this post was submitted on 20 Apr 2025
1 points (100.0% liked)

Futurology

2487 readers
48 users here now

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 0 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (1 children)

Well the baker, knowing that everyone has twice as much money, puts his prices up because he knows the market can bear it. That's the way I reason it.

The good news is this simply doesn't happen (in civilized modern countries).

People with more money don't buy twice as much bread, they buy other things.

The bread maker is still competing with milk producers and video game makers and artists.

You can read about price elasticity for more details (and to not just take my word for it.)

Highly inelastic goods (water, transportation, eggs) are the most likely to have runaway price increases.

But civilized countries already have public options to supply these items at cost :public water, public transport, food stamps.

This means we already have the necessary buffers against any impact by UBI. Any provider of an inelastic good who raises their price too far loses business to the public option.

Schwinn and Ferrari will all see slightly more sales with UBI as a few people use their additional income to purchase a bicycle or a supercar, but the bus lines must still run to keep them honest.

The risk is minimal because we already know what public consumption of these goods looks like, when they're free or heavily subsidized, in each civilized country.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (1 children)

I'm not saying people buy more bread, I'm saying the baker ups his prices for a single loaf and blames it on inflation.

The milk producer follows suit, citing the same reasons, as do the video game publishers. For evidence of this, look at the price gouging that all retailers did in recent years for absolutely no good justification.

But civilized countries already have public options to supply these items at cost :public water, public transport, food stamps.

This is the one saving factor I can see. Having some kind of free or subsidized alternative that industry simply cannot complete with, and forces them to reduce their prices. God I wish this was more prevalent.

Public water isn't a thing in the UK. It looks like it is from the outside, but it's all monopoly owned to the entity in your area.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

And then the next baker just has to offer their bread at lower prices to gain an advantage. Seems like the sacred free market would solve this.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago) (1 children)

In a better world where corporations would rather compete than collude, and where small business can thrive on little capital without being bullied out of the market by bigger players

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

So capitalism is broken, you say? Broken to the point of needing to be replaced, you say? With a system that gives power to the people instead of corporations, you say? You make a compelling argument.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 hours ago

I completely agree. I just don't think dumping money at people which will be gobbled up immediately by price gouging food/shelter is the solution. Change the economy to a planned or resource-based one. Or add more competition to the market by having government provide cheap alternatives to food/shelter.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 12 hours ago

I don't fully agree with whom you're arguing with. But I will point out we've seen many markets and producers like eggs or rent - Colluding to raise prices in a similar manner.