Entrepreneur Andrew Yang, a Big Supporter Of Universal Basic Income, is Running For President (techcrunch.com)

In a recently published podcast, Andrew Yang, tech entrepreneur and founder of Venture for America, said he is vying for the Democratic party nomination to run for President of the United States. From a report: Yang outlines his radical policy agenda, which focuses on Universal Basic Income and includes a "freedom dividend." He talks about the very real and immediate threat of artificial intelligence, how new technologies are erasing millions of jobs before our eyes, and why we need to put humanity first. He also addresses "the big four" and what he plans to do about Amazon.

During the interview, Yang called out governments inability to address large scale problems and the challenges that technology is creating in modern American society. "I believe that we need to start owning these realities [of automation and artificial intelligence taking away jobs] and these challenges as a people, as a country, and as a society, and start being honest. I'm running for president to solve the big problems and to show that these things are not beyond us," Yang says. Yang's own plan to address the increasing power tech companies are wielding in the world involves something called a "freedom dividend", which would paid for by a value-added tax. The revenue from that tax (levied on "gains from the big four") would be redistributed via the "freedom dividend" to citizens, Yang says.

Comments

UBI, it's about time

[losfromla]

We either plan for it now or start buying pitchforks and torches. And oiling up the guillotines because we _will_ eat the rich.

Re: UBI, it's about time

[jwhyche]

Giving people handouts never fixes anything, it just makes things worse, fix the goddamned economy so people can earn a decent living instead!

Well at some point you are going to find out that is has to be this way. That are start limiting births with mandatory birth control. At some point its going to become clear, there is no fixing the economy for this kind of issue. There simply isn't enough jobs out there and as technology advances jobs are going to become a ever shrinking resource.

Of course you can also just let people starve in the streets. Look how well that worked for the French at one time.

Too Early

[Oswald McWeany]

I don't deny that one day UBI might be feasible, and even necessary but it's just too soon and too radical, especially for the US. He's not going to get his party's nomination, and if he does, it's 4 more years of Trump.

End the Draft

[ghoul]

At one time every able bodied man was supposed to turn out for the defense of the village whenever the feudal lord ordered it. We then evolved into professional volunteer armies and today the concept of the draft has gone away.

Similarly in the future people will work if they want to not because they have been drafted to. Today everyone has to work or starve - there is no real choice.

With an UBI, work becomes a choice and the workers will be much more professional as they would have CHOSEN to work rather than forced to.