotheistic religions are against interest. Even the pope gave a speech a few year years ago that in "Canon" law (early Christianity), interest was forbidden, and that this is what has caused all the problems in the EU. They start by redefining the word to say high interest. So it becomes no interest is OK, only high interest is bad. Then you ask what is high interest and any amount becomes acceptable.

[@MrBrunosvensson]

+AnnoyedDragon I have to ask you based on your comment, have you ever owned a successful business?

[@zanehuseth8621]

+MrBrunosvensson I have to ask you based on your comment, have you ever ran a successful society long term? Realize that business interests aren't parallel to societal interests, and because of that they add to the problem. "Successful businesses" become *successful* by cutting costs and raising revenues, which in a macro perspective involves avoiding taxes, paying people less, using cheaper materials, and using cheaper resources and raising prices they sell their products for. Come fucking at me you dumb ass.

[@MrBrunosvensson]

Zane Huseth Im coming at u bro. No I haven't "run" a successful society whatever that means and I'm not intending too as I don't think only one person can be responsible in creating a good society. Successful businesses do all you mentioned of course, but they also have to meet societies needs at a decent price. Its a balance. You try to create a good enough product for the lowest price which benefits consumers. You can't simply make a successful company just by avoiding taxes, using cheap materials and paying people less than others. For example, if Im creating a car company and making the cars in some cheap plastic so they always breakes down and paying people 1 dollars an hour how many do you think will buy my cars?? Do you think I could get any good engineers working for me? The answer is no. Its all supply and demand even on the job market. If you go for a career that are in high demand you get good salary, low demand you get low salary. If its still hard for you to wrap your mind around this you could start by reading a few books on economics.

[@Constantinesis]

Unfortunately its difficult to change the minds of those who can`t look forward.

[@lailahroga7988]

I think they need to watch this video!

[@Roderik1R]

Eventually they will do that, by spreading the idea like you do.

[@JaspreetSinghArtist]

I am an Artist . and i struggle in life to earn money from art to create more Art works . and financial situation pushing me not just me but my other creative friends backwards . i think if something like this happens then i can create more art and try to make this world more beautiful and peaceful .

[@eggizgud]

And musicians. In this pandemic, art is a necessity.

[@toriarose]

I liked everything he said but the 30 or 40 yrs, WTF? We need this NOW. Our world can't wait.

[@jesseelledge2284]

Not left. Not right. Forward. Vote for Andrew Yang in 2020.

[@Terranjourneys]

you know what I love about this the most. so many governments around the world, money goes into them and disappears into no man's land. a billion here, there. this is such a great way of unconditionally giving ppl the earnings of their society directly and letting them decide how to use it. it may be "risky" but I love it. we deserve this

[@raysommers2903]

If you think there won't be unbelievable waste and mismanagement in this system, you are delusional. Why are you so quick to want to use violence against the people who work for a living?

[@Terranjourneys]

i dont feel like this is violence against the people. anybody can do as they please, work where they desire and there will be less risk if you want to make a change. many governmental institutions waste people's money which people themselves could do better with. i almost see it as a great way of getting a large percentage of taxes back into the people and governmental institutions will have to sell themselves and rally to each and every person if they want that money, it's like an even better voting system because basic needs will ALSO be met. the way we have it now in many parts of the world its the opposite. many institutions just take money and do what they want. it takes trust from people and also a change of view because it will be a new form of social support.

[@raysommers2903]

terranjourneys You might "feel" like this isn't violence, but it certainly is. If you can't acknowledge the reality of that fact, then your notions pertain to an imaginary world instead of this one.

[@Terranjourneys]

You might "feel" like this IS violence, but it certainly isn't. If you cant acknowledge the reality of that fact, then your notions pertain to an imaginary world instead of this one.

[@Terranjourneys]

arguing over ideas and ideology isn't going to solve anything. i was stating how i felt because it's an aspirational concept that can solve poverty and the rippling damage it does to society. not only that but many jobs will be pressured each year as the economy advances each step with technology. Not only that, but the test populations all show positive results

[@ajrwilde14]

Bravo. Do you think we could hurry up with the implementation of this?

[@maudoortwijn]

In theory, this sounds very good. A 20 years ago, I was all supportive of the idea. But today I realize, it might simply encourage massive corruption and population growth worldwide. In poor countries, getting as much kids as possible, would become a very attractive way of life. Many countries could simply print various passports per baby born, so as to get this "developmental aid" without hassle.

[@moover123]

As he said, this will come somewhen in the future. I just wish it'd be earlier.

[@IndyIndie59]

I am in my late 50's now. By the time this comes in I wont remember my own name much less what the idea was. I am excited for my grand kids though.

[@moover123]

Indy Indie I'm quite a bit younger, but I still can't imagine it to happen in my lifetime. Who knows, maybe.

[@jakegamesnake]

We've got welfare which is almost just as good. You usually just have to either look for a job or take a job offered to you.

[@moover123]

+jakegamesnake I wouldn't agree that it's just as good, but you're right, most countries already have a welfare system.

[@Marialla.]

I've been on welfare, and it is nowhere near as good. Barely even comparable. There are limits placed on you when you're on welfare that virtually bar you from bettering yourself. You are not legally allowed to have much savings or spend much money on anything that could be called an investment. Basic income would allow you the freedom to choose how you spend, save, or invest your money without restriction.

[@jalem1066]

I am hungry! Please, let's do this soon! Help all those who need to get away from abusive and neglectful situations. Do we matter too?

[@MaruskaStarshaya]

you are hungry but can afford an internet access, hmm. Go find some job!

[@samerengr1]

@@MaruskaStarshaya LMFAOO

[@RS-nk1zr]

Im a huge supporter for Basic income we need this in canada asap

[@777palena]

This is about the principle of Sharing, only through sharing of the resources can we move into right human relationship, sharing, Justice and then a Peaceful world.

[@WhispersOfWind]

..and what a _hell of an idea,_ it is... _Progressive_ yet so in _tune with the times._ A (revolutionary) societal 'paradigm shift' if you will, for it could cause many new perspectives, create more 'breathing room' and maybe change things radically, in ways that could help us advance _forward,_ as people... _in general._ If ever was the right time, the time is now. This could not only help with poverty but combating certain types of crimes and desperation too...

[@summondadrummin2868]

Basic income has to be coupled with monetary reinvention because in the current fraudulent system it would likely be promoted by banksters as a government debt. Whereas in an updated Publicly Owned monetary structure a Basic Income could be a primary way of spending (not lending) the money supply into existence.

[@ik-uv8bo]

Andrew Yang 2020👍👍

[@darkultra9605]

I honestly wouldn't stop working but I would move to a part time position so that I'd have way more free time and it would alleviate a whole lot of stress knowing that I could just work part time and still be able to pay bills. Especially if I had another person in the household helping pay, there'd be a enough money and a lot more free time.

[@likitadevi]

I personally think basic income is a really good idea since it will encourage people to take up jobs they love which will increase productivity. You cannot say poor people should work harder and all that because they don't have money to educate themselves let alone finding jobs.

[@GuidetteExpert]

Its not a idea its a fact which should and have to happen in the future. All the machines are doing the work for us and we only need couple of workers to fix the machines or program them.

[@TMMTwgdr]

F***ing awesome presentation of an idea whose time has truly come. The first major step that will open the door to the next step, and so on.

[@Diablo3Wayter]

I like this idea ! Basic income is amazing thing

[@purefatdude2]

YANG2020!

[@FromDream2RealityNow]

11:30 he said it will cost $175B each year to eliminate poverty in the US. Welfare, SS and Medicare cost $2T - $3T a year. Forget the 1/4 military budget. Just convert all these social programs over to this distributed wealth idea and regulate healthcare costs down to reasonable and you’ll have so much $ you won’t know what to do with it. That’s “if” that $175B figure is accurate... 🤨

[@deckuofm]

Stagnation lasts for more than 40 years already. Software is developing but it is not implemented widely in order not to cause social changes because of big unemployment. If 90% of work force is out of jobs then most of population can just vote for social changes.

[@KevZen2000]

The amount of wasted talent on meaningless jobs just for survival is a tradegy. We need this talent. We don't need them doing meaningless jobs, just to serve a failed system. Instead, we need people doing their passion, and achieving new evolutionary progress for all.

[@MaruskaStarshaya]

who is preventing you from being what you want? Wanna be painter? - Go ahead, study how to paint, spend at least 300 hour practicing and you will get at least middle skill. Oh, I can say what preventing you - LAZINESS

[@MaruskaStarshaya]

​@Jan don't get those 300 hours strictly, I just want to say that everything depends on us, those people who always have excuses will find them anyway.

[@labonihalder1003]

Absolutely

[@thebirdlady4304]

It's very very simple. I am unfortunately too ill to either hold down an employment status, self employment, small business etc and that is because there are times I'm utterly inept and the most basic tasks. However, with a UBI I and others like me, would fight every month to top that UBI up as much as we could. I'd be excited to be able to sell art work, birds, eggs, do a bit of cleaning when I can etc without that impacting my stability with regards to food, home and warmth. That means that I'd be actively paying tax back into the country where as now, I am not.

[@privateprivate4384]

If done fairly I believe this can work. This is not about getting rich it’s about giving people security, freeing them from the worry that comes from losing a job or changing a job. Many would love to be free to help others this money could help them achieve this. Then their are those who would love to have the time to develop a new idea or to turn a hobby into a business that money would be enough of a cushion to allow them to progress. My only concerns are for those who are retired and the sick disabled and the mentally ill. Their outgoings can be a lot higher than healthy individuals. We need a safety net for them.I read on another forum that this will be paid for from the tax system the rich will no longer be able to hide behind loopholes in the law.They will have to pay the full sum owed.

[@benjamincarrasco3658]

Yang2020!!!

[@philsarkol341]

'some of history's greatest thinkers'....it starts with a thought and an idea...

[@truepercula]

"This is how liberty dies, . . .with thunderous applause." Padme Amidala

[@slurricrasher9923]

Don't be a wang, vote for Yang!

[@gfx260]

Andrew Yang also attributes Friedman’s support for UBI but if you actually follow Friedman, you would know that he advocates only for a negative income tax and it being a better program than the current welfare system (and the one from his time), but not his preferred plan. Good thing I took your advice and did my research

[@purefatdude2]

Friedman wants to replace the welfare system. This is what a lot of people fear that UBI would cut the social safety net.

[@rethinkingeconomics7349]

In a pitch to the Basic Income Earth Network, Friedman himself equated NIT with UBI

[@ekaterinavalinakova2643]

Great ted talk, I hope it becomes a reality.

[@jimr5855]

what he is proposing is a segment of society will need to not only be productive enough to provide for themselves, but they will need to provide a surplus of productivity to also provide for the Bregman's of the world.

[@hangtime913]

Yang2020!

[@stephans1990]

About the second argument, that people will stop working and contributing to society; If you ask this question in a room full of people with a academic education, nobody will say that they will quit their job of coarse. But ask this same question in a room full of blue collar workers and see what they would do? Sure, some will still see if they can achieve more in life, maybe a few will spend the extra money on privileged things like a iphone and a car. But for a large group of people in the working class, their only motivation to get in to work each day, is because they would be homeless without the paycheck. If you take away the need to work, what reason do they have to continue doing a job they don't like? In this group, many people are simply satisfied with less and don't have that many ambitions. People with a academic background don't always seem to realize this. Also, an academic persons will tell you that you need to find satisfaction in your job and you should do a job you love. However, if everybody is given the financial liberty to do this, how many people would suddenly want to become a artist? Or a writer? Do we really need that many artists and novelists? Especially if they lack real talent? Market economics also makes sure that resources (including labor) are allocated there where they are most valuable. If you take away the financial incentive, what is to stop people from doing what they like, instead of doing what is useful for society? A restaurant needs a dishwasher, a office block needs a cleaning lady, a city needs garbage collectors. These are jobs which require little skills and offer little satisfaction to the worker. But they get filled anyway because there are always people who simply need the money.

[@ABC1232622]

I think it would change blue-collar workers from there long shifts to sorter ones. I used to load trucks at ups for 4 to 5 hours a day people that make a living at a hard job like that work 10 hours+ if this happend I think those people will do the same jobs on smaller shifts because this free money would be enuff to barely live off of and all the blue collar workers I know would put up with a short shift so there children and or themselves can have more than the basic necessities. with these smaller shifts company's need more workers so hours worked would go down and employment up. all of this money would creat more spending making the economy better. I also have seen estimates that put the us welfare spending at 1 trillion this includes Healthcare programs and all entitlements divided among all citizens it would only be 3100$ yearly so we would need to basically quadruple our welfare spending to get it to 1000$ a month for everyone that is enuff to live very shitty life almost everyone would get at second job to bring it up to at least 2000$ a month. it would be more expensive but not really by that much overall plus this would bust the economy and most of the money would go right back to the rich we taxed it out of. honestly one thing I am not sure about and I want to hear arguments on is children do they get the money to cuz I have always wanted a lot of kids anyway and if I my wife and each kid get 1000$ a month we gonna have 6 kids be getting 8000$ a month and sitting pretty. so what about that argument Internet? perhaps less money for kids and even less for each kid u have? (like first kid 5 extra second 4 3rd 3 just for example)

[@Anonymoussomeonenr1]

+Schnitzel Stephan Ill tell you something! Most people find their jobs dull, even most well edjucated office workers! And I´ll tell you something else. Most people who are rich enough to quit continue to go to their jobs! Why? Not cause they find them exciting. No.! But cause of the social context and the social identity that comes with working! HAVING a proffessional title. That´s more important to people than you might think.! Ambitions might fade for different reasons as someone grown older, for a well edjucated person aswell. That is common. But facts I wrote here still remains! Go out and look at why people in general work if you don´t think these causes are true for most people! Plus many young people take jobs that require little skills to work their way up, in hope of it being a way to funnier and more developing jobs later on! Cause most young people still have BIG dreams and ambitions and are still optimistic! That phenomena with young people wanting to make a career from the jobs they can get to start with won´t change cause they get some more money than the minimal wages of those jobs! Some would still want to advance in social status and take those jobs in order to climb on the social ladder from there on? Also some would work less. But that only means they could take in more folks to get the work done! And there´s less social exclusion this way! I actually think MORE people would work if less people worked long days as they do today and instead make room for shorter shifts! Also many people work their butts off today and complain about not having the time to do anything no matter how much money they earn while there are many people living on social welfare who are unemployed and feel bad about that, but can´t find a job(!) Justsaying they could help eachother out of their current sad state!

[@stephans1990]

***** A automated economy will not necessarily mean less jobs, it will mean different jobs. We might get less blue collar workers, but jobs in the ICT sector will likely increase because of it. Compare it to the industrial revolution, machines made agriculture less labor intensive, which freed up a lot of workers for industrial jobs, giving us new and cheaper products and increasing our quality of life.

[@stephans1990]

Anonymoussomeonenr1 You clearly are a American! :P I can tell you that things work different from how you describe it in Europe. First of all, opportunities to work your way up from uneducated jobs are rare. people who do usually wind up going to evening school to get some sort of higher degree anyways. People in blue collar jobs generally have very little possibilities for promotion. Making long working hours (as in, more than 8 hours a day) is generally a choice people make in the hope of getting a career, but we already see less and less young people willing to work killer hours (same thing in the US, large investment banks also realize that they have to change their fucked up 24 hour shifts). People unemployed, but willing to work, generally are in this position because they have a wrong education and are unwilling to take jobs below their level. If you are willing to work for a work agency to do minimum wage jobs (from dishwashing to logistics) with flexible hours, you can probably start tomorrow.

[@windowslogo3577]

+Schnitzel Stephan Yeah. He totally bullshited with the seconds question.

[@sergkapitan2578]

Parallel with education that will give explosion of creativity!!!! We need it desperately!!!

[@FollowMagicBrad]

UBI across the board just makes SO MUCH SENSE as a pretty easy, low administration way to circulate currency all through out our entire country.

[@itsmoe8124]

Yes, everything is an idea including how we are conditioned to believe we all have to live an unfair lives because some has advantage others don't. I am for what this man stands for. I believe its time that we all start reaping what our forefathers has sowed centuries ago. Their once crazy ideas can now be realized. Its time!

[@Orf]

5:35 may be the most efficient most civilized way to combat poverty

[@gmanon1181]

He is so right. The way technology is evolving; this is the only solution for world survivor. Automation and artificial intelligence will make most if not all workers obsolete in the near future. Whoever owns the factories and robots, seems will be the only owners of the world, or even worst, machines could run the world. If people can't pay for products, the need to produce them is gone! The actual order is incompatible with the future. The world is forced to change in order to survive. Besides, we are facing the climate change. We need the full cooperation of every creative mind. An universal income will set everyone free from the worries of doing non-creative or improductive work. People could focus on what really drives them to excel. Everyone is fascinated by something and only there they can input their maximum potential.

[@brucedouglas7465]

About 15 years ago a town in Canada gave everyone $1500 each per month for two years. Records were kept of the effects of this. Health visits dropped dramatically, school attendance increased. Only two groups worked less- The teenagers who stayed in education rather than leave early and woman with young children. Every else kept working as normal.

[@h_h03]

Yang Gang 2020 BABEEEE!!!!

[@IThinkItsForYou]

We need to get it it of our heads that people want to scrounge or lay around doing nothing. Being unemployed, addicted, having no goal is boring, frustrating and miserable. A few, perhaps, but the majority always wins

[@mursaleenfayyaz]

Very beautifully presented.

[@hex_gekko29568]

giving small groups of people money is very different trying to apply this to a whole population it would be unsustainable. Moneys value is relative, you give everyone basic income, the basics of life will become more expensive

[@jangofet555]

i love this idea, this cant happen fast enough, spread it, tell everyone, unite and express a better way on the streets.

[@nowheretosit]

You're immoral and support violence.

[@summondadrummin2868]

Work for it don't wait for it! Create it!

[@jangofet555]

no

[@jangofet555]

ive been unemployed for a year or 2 in the past, other than that i have been a line cook in restaurants most of the time since 16 i am 27 and for the past 2 years, dish washing and prep cook as well and and other odd jobs. monies first use was for goods and services, not for survival, if it was you were a slave.

[@THESEADOG82]

horizon Stupidest idea I've ever heard. This has been tried lol all over history. Capitalism would create the most amazing things u ever saw. But we lost that about 100 years ago Bring Capitalism back and problems would be solved. Only a completely misinformed person could like this. This is a lie. The APOCALYPTIC CRAZY LEFT $$.

[@deckuofm]

The future of capitalism can be bad if demand drops to the size of minimum income and office work is automated. Unemployment can be 75%. People get smarter and buy less toys. Office automation is very easy. It can be done even by high school students. Capitalists will not divide working day among all. They will force a part of people work hard as usually and fire the rest.

[@ansoc1173]

+deckuofm That's the future we face if we don't do something about it. It's already happening.

[@Falcodrin]

It does not need to reach 75% to be a problem. The height of the great depression was only about 24% unemployment.

[@birdiehelpaso1524]

I would love this .It could really help me to get on my feet .Awesome idea!

[@albertopicciau9934]

every time i speak about UBI the first objection is: who is going to work as sweeper or humbles jobs in general? what would you answer?

[@proogenji7526]

Andrew Yang#2020

[@dodec8449]

The homeless people in his story don't spend the experimental basic income on drugs and alcohol, because they need to tell at the end of the experiment what they spend the money on. They are just like other people, they have emotions like shame and regret: they are ashamed of their behaviour if they say "Well, i've spend all 3000 pounds on heroin!". They may have changed their behaviour because they are being watched and not because they received money. The (actually unintended) social control of the researchers has disciplined them. Or made them lie, although the period is quite long, so I don't think most people can lie THAT long. It's hard to research this problem: researching it changes the outcome, it's almost like quantum mechanics.

[@UBIAICOSMOS]

Thanks for supporting Basic Income🙏🙏🙏

[@edwinamendelssohn5129]

Legal theft

[@gkeith64]

Providing such, sets the table where every person gets a plate! It is essential to killing off poverty, and provides fertile ground for sustainable economic growth! Attaching our money to human consumption, is a good thing!

[@Trazynn]

Incredibly important talk.

[@LeFreakShow]

Free money for everyone and 25% less war. Sounds good to me. Hopefully people will actually start considering this because most economic forecasts don't give us more than 30 years before we completely destroy ourselves. Here's a real simple way to think about it. All of this money will be put back into the economy. That's what basic income means. It's just the income anyone needs to participate in the society. It's like the money you get at the beginning of Monopoly. It doesn't dictate who wins or who loses. It just allows ever living member of society the right to play the game.

[@Waterwarp]

+J Evan LeFreak We seem to be at a crossroads. We either blow ourselves up soon, but if we all remain strong and keep ourselves from doing so, bright times will be ahead of us. Basic income, efficient solar or fusion energy, end of oil age and therefore related wars.

[@DreamMaster8]

+Wasp It seams too good to be true, we can only hope it happens in our lifetime!

[@fritzki1]

I really like this talk. Very interesting. I wonder however, what could be said against counter-argument no. 2 - "Others will stop working?" if the argument would be carried a little further. 1. People might not stop working altogether, but what if they simply quit their boring jobs - jobs that however still need doing and are important to society as a whole? I'm worried that, just like with democracy as a concept, a responsible and rational use of this right (the basic income) is replaced with complacency and entitlement - if that is the case, how can we preserve the stable economy that is supposed to support this charitable initiative? 2. What to do with that small fraction, uneducated and a-social, of people that genuinely won't work because the universal basic income is enough? They'll still exist - are they a cost the system can shoulder? I'd be interested what other people think about this

[@Devin888]

I'd like it if he differentiated between Negative Income Tax and Universal Basic Income. They are two very different ways of guaranteeing a basic income.

[@ancientkid1635]

ANDREW YANG 2020

[@StudioUAC]

it would be nice to get a UBI and I can work from home writing books, creating comics, and doing art!

[@jabel6434]

And you would also greatly reduce your environmental impact: Jobs cost the earth...

[@deckuofm]

In Canada social assistance is 2 times smaller than minimum income. Young unemployed people do not get enough food and shelter to support good health. If this problem is solved and social assistance gets as minimum income no further discussion on losing jobs for whatever reason would be necessary.

[@ohmsragudo8867]

Basic physical needs like food-feeding program, clean water and power distribution, mass shelter for security and strategic placement should be the universal basic social welfare which the government should provide for free. Teaching and training skills are optional. Social income rewarded only for qualified law abiding legal citizens for their other expenses. Career politicians should not be greedy in monopolizing businesses or implementing large scale industrial automation. Humane society is not utopian ideology, but a reality..

[@xanathjo2421]

Organized poverty is a completely different matter though, you cannot solve it by throwing money into it

[@summondadrummin2868]

What is organized poverty but the result of systemic dysfunction in the flow of currency? Increase the flow and like a parched land being watered flowers will grow.

[@summondadrummin2868]

***** Stock and Flow, aggregate supply and velocity of exchange~these are the variables to begin with. If you take 10 people and give one of them a $1000 and 9 of them nothing... or in contrast each of them $100 from the $1000... uhhhhh I think the second scenario is likely to yield better results. My bottomline line and i hope people would get this is LETS DO THE EXPERIMENTS!! If we can experiment with massive inequity ,species extinction and toxification of the earth,air and water assuredly we can mess with the monetary system which is nothing more than a form of measurement a useful fiction.

[@summondadrummin2868]

***** Basically what I'm saying is we need to profoundly update our concept of what money is and redesign the basis for how it functions... lets take money back to its nuts and bolts what is it most essentially? What I'm saying is money is most basically a form of measurement. That we been led to believe over centuries is a thing that 'stores value' and we institutionally think of it and treat it like a commodity. For example~ Things or commodity's run out of supply. If its simply a useful fiction a form of measurement we demystify it. Then whats most necessary is its continued flow, fluidity and velocity of exchange like a power source or a river or the flow of blood in our bodies. So even if there is a stock or aggregate supply we know thats just a good game and we emphasize its real purpose to flow as a current.

[@BlueyMcPhluey]

poverty is a man-made problem with a man-make solution

[@MIKEHUNT7531]

I wouldn't stop working dude you can get more money from working to spend on yourself. And also I have a dream so I won't stop. Fk that!

[@giuseppinabotticelli6914]

World's leaders, billionaires, and greedy corporate CEOs need to watch this.

[@Zorander.]

In our modern automated hi-tech economy it is about time for Unconditional Basic Income! My opinion is that we are all equal, skin color, nationality, religion, these things doesn't matter because we all live on this planet together, therefore we all diserve an equal share of all the resources our planet can provide!