[ExI] Income and services for the underemployeed or unemployed

[deimtee]

Emlyn wrote:

>---------
>
>Since I wrote that, I feel more convinced that universal income
>doesn't quite solve the problem that it wants to solve. In particular,
>people get into debt, so easily! A lot of people with newfound
>universal income will immediately swap it, as balancing debt, in
>perpetuity, for some frivolous short term gain (extra cash, a holiday,
>a big car?). Of course individual choice is good, but you know this is
>going to happen en-masse almost immediately, and then the enterprise
>has failed before it has begun.
>
>  
>

A way to counter this would be to make bankruptcy easier to declare, and 
exempt some types of asset from bankruptcy confiscation - primarily the 
principal residence and one vehicle.
It should also be impossible to re-assign payment of the basic income. 
Anybody who would then lend them money against future basic income is 
taking a suckers bet.
If they have enough other assets to make a loan reasonable, then their 
debt is not a problem.


-David.