2019-12-13 Level 7: universal basic income

Greg Malivuk
gmalivuk@staffordhouse.com
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKtQJmCMuCc - The real distribution of wealth in America.
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UBI = Universal Basic Income
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_income_around_the_world
perverse incentive = negative unintended consequence (e.g. the “welfare cliff” that “encourages” people to avoid increasing their income because their total take-home amount would decrease)
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What problems could UBI create? (Imagine that it’s designed well enough to avoid obvious perverse incentives.)
- increased high-income taxes
- inflation (value of money)
- What will stop your landlord from simply increasing rent by $1000/month?
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p. 358
Transcript of LBJ’s speech: https://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/great-society-speech/
paragraph 2
patchwork = system with lots of different mismatched pieces (like a patchwork quilt)
backlash = strong negative response to something
paragraph 4
dire = terrible
	dire straits =  bad or difficult situation or state of affairs
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BREAK
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paragraph 6
means-testing = the process of “testing” the “means” (resources, including income) of potential recipients before giving them a benefit like welfare
supersede = replace, especially if the new thing does the same job better
voucher = something (e.g. a ticket or coupon) that entitles a person to a discount or service
duplicative = repetitive or redundant
paragraph 7
jeopardize = threaten or endanger
automatization = automation = using machines (e.g. computers and robots) to automate something
slash = dramatically reduce
spur (v) = encourage or promote
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There are conservative arguments against UBI (on the basis that it would increase taxes and government spending):
https://fee.org/articles/the-top-three-arguments-against-a-universal-basic-income/
There are also liberal and leftist critiques:
https://www.thersa.org/discover/publications-and-articles/rsa-comment/2018/11/the-progressive-case-against-ubi - Current social programs are effective and need more help, not to be eliminated by a UBI.
https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/12/universal-basic-income-inequality-work - “A universal basic income would shore up the market. We need ideas that shrink it.”
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liberal = reform capitalism so it works better for people
leftist = abolish capitalism (and instead have socialism or communism)
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Rules for splitting words (with a hyphen) at the end of a line
https://www.bestessays.com/splitting_words_guide.php
- never split one-syllable words
- split between morphemes (roots, prefixes, suffixes) if possible
- split between repeated consonants
- don’t leave just one or two letters on a line (except possibly ‘-ed’ for regular verbs)
- never split a digraph that makes a single sound (th, ch, sh)
- dictionaries often show the convential syllable divisions
	https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/government