Scott Santens
Writer and full-time advocate of unconditional basic income (UBI); Citizen of Earth and New Orleans; Bachelor of Science in Psychology; Editor of Basic Income Today
Unconditional Basic Income Would Fix a Major Flaw in Markets
Markets can't tell the difference between a lack of demand and a lack of ability to express demand
Do you like markets? Well, whether you like them or not, they're pretty effective in most cases. The ability for two people to make an exchange where both feel they leave the exchange better off than prior to the exchange is a powerful thing. It's a form of democracy. By exchanging money for goods and services, people in markets are . . .
A Basic Income Sermon for Christians
The moral argument for UBI by Reverend Dr. Roger Lee Ray of Community Christian Church
For some who are new to the idea of universal basic income, it may reflexively strike them as being somehow immoral. Be it seen as a form of theft, or in violation of the Protestant work ethic, or just plain feeling wrong, basic income can pose a challenge to those of faith. The following sermon makes the very strong Christian case that . . .
Olympians and the Great Myth of Meritocracy
Our playing fields aren't level but they can be more level with basic income
The Olympics provides a great opportunity to take a closer look at the popular myth of meritocracy, where winners come out on top thanks to hard work and losers simply just weren’t good enough. That the discussion during this most recent Olympics has been centered so much around performance-enhancing drugs really drives this point home in a . . .
Posted in: analogybiologydrug useinequality
Forget the future of work. What about the future of consumption?
Discussing the future of work is all the rage these days. Some say we're on the verge of the robot apocalypse of jobs. Others say jobs will always be created in sufficient numbers (and at sufficient rates) and that everything will be fine. Regular readers know where I fall on this particular question, that either way, our goal should be . . .
Posted in: automationbullshit jobscreativitydebtinequalitypatreonrich supportspendingstudent loanstechnological unemploymentunderemploymentunpaid laborvoluntary labor
Inequality and the Basic Income Guarantee
My latest article on Medium
I published a new article today on Medium. It's called "Inequality and the Basic Income Guarantee", and it's actually the essay I contributed to the book "What do we do about inequality?". Kindle owners, you can get the full book now on Amazon.
Excerpt:
This essay contributes to the . . .
The Disproportionate Effects of a Universal Basic Income
Can UBI function as reparations?
One very interesting but not so easy to understand element of universal basic income is how it disproportionately helps traditionally marginalized groups more than anyone else.
That sentence alone may be confusing. If everyone gets the same amount, how can one group benefit more than another group? Isn't the result really just . . .
Robin Hoodwinked: How Billion Dollar Powerballs Reflect 21st Century Inequality
New feature-length article on Medium
My latest longform piece on Medium is now available to read and it's titled "Robin Hoodwinked: How Billion Dollar Powerballs Reflect 21st Century Inequality".
Introduction:
Back in 2015, I drove past the same sign I drive past daily, but looked at it with fresh eyes. It was a Powerball sign and it suddenly . . .
Posted in: basic income experimentsinequalitymedium
