All the more reason to support a UBI. Corporations are going to automate whatever jobs they possibly can either way. And there's really no guarantee that the increase in profits will lead to a rise in wages throughout a company. More likely it will line the pockets of investors or shareholders.
Sure but you have to figure out the solution to the question of where would the UBI come from?
So can a lot of well-paid jobs, like stock broker and structural engineer (already very dependent on AI and computation, respectively). Hell, there's even a bricklaying robot out there (it's just not financially viable because bricklaying isn't that well paid).
They're gonna have to figure it out. Having a large underclass of very desperate people is bad for nation-states., and there won't always be a pandemic to try and cull numbers with.
Tax the fucking rich. The top .1% control more wealth than the bottom 90%. They can afford it. There's also the idea of a sovereign wealth fund. On top of that, the UBI would allow us to consolidate most of our welfare programs under that umbrella, so a chunk of the money is already there.
Hah! That's not remotely how it works in practice. The value produced for the company by most employees is many times the amount they're remunerated for it. That's the very basis of "profit".
Garbage dudes make anywhere between 47 - 207k per year. I wouldnt call them bottom tier workers in any regard.
The rich are already taxed and in the US, the top 1% pay 40% of ALL taxed income.
Now ask yourself why. You won't, so I'll do it for you. The answer is because so many people are now living below the poverty line and thus have NO TAXABLE INCOME. And they can still be taxed more. I say to restore the Eisenhower tax brackets. Even better, an income cap. All income past a certain level taxed at 100%. Nobody needs a billion dollars.
Apparently this is incorrect by a large margin; it's more like 28-50K.
Not always. There are jobs that pay off comissions, and other jobs typically pay based on the overall responsibility of the person.
www.comparably.com
So you agree there should be an income cap?
About 45k annually. Enough to pay bills, necessities, and spend on all the other things that make an economy run besides just grocery stores.
Yes, a very small minority of jobs pay off commissions. Most that do not, do not remunerate their employees commensurately with their value produced. Such is the case with every job I've ever held (and I know what the value produced is for each). Such is the case for teachers, nurses, refuse workers, factory workers, electrical factory staff...
I didn't mention CEOs. Running a company I'm sure is pretty highly stressful (though they tend to be paid 20x as much as their subordinates, and they simply do not do 20x the work).
You need to look at the real figure -- the 207K guy is probably either a mis-filing or someone who runs a garbage collection company, not the guy running behind the truck. Just look at the graph on the page you linked to see what people are really getting. It's not 200K, looks more like 38K.This is where i got my figure.Garbage Truck Driver Salary
The average annual salary for Garbage Truck Drivers in the US is $43,319. See how your salary compares to other Garbage Truck Drivers with Comparably.
So why would anybody work if they get a 47k salery just for existing? And of the 280 million adults in the us. You think tax revenue alone would be enough to foot the 12.8 TRILLION dollars required for that every year?
38k is still not a minimum wage job. And 38k in a lot of states is a pretty decent living. Apartment, bills, car, no problem. Not a wage to live large with, but a livable wage with a few major city exceptions. But a dual income household could solve that issue to boot.
I'm willing to be persuaded to some different numbers. But to answer your first question: because they want to. If I had a guaranteed income to cover my bills and essentials, I would still be doing what I do for a living because I'm good at it and enjoy it. Now about that income cap idea...
