Recently, many articles have supported Universal Basic Income (UBI), under which everyone is entitled to receive enough money to live. There is a good reason for this. Automation in production processes can take jobs from workers, and unemployed workers often struggle to make ends meet. They also cannot purchase goods that corporations produce. By receiving UBI, workers could bring profits to corporations. UBI should benefit workers and corporations. Some wealthy individuals support the idea, which leads people to believe a movement exists to implement UBI.
But this is not the case. In the real world, corporate owners profit from low workers’ salaries, and raises are not in their interest. The minimum salary in the US is so low that workers who live alone could hardly survive on a single full-time job. Capitalist privileges and greed create injustice, which prevents capitalism from flourishing.
Besides that, someone needs to pay for UBI, and I cannot see anyone capable of doing it but the rich. UBI would require incomparably more money than the increase in minimum wages would. And that would be the last thing the rich would like to pay. Simply, UBI is not in the rich's interest. They have a significant influence on society's politics and will undoubtedly undermine UBI.
But there is an escape from injustice in production processes that the rich cannot sabotage. Employers keep workers’ salaries low by maintaining a high unemployment rate. Unemployed workers are often forced to accept low wages to support their families. Unemployment puts employers in a privileged position, which can lead to worker exploitation. The escape from all economic problems lies in eliminating unemployment. We can achieve this through a political decision to shorten work hours. Removing unemployment will increase the demand for workers, and employers will have to compete to attract employees. They would have to raise workers’ salaries and benefits. This would bring justice to production processes. I can prove it.
In the 14th Century, the Black Death killed one-third of the European population, causing a shortage of workers. Suddenly, the demand for workers increased, putting them in a much better position to negotiate their wages. Employers had to increase their wages two to three times within a year. After that, the workers were able to purchase more, which contributed to economic growth.
We could engineer the same process today by shortening work hours by one-third. In the US, the minimum wage today is about $80 per 8-hour workday. Using the Middle Ages as an example, fewer workers due to shorter hours would, in one year, raise minimum wages to $100-$150 for a 5-hour workday.
No regulation beyond a fair market would be needed to achieve this result. Higher workers’ salaries would increase individuals' purchasing power, leading to economic growth. This would eliminate economic problems and benefit society. Employers would benefit more, so it is in their interest as well. Right? Wrong!
Corporate owners do not have a strong interest in earning more money, as they are primarily concerned with maintaining control over their employees. Their best bet is to keep workers poor and dependable. If workers earn more, they will become less dependent on the wealthy, and that would be the worst-case scenario for them. The wealthy have been working hard to prevent workers from ever achieving independence. We need to oppose the rich by preventing privileges and fighting for equal human rights. It will solve all the problems of humankind.
I’ve helped promote economic justice by writing articles, including "Let's Remove Unemployment," among others. Additionally, I wrote the scientific book Humanism, presenting a bright future for humankind. I also wrote three screenplays for movies that describe humanity's short, middle, and distant future through stories. Everything is available for free at my website, www.sarovic.net.
My goal is to create a better future for humankind by promoting equal human rights. Not surprisingly, the rich prevent it from coming. Thanks to the rich, progressive ideas have never had the chance to be proposed or discussed anywhere. When people hear my ideas, they often do not believe in them because they have never encountered them before.
People usually accept new ideas only if many different sources support them. That is something only the rich may accomplish. The rich work hard to put people on the wrong track, and they are very successful. People often follow the rich's interests, even if they are unaware of it.
There are many articles about UBI in the media. If UBI could solve society's problems, it would have never received support from corporate owners and would never have been implemented. So then, why do the rich support UBI?
First of all, the rich recognize the problems of poor people and like to give the impression that they care and “try” to help. In this way, the rich build hope in society, which many naive enthusiasts believe in. The rich often appear to be successful when they deceive others.
Additionally, it is much better for them to lead the poor in seeking an escape from their problems than to let them find it on their own. If poor people unite behind the idea of shortening work hours in proportion to the unemployment rate, that will take power away from the rich. The rich prefer to manipulate people and control their actions. For example, the wealthy supported Marxism, knowing that it could not yield better results than capitalism. UBI is just one more scam perpetrated by the rich.
The primary reason the rich support UBI is that it cannot function as presented. If governments struggle to increase the minimum wage, how would they possibly find more money for UBI? Why would workers work if they get enough money to live? Governments and scientists assess UBI today and, most likely, would conclude that it is a good idea, but it will not work. The rich will help them with it. A cold shower of truth will destroy an enthusiastic hope again.
That does not mean UBI cannot work. UBI, or something similar, is one of the cornerstones of improving social policy. Its success requires an entirely new political and economic system. I define both in my book, “Humanism,” but society is not yet ready to accept such significant changes, and the rich do not intend to let it happen.
The rich enjoy confronting people with different ideas because it weakens their resistance. People should unite and fight one battle to win the war for all. The battle in the economy is shortening work hours proportionally to the unemployment rate. This fight would solve society's economic problems.
The following poster was presented at the Geneva conference. It had 8,115 square meters. The UBI propaganda is robust, thanks to the fraudulent help of the rich.