Just FYI I was speaking more in big picture terms, not specific to The Mission, I know very little about what they do good/bad/in-between besides that they're a faith-based homeless shelter.
I hate to get off topic too far but I do have a sort of a rant on UBI ( I think that's what you meant @gbdinlansing )... It's almost certainly not sustainable or feasible today but with AI taking over most meaningful sectors of the economy in the coming years and decades we're going to have to figure something out. Needing a UBI in that scenario seems obvious but I couldn't picture how to get there or how to make it make sense economically (I still may not, I'm not an economist) but I have an inkling of an idea: In a potentially hyper-productive economy (like with AI doing most things), but with low demand (because most people have no income), extreme deflation sets in, destroying the economy and probably society. How do economists combat deflation? By printing money. But instead of doing it just in an emergency and funneling most of that money through bureaucratic channels it could be done in perpetuity (because AI will assumedly increase productivity in perpetuity) and issued directly to people (to create demand in the economy). Think of it as an everlasting stimulus check. The government also prints money to fund its own activities in this scenario, the level of money printing correlates to a particular inflation/productivity target. The government and the UBI is funded by inflation, more or less. The transition may be a little rocky but at least a system like this still allows markets to function as the economy's guiding force and still allows private wealth creation/ownership outside the UBI scheme that keeps much of the population afloat.
Well said, I am not sure about the AI takeover of most things' we humans do or if I will have to face such a situation as I am pushing the big 7-0 next month. I may be wrong to face such a thing with fear, but it sure sounds scary. It would seem rather stupid to turn all of our activities to AI there by impoverishing everyone by taking their jobs away, and manufacture stuff no one can buy. I like your ideas for the future, and it would be great if we could replace a certain non-functioning orange-stained human brain with an AI brain today before its owner destroys our economy and the rest of us with it. That one would freak out at even the thought of a universal living wage. It worked during the pandemic the stimulus checks, and childcare funds were spent in the economy and thousands of children were lifted out of poverty. OK rant over thanks for reading! Back to our normal programming!
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I hate to get off topic too far but I do have a sort of a rant on UBI ( I think that's what you meant @gbdinlansing )... It's almost certainly not sustainable or feasible today but with AI taking over most meaningful sectors of the economy in the coming years and decades we're going to have to figure something out. Needing a UBI in that scenario seems obvious but I couldn't picture how to get there or how to make it make sense economically (I still may not, I'm not an economist) but I have an inkling of an idea: In a potentially hyper-productive economy (like with AI doing most things), but with low demand (because most people have no income), extreme deflation sets in, destroying the economy and probably society. How do economists combat deflation? By printing money. But instead of doing it just in an emergency and funneling most of that money through bureaucratic channels it could be done in perpetuity (because AI will assumedly increase productivity in perpetuity) and issued directly to people (to create demand in the economy). Think of it as an everlasting stimulus check. The government also prints money to fund its own activities in this scenario, the level of money printing correlates to a particular inflation/productivity target. The government and the UBI is funded by inflation, more or less. The transition may be a little rocky but at least a system like this still allows markets to function as the economy's guiding force and still allows private wealth creation/ownership outside the UBI scheme that keeps much of the population afloat.