Current Events > Societies problems could be solved if companies paid your yearly salary upfront

(+) Yeah! (+)

Now I know this is illogical. People could quit, die, blowing all their money without the ability to earn more.

But man it would be great to start a new year and buy a new car, plus pay off a years rent.

Even if they could do only 6 months pay upfront, that's 25k for me. I could buy a new car, pay 6 months worth of rent, and have 10k left to last me through the 6 months.
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Not even close to viable or sensible for any party.
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Most people will waste it and not have enough for the end.
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Think about how hard that would be taxed
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This will happen to most people:

Month 1: Cars! Parties! Games! Spend!

Month 2: No money for food.
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Id die within that first week
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This sounds like a horrible idea.
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Zanzenburger posted...

This will happen to most people:

Month 1: Cars! Parties! Games! Spend!

Month 2: No money for food.

True, but that still happens now.

I think it would be easier to maintain a budget if someone goes "Here is your money and this is all your going to get".

The more logical approach would be a six months salary.
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It would only work if we as a society ACTUALLY embraced personal responsibility as a mantra and said "here's all you need this year to live. If you fuck up and die because you didn't spend it wisely, that's your fault" but we both know that would never fly.

(This assumes said person doesn't get into an accident or get cancer or something where they aren't at fault)
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Dont forget the part where small businesses might not have the cash flow to pay their employees for a whole year upfront or the part where you might get fired or change jobs or the part where you get a promotion/raise, or the part where you only get paid hourly. Actually, I dont think you thought this through very much.
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C7D posted...

. Actually, I dont think you thought this through very much

Not really because I know how illogical it would be.

But there could be tax incentives and breaks to pay people upfront. They also could give an option to pay people a normal 2 week salary if the buisness makes less than a certain amount.
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hyperpowder posted...

True, but that still happens now.

And how is blowing a years salary better than blowing 2 weeks?
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Squall28 posted...

hyperpowder posted...

True, but that still happens now.

And how is blowing a years salary better than blowing 2 weeks?

Because you could pay a majority of your bills upfront?
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Universal Basic Income is a much better alternative. Keep the biweekly or monthly pay system, but having guaranteed income to survive will take away the stress of where to get your next meal.

If you waste it all on vices and other unnecessary items, then that's on you.
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Zanzenburger posted...

Universal Basic Income is a much better alternative. Keep the biweekly or monthly pay system, but having guaranteed income to survive will take away the stress of where to get your next meal.

If you waste it all on vices and other unnecessary items, then that's on you.

The problem with UBI, and it will always be the problem with UBI, is that it's a "feel good" solution that people can propose without ever dealing with having to make the hard choices of what someone deserves. It's impossible to define UBI because the people supporting it would be horrified if they had to actually make the choice as to what defines "universal basic needs".
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lmao
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s0nicfan posted...

The problem with UBI, and it will always be the problem with UBI, is that it's a "feel good" solution that people can propose without ever dealing with having to make the hard choices of what someone deserves. It's impossible to define UBI because the people supporting it would be horrified if they had to actually make the choice as to what defines "universal basic needs".

This paragraph didn't actually say a thing.

"What someone deserves." WTF does that even mean?
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s0nicfan posted...

Zanzenburger posted...

Universal Basic Income is a much better alternative. Keep the biweekly or monthly pay system, but having guaranteed income to survive will take away the stress of where to get your next meal.

If you waste it all on vices and other unnecessary items, then that's on you.

The problem with UBI, and it will always be the problem with UBI, is that it's a "feel good" solution that people can propose without ever dealing with having to make the hard choices of what someone deserves. It's impossible to define UBI because the people supporting it would be horrified if they had to actually make the choice as to what defines "universal basic needs".

i suppose that's why it's called universal basic income, and not "universal funding for basic needs or necessities" then?
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Alternatively, save up and then buy a new car and pay off a years' rent, without putting yourself in a tight spot.
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s0nicfan posted...

The problem with UBI, and it will always be the problem with UBI, is that it's a "feel good" solution that people can propose without ever dealing with having to make the hard choices of what someone deserves. It's impossible to define UBI because the people supporting it would be horrified if they had to actually make the choice as to what defines "universal basic needs".

I won't get into a large discussion on this as this deserves its own topic, but in the US, we already have a system of "allowable living expenses" in the areas of housing, transportation, food, healthcare, and childcare that is based on 1) where you live and 2) how many live in your household.

This amount is used in various social services programs like SSI and medicaid and often used in bankruptcy cases to determine how much of a person's assets to take away.

For example, I looked up my "allowable living expenses" based on the various criteria for my state and that amount came out to roughly $2600, meaning that under UBI I would get $2600 a month for my entire family/household.

Granted, the current system is very generous (it allocates $1000 for just car ownership costs alone and I don't pay anywhere near that much) and would have to be fine-tuned more to work. But the system does exist.
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Plus there's still the problem of UBI being unavoidably unfair.

In Alabama, UBI would pay your rent. In California, it wouldn't pay a quarter of it. Money is literally more purchasing power in some places in others. So then what do you do? Give more to people in CA?
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DevsBro posted...

Alternatively, save up and then buy a new car and pay off a years' rent, without putting yourself in a tight spot.

Why would paying everything upfront put me in a tight spot?
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Why would paying everything upfront put me in a tight spot?

Maybe it would, maybe it wouldn't.

As I was saying, alternatively, you could save up first.
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UnfairRepresent posted...

s0nicfan posted...

The problem with UBI, and it will always be the problem with UBI, is that it's a "feel good" solution that people can propose without ever dealing with having to make the hard choices of what someone deserves. It's impossible to define UBI because the people supporting it would be horrified if they had to actually make the choice as to what defines "universal basic needs".

This paragraph didn't actually say a thing.

"What someone deserves." WTF does that even mean?

Does UBI include a smart phone data plan? Does it include high speed internet? Does it include home ownership or rental rates? How often can someone go out to eat versus rice and beans? How many kids are covered?

Even if you convert UBI to rates appropriate for regional differences (CA vs Alabama), the amount you give someone needs to be based on something. If the goal is to provide the basic necessities to a person via check, you need to decide what is and isn't a basic necessity. "What someone deserves" means that someone has to decide what EVERYONE gets, and what some people will have to work extra for, which means not everyone will get it.

EDIT:
Ulyanyx posted...

i suppose that's why it's called universal basic income, and not "universal funding for basic needs or necessities" then?

And what is that income based on? If you provide a dollar amount, it needs to be based on some logical reasoning on WHY its that amount and not something more or less. Nobody ever wants to put in the legwork to actually justify the amount of their magic paycheck.
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