Basic income will make people more dependent.

On the topic of Basic Income, a guy says:

"and the dependant people will become more so"

Here are my thoughts:

 Exactly the opposite.

Also, it is a good thing to point out that tradition "welfare" does cause a depressing poverty trap. So it's easy to see why people would think that this would make people even more 'dependent'. The thing is though, that Universal Basic Income does not have these same flaws as welfare and actually empowers people to become self sufficient, active and contribute to the world rather than getting stuck in the stereo-type lifestyle of sitting on a couch all day in some slum, watching daytime TV.

My point is that (the guy) has a valid concern. But there are large and important differences between typical welfare as we know it and a UBI.

One major difference is that it is UNIVERSAL, meaning that everyone gets it. This escapes the problem of stigmatizing people who need help. With UBI, everyone gets it, so there won't be the need to look down on a certain group of people, or for those people to feel like they are 'losers' or something.

Another reason it avoids the typical 'poverty trap' of welfare is that it is a BASIC income. This means that the amount of money people get has to be high enough to empower them, not make them dependent. Typical welfare is designed specifically the opposite, giving people so little that they can't get "too comfortable", or this is atleast the rational. This comes from an outdated idea that people can only prosper if they have the 'fire under their ass'. But this isn't actually true. People tend to get in a trap of depression and hopelessness when they are overwhelmed by struggle. If you only have let's say $100 or $200 per week then the stress can be very crushing. Making even the simplest chores like grocery shopping sometimes turn into a 2 hour hassle on city buses, etc..

Imagine it in your own life. When have you felt capable and inspired? Was it when you had the means to go and do your ideas or was it when nothing seemed to be working, you were broke and under threat of eviction? Yes, fear can make you knuckle down and hustle to take any old shitty opportunity which comes along, but nothing more, certainly not pursuing creative ideas that make life worthwhile. I happen to think that the couch potato culture is actually a direct result of this 'survival-mode' lifestyle. People get locked in to a habit of trying to rest every chance they get and having a desire to do nothing extra, even for themselves because they feel attacked from every side by poverty. Its also important to poiunt out that some of the most entrepenurial "go-getters" in our society were well off enough so that they didn't have to worry about where their next groceries were coming from, etc...

One of the great success stories of the do it yourself culture is always told of "2 guys in a garage" who changed the world. This cliche is used over and over to try and say that 'anyone' can make a multibillion dollar bussiness and change the world if they just try hard enoug. But I would ask some questions first. Who's 'garage' was it that Steve Jobs and his friends were working out of when they built Apple Computers? It was his parent's garage. He wasn't out working 50 hours a week washing dishes to stress about the rent for the garage, food, car insurance, etc... He had some time free from those worries in order to be inspired to create something new and take a risk. He is also famous for saying how lucky he was to 'quit college' after about a year so he could go try his ideas out. I wonder who was paying for the college though? I doubt he was busting his ass doing construction or landscaping 40-50 hours a week so he could afford classes. I'm willing to bet that his parents were helping him out so that he could pursue something more. Not all of us are so lucky though.

One more reason that the UBI escapes the poverty trap of typical welfare programs is that it is UNCONDITIONAL. Meaning that there is no counselor or social worker checking up on you to make sure you pass certain requirements to get it or keep getting it. This can be a terrible problem not to mention requiring an unnecessary bureaurocracy to maintain. If a person is given help only IF they are unemployed, or fall below some income level, or some other stipulation, there is actually an incentive for them to not try too hard to do better, make more money, or such and such because they may lose the help. The UBI actually allows people to do what they want and take risks. The ability to take risks like spending time with children, spending time leaning and taking classes, or pursuing art, music and writing are the things which make for a better more fullfilled society. Many of these things are currently a pipe-dream for a large section of the population who has to always say "yes" to meaningless jobs, overtime and any other demand put on them.