"Nothing about basic income requires that everyone's total income be identical."
Basic income will need to come from somewhere. As these costs increase, the people actually earning above and beyond the basic income will be have their income redistributed in the form of high taxes and depending on how high these costs increase over time, will reach a point where the reward != effort. I predict that with a system like this, the costs (and taxes associated) will most definitely reach this point.
Human nature is a bitch. Why would I even bother putting the effort into working when I can get almost the same amount of money back from the government, for free? If enough people think the same way, there won't be enough to fund the system anymore. The government will then need to assign jobs to people to keep the system going.
A Utopia where nobody needs to work sounds great, until you need to figure out how to divide all of the resources.
Most of the great technologies and innovations we see today are a result of a great risk->reward structure. Any system that doesn't foster this doesn't see this sort of innovation.
Your prediction that basic income would eventually mean a total leveling of all incomes and your assumption that everyone would eventually do nothing are also fallacies (fallacy of the single cause? nirvana fallacy?).
Basic income is not about utopia, it is about creating a long term stable society where member's basic needs are meet (food, clothing, shelter, medical care, education, security, etc).
"Your prediction that basic income would eventually mean a total leveling of all incomes and your assumption that everyone would eventually do nothing are also fallacies (fallacy of the single cause? nirvana fallacy?)."
It's based on history and human nature. My point still stands and it's not a "fallacy"..which it seems you just made up on the spot because you don't agree with my reasoning.
I also didn't say that "everyone would eventually do nothing". I said that we would cross a threshold where the amount of people just getting a basic income would eventually outweigh the people working and putting money into the system, and the system would need to be changed by the government or it would collapse.
"it is about creating a long term stable society where member's basic needs are meet (food, clothing, shelter, medical care, education, security, etc)."
The best way to help someone is to teach them to go out and help themselves...not just pay for all of their needs and tech them to depend on the government.
Basic income will need to come from somewhere. As these costs increase, the people actually earning above and beyond the basic income will be have their income redistributed in the form of high taxes and depending on how high these costs increase over time, will reach a point where the reward != effort. I predict that with a system like this, the costs (and taxes associated) will most definitely reach this point.
Human nature is a bitch. Why would I even bother putting the effort into working when I can get almost the same amount of money back from the government, for free? If enough people think the same way, there won't be enough to fund the system anymore. The government will then need to assign jobs to people to keep the system going.
A Utopia where nobody needs to work sounds great, until you need to figure out how to divide all of the resources.
Most of the great technologies and innovations we see today are a result of a great risk->reward structure. Any system that doesn't foster this doesn't see this sort of innovation.