I agree wholeheartedly, including on basic income, with one more detail: as long as people are being paid, why not pay them for "unprofitable" work?
Firstly, pay people to go to school. Any subject, useful or not, for as long as they like. The education and mental fitness of the populace is a deep reservoir of Real Wealth.
Secondly, pay (more) people to do community service work: visiting the elderly, cleaning up parks, tutoring kids, etc.
And last, those people still work in the few remaining market jobs: have them work fewer hours! There will always be those who want 40+ hour weeks, but for everybody else, distribute up the same workload over a larger number of people with 20-32 hour work weeks. More people employed, who are less stressed, and a healthier society due to more time to self-improve and spend with family.
Income is only one part of the sociological phenomenon called "jobs". People also want to feel useful.
Firstly, pay people to go to school. Any subject, useful or not, for as long as they like. The education and mental fitness of the populace is a deep reservoir of Real Wealth.
Secondly, pay (more) people to do community service work: visiting the elderly, cleaning up parks, tutoring kids, etc.
And last, those people still work in the few remaining market jobs: have them work fewer hours! There will always be those who want 40+ hour weeks, but for everybody else, distribute up the same workload over a larger number of people with 20-32 hour work weeks. More people employed, who are less stressed, and a healthier society due to more time to self-improve and spend with family.
Income is only one part of the sociological phenomenon called "jobs". People also want to feel useful.