I'm hearing more "mainstreaming" of the idea of a guaranteed minimum income. Although this solves the problem of what we do when the economy goes into an Overshoot-induced long-term slide it hardly feels plausible that in today's political environment that such a scheme would come into being, unless the MAGA movement morphs into something unrecognizable, which was always a possibility.
Actually, one of the things about that particular idea is that it appeals to the right-leaning political sphere as well as the left. In the U.S., it was proposed and championed by Milton Friedman - hardly a socialist! Similarly, in Canada, the biggest proponent of basic income for many years was a Conservative senator. The idea was that such a scheme actually involved *less* government interference, with people being free to spend their subsidized income where and when they chose. Market-driven consumerism!
Still, you are correct about that particular approach not likely being attempted in a Trump kleptocracy - not because it would be unpopular with MAGA voters (perhaps the contrary) - but because the current dictatorship is fixated on plundering the country's assets for themselves. I suspect that their 2024 voter-base actually has very little influence on their actions now. The billionaire's don't need them anymore.
I'm hearing more "mainstreaming" of the idea of a guaranteed minimum income. Although this solves the problem of what we do when the economy goes into an Overshoot-induced long-term slide it hardly feels plausible that in today's political environment that such a scheme would come into being, unless the MAGA movement morphs into something unrecognizable, which was always a possibility.
Ah yes, the guaranteed minimum income idea.
Actually, one of the things about that particular idea is that it appeals to the right-leaning political sphere as well as the left. In the U.S., it was proposed and championed by Milton Friedman - hardly a socialist! Similarly, in Canada, the biggest proponent of basic income for many years was a Conservative senator. The idea was that such a scheme actually involved *less* government interference, with people being free to spend their subsidized income where and when they chose. Market-driven consumerism!
Still, you are correct about that particular approach not likely being attempted in a Trump kleptocracy - not because it would be unpopular with MAGA voters (perhaps the contrary) - but because the current dictatorship is fixated on plundering the country's assets for themselves. I suspect that their 2024 voter-base actually has very little influence on their actions now. The billionaire's don't need them anymore.