I said in a comment "hey why not universal healthcare and also ubi" and this nutcase yelled at me for over a week about it. I wasn't going to bother with defending the idea since I was just asking "why not" and they were calling me lazy, entitled, and stupid.
this post was submitted on 06 Oct 2025
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Funny how UBI is typically considered a left-wing policy in the US, yet the only place in the country that actually has a UBI is traditionally considered pretty conservative.
Alaska has a thing called the Alaska Permanent Fund which was funded with an initial investment of oil and mining revenue. It pays out around $100 a month which is not really something to live on but definitely helps for struggling Alaskans.
I think a viable model for UBIs on a national scale would probably involve something similar. Perhaps a one-shot tax on the mega-rich to get the initial funding and then it's used to run a state-owned investment portfolio which invests in various sectors of the economy and then pays out the profits to the citizens.
Organized (left or right) politics don't support UBI because UBI redistributes power, and a power concentrating answer to any oppression complaint is to switch the balance of supremacism. Neocon/Zionist first rule in USA needs you to be miserable to be distracted from war and Israel budgets by gaslighting. CIA determined rule in other democracies is to make you miserable and destabilized, so that your puppets can give more tribute to US and its corporate champions.
As specific examples, leftist EU parties are still pro Trump/NATO and the collapsing austerity requirements of 5% of GDP for US weapons. In NY State, a DEM governor proposal to offer universal healthcare (same general justification as UBI) was rejected by union leaders because healthcare misery is a union recruiting/power imbalance.
Hate, misery, and crime are features that right wing needs for fascism, but left politicians can do quite well as controlled opposition, and get their share of oligarchy trickle down. Fighting the right on bandaid programs to create a new/bigger hierarchy, rewarding left supporters, is reward for fighting political war on left's side.
By the way, what is this phenomenon on Lemmy? Let’s say people are reluctant to read and comment on old posts published just a couple of days or a week ago, but with new ones, it’s a completely different story. What kind of psychology is this? Or it seemed to me?
In the default lemmy feed (in browser view at least), posts only show if they're younger than 3 days (72 hours). So older posts typically get ignored, so nobody wants to comment there because nobody will read these comments anyways.
There are some legit criticisms from the left on UBI, it's myopic focus on consumption, the possibility of it being eaten away due to inflation it causes and becoming a gift to landlords etc. I don't think "the government will use it to control us" is a good one as that can be said about any social service the government provides. Should we not have universal Healthcare because if a fascist takes over he can kick you off the roles and you'll die from a preventable disease?
Filling everyone's basic needs will be a vast social undertaking that will require a lot of organization, just because someone might take over that organization and wield it for power doesn't mean we shouldn't make it, it just means we have to keep careful watch over it when we do.
I'm pretty loud about most of those criticisms from the left and I still think it would be better than this.
the possibility of it being eaten away due to inflation it causes
This is a right wing argument against UBI. If you receive 5 recruiter calls per day begging to take an employer's money, wages will go up, and demand will go up, forcing supply/competition to catch up to take/trickle back all of people's money back to corporatist ownership. UBI is not wealth redistribution, it is you getting more stuff while still having an end of month balance of $0.
becoming a gift to landlords
More of a left argument. But individual empowerment means freedom from structural policies that drive rent extortion. UBI means you can share rent with certainty that they can pay rent. Landlord risk against tenants not paying going down, means less risk to renting basements and attics. You have the power to pay for moving expenses to escape asshole landlord policies, or structurally oppressive cities, without needing a job in new location first. UBI means you can afford home ownership and become a landlord yourself.
A leftist brainworm is that "classes of people are assholes" and can only be eaten as a solution. The truth is corrupt market power imbalances create resentment of the powerful. UBI allows for natural "perfect competition" (all the suppliers make a fair ROI for voluntarily participating) markets, which housing is one. I said this was a left criticism, but it's also a right criticism against inflation.
“the government will use it to control us”
It's an absurd criticism, because UBI is freedom from government discretion. Although its the right that threatens to take away healthcare from classes of people (trans), SS is not up for discussion as "for republicans only". Medicaid is a "lower race" program that is attacked while Medicare is a "Republican constituency". UBI is power redistribution that doesn't give rise to the "American History X" accusations of "programs tilted just for the subhumans" divisiveness. We all get the same deserved dividend respresenting our equal ownership share of the country, and its tax revenue.
Filling everyone’s basic needs will be a vast social undertaking that will require a lot of organization, just because someone might take over that organization and wield it for power doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make it
The UBI distribution organization is the IRS. Trump's IRS crony takeover is just about preventing audits for those who bribe him to ignore their tax fraud. It won't be used to change your/general people's refund formula.
A wise answer... But times are tense now, and who knows what surprises await us next. By the way, I recommend looking into what a CBDC is, in my opinion, they will also try to introduce this after digital IDs..
I'm not sure what your meme is saying. Is the implication that if there is UBI, then nobody will work anymore? I might be misunderstanding
people see newer posts in their feeds so they get more attention. Has nothing to do with reluctance
I don't comment on old posts to avoid necroin' xD Old habit from forums and such.
I always hate when I'm reading an old thread, someone comments with a great point, and then someone else starts an argument about necroing.
Gonna be honest, not like I understand it really. I mean, it may be bothersome to get pinged on something you commented 3 days earlier - people move on from such things quite quickly...but I believe it's just internet culture rn. Like memes getting old quickly etc.
Yes, I asked a stupid question.