[ExI] My review of Eliezer Yudkowsky's new book

[Adrian Tymes]

On Sat, Oct 4, 2025 at 9:31 AM <spike at rainier66.com> wrote:
> OK bad example, California is having bad budget deficit problems.  Take a rich state government such as Idaho.  Their UBI would likely be more like 300 bucks a month, not 3000, and it wouldn't be universal.  It would go to the most needy only.
>
> I don't think anyone believes any UBI any state, county or even city can supply will cover an apartment, certainly not where you grew up and where I live.

Indeed, and this is one of the practical problems.  A UBI, to be worth
the name, needs to be universal - applies to everyone in the covered
population without exception (there is no "the most needy only"; it
can be geographically limited, and possibly "citizens only" if
"citizens" covers everyone or almost everyone in that area, but not
much more limited than that) - and basic - covering food, shelter, and
basic utilities.  If that comes to $5K per month per person, then
that's what a UBI would need to cover.

Something that only goes to a small fraction of people, and still
leaves those people struggling to survive, doesn't solve the problem
that UBI is meant to solve.