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Comment by Havoc | Hacker News Reader

I fully expect the US to be the very last to switch.

I'm kind of Ok with letting other countries try this one out first. I'm receptive to the idea of basic income, but the potential unintended consequences seem terrifying.

If anyone is to try this, the states are ideal candidates. People can (and do) vote with their feet when states implement negative policies, which is one reason they are "laboratories of democracy". In addition, it is clear that they have the consitutional authority to do this (while the federal government does not).

There still is quite a few hurdles to switching states, not the least of which is having the money to do so, and the ability to find a job and housing in the new state. Usually those that are the most affected by bad policy are the least able to move.

It feels like something that would fail if only one state did it. A lot of low income people would move to that state for basic income and the high income people seeing massive tax increases would leave. Then the system would collapse.

At a country level it is much more difficult for people to come and go and countries have some control over who does come and go. It would be better tried by some European country.

>If anyone is to try this, the states are ideal candidates.

I'm inclined to disagree. It'll be easier to implement in a place like say Canada or a northern European country where there is already wide acceptance of social support structures.

More terrifying than the status quo, or the consequences of not implementing income supports for the working class under present and coming economic conditions? Really?

Yes.

US businesses will do one better!

0-hour workweeks for everyone, the second robotic slaves are economically advantageous!

No joke. People are already getting cut to 25 or less hours for health insurance reasons. I was told in a staff meeting that we might be going to a 4-day week with the cut in pay that entails since we will have a budget shortfall and our health insurance is going to do a 3x increase this next year.

I don't think the US will ever switch at the federal (or even state) level. Any changes would be driven from the industry and individual company level.

I'm thinking the lag time will be around the same as the metric system, so anywhere from 55 years to forever.

or never switch, like the metric system

That's reasonable. We've been the last on so many other progressive social changes.

About the same time they move away from the Imperial measurement system.

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