Can anyone explain to me, with basic income, why wouldn't I want to sit at home all day and play videogames?
There are already people who receive free money, and nobody seems to worry about what they do with their time. In general, most people seem to think more money is better for them, so they work to increase the amount of money they get. One of the ideas behind basic income is that by removing obstacles and disincentives to work, maybe people will feel more free to look for a good job.
It will lead to far fewer falling out of the system entirely thanks to the expense of forms, proof and means testing for benefits (this is well shown), but will also eliminate fractional claiming rates. Means testing and claiming has been shown time and again to put some off claiming at all, perhaps through pride or the current intentional systematised stigma of benefits, even sheer exhaustion from 2 years of seeking work in late 50s to 2,000x rejections.
So we end up with a two tier unemployment system: those in receipt of unemployment, and those who've fallen out of the system entirely or were never in it. I'd rather help those with long term issues as well and have no one fall through the gaps to food bank or suicide.
Because it is better to go to the beach during the day and the parties at night!
A more respectable position is to become the president of your family foundation and go to charity dinners and pretend you care for something.
There are plenty of case where someone create a big business, and when he/she dies the children or grandchildren just spend all the money and the business colapses due to stupidity or laziness (or it is sold).
BTW - You must know the Polish phrase from communist times: "Czy się stoi, czy się leży, dwa tysiące się należy.". For English speakers: "Down you lie or up you stand, either way you'll earn a grand". Here is how it looked like: https://d-pt.ppstatic.pl/kadry/k/r/1/01/3b/58f074a3247ac_o,s...
And if you wanted more money, why wouldn't you work part time, to have a more confortable life ?
Is it obvious yet?
The physical effort is trivial, I shelf stacked for a year as a teen Saturday job. Not intellectually fulfilling perhaps, but a pretty sociable job. Helping a relative out on his fruit and plant growing smallholding was far more energetic.
When the kids were young, SO looked to find something, almost anything part time, so long as it fit around the needs of the children and schools. We were both surprised at how limited those choices were and how often they required some hours commitment that guaranteed they could not coexist with raising young children.
If people are willing to do these jobs, then there's no problem.
Basically, most people want to do something meaningful with their time so they'll work with something they like. Most millionaires still work for example, even though they have means enough to stop at any time.
I think the main reasons most people would still work are:
- To give purpose to their lives and occupy their minds/bodies
- In order to afford a better lifestyle than they could on only UBI (nice house, holidays, going out etc)
But I bet that after a while, also videogames will get boring. You will feel the need to do something outside. Be it some volunteering, just to meet people, or a job you love. Without the need to be profitable, the tyranny of profit.
It wouldn't be that bad, right?
Also: I've seen people do this at university. I seem to recall that people who truly withdrew didn't do well at all, with some exceptions. People who withdrew into the theory, or into student life, at the expense of other things did much better.
Why not ? I would retreat in the middle of the forest with minimal technology if I could afford it (yes this life style cost money nowadays). People are the one who get you in trouble in the first place and avoiding having too much people in your life reduce the troubles and can give you peace.
Because having something you can live for is a basic psychologic need that everyone has. Aswell as social acknowledgement