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Social Security in the U.S. is typically for retired people age ~65 or older. There are other social programs for low-income people, but they are abysmally insufficient for what we’re talking about. Usually disabled people are paid by “disability insurance” but you have to get a job first to even qualify for that. So that’s usually for injuries etc.

If you don’t live in the U.S. it’s hard to grasp just how hostile the political/economic system is towards the lower and middle classes. The idea of a UBI program to support people whose jobs get automated and lack the skills to work elsewhere is completely out of the question. A trip to the hospital can easily bankrupt the average American family ffs, but we can’t even fix that. There is zero political will to provide robust social programs here, despite any evidence that shows it might improve society.

Sorry for the rant. TL;DR if you look at the last few decades of politics in the U.S. you can see there is close to zero chance of the solutions you’re describing.




You too over-generalize when extrapolating past behavior linearly into the future.

Being conscious intelligent creatures, humans ought to be able to learn from their mistakes and implement change accordingly.

This presupposes one refrains from defeatist refusal to engage those problems of course.


How long have you been following politics and economics in a serious capacity?

> Being conscious intelligent creatures, humans ought to be able to learn from their mistakes and implement change accordingly.

We sure ought to, I agree with you there.




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