Thought experiment — Summer Camp for All rather than Universal Basic Income
Here’s a thought — municipalities and non-profits would build lots of housing and food courts for those in need, and in exchange people would work to build and maintain the housing and food courts and do any work needed such as teaching and health care and construction of improved streets for biking and transit. People would be free to do the work they want, the work they enjoy and gives them satisfaction. There would be many work opportunities such as day care, elder care, operating the transit system etc. Cars would be available in a pool for work-related needs but people would live in bike-able walk-able transit friendly density and not need a car for their daily needs.
There would be very little cost to this scheme, as most costs are due to labor, but that would now be free and provided by the residents. I am calling it Summer Camp because that is a place where everyone is busy and happy and active and contributes — there is social pressure to get up and get out and do something fun and productive and not just lay about in your bed all day. Also, in summer camp, it is owned collectively and everyone is proud of their camp and people won’t litter or make a mess — they feel affection and ownership of their summer camp. People also are closer to nature and doing environmentally destructive acts that benefit only a few such as building a big house in the wetland would be seen as greedy and negative and counter to the collective use and environmental purpose the wetland.
This summer camp system would benefit students, researchers, writers, artists, musicians, performers, scientists, therapists and those who want to focus on doing public-focused service without the stress of housing or food.
Our current economic system is based upon payments and possibly saving for the future for your retirement — in summer camp we collectively acknowledge we will take care of each other at every stage of life — people would do work that interests them such as day care, being a teacher, caring for the sick and elderly and those in need. Everyone gets what they need without worry.
Questions / doubts: How would the paying economy be affected by so many people migrating to the free summer camp system? If you people lived with dignity in nice housing and had good food by doing any supply chain work needed, then who would work for profit-focused businesses? Who would work in the rich man’s restaurant and mow his lawn and clean his house? The suburban life in America is based upon a large pool of people to do low paid dead-end service work. Who would do undesirable work such as fracking when we would have lots of people working to build solar and wind electricity facilities and storage and transmission systems — if we focus on doing all the good work needed, and we no longer have the threat of financial ruin from losing a job — who would do undesirable jobs — or even would people still be focused on doing a good job and being on time? Would all the free food and housing and optional choose-your-own-job let people off the hook and they would become lazy and not work much? Would people still serve each other in restaurants or would it be more of a family-style buffet?
Endless possibilities and questions!
Thoughts?
