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comment by b_b
b_b  ·  3698 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Should the government pay you to be alive?

    What I see in global brain is a world of abundance.

Considering that in the US we grow about 4500 (give or take) calories per person per day, I think we already have a world of abundance. What we don't have is a world of sensible distribution. According to a book I recently read, up to 30% of some types of crops are thrown out summarily for the simple reason that they don't look right (for example, green beans that are too short, or bent, or too dark in color, but otherwise are perfectly fine to eat), so grocery stores refuse to stock them. Instead of offering them to us at a cheaper price, they simply decide that we don't get to choose. That's kinda fucked, but we don't need any new technology to fix it; we only need some changes to the way we do business.

Same thing with unemployment. I would love to see some kind of return to the WPA or CCC, or anything like it. My home city is a trash nightmare. There's litter all over the place. The government has plenty of cash to simply pay unemployed people $10 or $12 per hour to pick up garbage, keep vacant lots well manicured, or any other neighborhood improvement project. That would solve a pile of problems in cities. Again, no new tech required, just new policy.

We have the tools and the resources right now to solve a lot of social problems. We just have to decide that it's a priority.





theadvancedapes  ·  3698 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I agree with most everything you said. I just want to add commentary to this comment:

    but we don't need any new technology to fix it

We may be at that point in the developed world. But a lot of work needs to be done in the developing world. And new technology can help realize abundance for the developing world quicker than most people think. One of the most popular examples is the SlingShot developed by Dean Kamen, which has the potential to help eradicate the world's water problems. There are still a lot of people who go without water, food, and shelter throughout the developing world, and it may need more than policy to fix (although global policy would obviously be massively helpful).

EDIT:

And my emphasis on advancing ICT is simply to state that there are emergent technological pressures that will force policy towards UBI (IMO).

b_b  ·  3698 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Would highly recommend a book called The End of Food to anyone interested in food policy. (It was recommended to me by kleinbl00, so I'm paying it forward here.) There are a lot of things about global food distribution that seem to be irrational. This book is an investigation of why the food system is the way it is, and what perverse incentives make it so. Very enlightening.

theadvancedapes  ·  3698 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I'll definitely check it out.

EDIT:

For anyone who doesn't want to read the book, here is video of the author discussing The End of Food.

kleinbl00  ·  3698 days ago  ·  link  ·  

No, read the book.

b_b  ·  3698 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Yes. Times a million.

b_b  ·  3698 days ago  ·  link  ·  
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