aGorilla

I can't afford your new book, and if I bought it, I would just be adding to the inequality.
Have you considered releasing it for free on the web (even if it's at a later date)?

Sorry, I've never quite seen this take on basic income.

The social safety net makes you jump through hoops, which adds costs to the problem, and those of us who rely on it are stigmatized (I'm disabled).

I've always seen it as 'everyone gets the same check'. No office visits, forms, hoops to jump through, or stigma attached. Then you claw back from the top earners.

The other point is the safety net is flawed. You can't buy toilet paper with food stamps (and 100 other stupid rules). I think it's best that the recipients get a fixed amount, no questions asked, and they decide what to do with it. Then you can practically eliminate the safety net (except for extreme cases of disability).

I've spent 4 hours at social services (more than once) to get food stamps, it's degrading, but I have to eat. Then they make you come in monthly, or quarterly, or whenever.

They also killed all of my benefits for 6 months (after they had been notified I was approved for disability), then gave me a big fat check just before disability kicked in. The big fat check was nice, but the 6 months were hell. They said they 'were being audited, and couldn't cut checks'. Sounds like Trump and his tax returns.

I'd rather know I'm getting a check, no matter what.

ps: Thanks for doing this AMA, and for the thoughtful reply. And a HUGE thanks for helping to spread this idea.

with workers getting a reliable $500 a month

Did you mean to limit it to workers?
I thought the premise behind basic income was that everyone would get it. Kills stigma of 'welfare', and even the high earners have a stake in it.

As a suicidal 48 year old, the thought of immortality gives me a new reason to live. Apparently, I'm also schizophrenic.

Sorry to hear that, but I figured that would be in the contract. Even though we have slightly different ideas, I can't thank you enough for doing all of this... the AMA, the replies, the book and donating the profits. It's a topic that needs to be discussed. I believe automation is going to force us to try new approaches sooner than most people think.