For roughly 99% of the history, 99% of the humanity was poor, hungry, dirty, afraid, stupid and sick. In the last 200 years, that has been changed.
Average salaries are way higher, and less people die from diseases. Between 1994 and 2014, internet access rate climbed to 40% from 0.4%
If you've asked medieval civilizations to describe an utopia, it'll be something like "Land of Plenty" (Cocknaigne). But we are already in some sort of a land of plenty.
It's an era which biblical prophecies came true. Blind people are starting to see. Cripple people are starting to walk.
But it's a bleak paradise. There's a crucial thing we are lacking: a reason to get out of the bed. We stopped making progress, which is the realization of utopias. We can't imagine a better world because there's no dream to replace the current state. Children born today will be worse off than their parents.
Two forms of an utopian thought
"You can become everything you want, you are special" mindset brought up a narcissistic diet, and we crash and burn when facing "the big world". More competition, more unemployment, and more anxiety.
True progress beings with generating wisdom about what it means to live well.
Several experiments in London and a small town in Canada shown the "basic income" is actually helpful for people to get their shit together and improve their lives.
For the first time in the history, we are actually rich.
Eradicating poverty in US would cost 175 billion $, which is less than 1% of GDP and 1/4 of US military spending. Only the Afghanistan and Iraq wars costed $4-$6 trillion.
Approximate comparison applies most of the developed countries.
Raegan was going to pass the law but it came back from the senate, even though the congress approved.
Nixon's free market enthusiast advisor gives him a 6-page document and it changes his mind. There was a bullshit story from England (Speedhamland) in this document, which tells UBI didn't work out.
To make sure they solve the "joblessness" situation, he attached the obligatory registration to job center point to his 1600$/m basic income bill. But it didn't pass.
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