Actually BI is gradually coming in the form of social safety nets for everyone. Once we disrupt college education with courses anyone can study at home at their own pace from the best professors, lots more people will be able to educate themselves for the new economy.
That said, there will be a growing unemployed class, and many are are already perpetually on government subsidized programs such as housing, etc. The question of whether this is worse than a negative tax is unclear.
What IS clear is that capitalists will want people to remain consumers, even as they automate everything. So redistributing money to them by taxing the machines is inevitable. The real question for me is, what will happen to all the restless, disaffected people whose services are no longer required, and whose blogs are rarely read? Especially men.
That said, there will be a growing unemployed class, and many are are already perpetually on government subsidized programs such as housing, etc. The question of whether this is worse than a negative tax is unclear.
What IS clear is that capitalists will want people to remain consumers, even as they automate everything. So redistributing money to them by taxing the machines is inevitable. The real question for me is, what will happen to all the restless, disaffected people whose services are no longer required, and whose blogs are rarely read? Especially men.
http://magarshak.com/blog/?p=97