Dear Person reading this,
Hi, I’m also a person. I use your products and services. I hope this letter finds you well. I’m writing to inform you that I’m debating whether to use your products or services in the future.
I hope this finds you well. But a small window into the current state of things for people like me are that things are not going good right now. In the US 80% of people are living paycheck to paycheck, not able to cover a $400 emergency. Not being able to cover a $400 emergency means, if someone is on their way to work, gets a flat tire, they miss work. If they miss work they lose their job. If they lose their job they lose their housing and health insurance. Everyone with and without insurance is a hospital bill away from bankruptcy. There are 4 evictions per minute in the US. The minimum wage hasn’t been increased in 16 years but landlords and corporations have been raising costs and price gouging year after year. There is a long list of things that are not going right right now. Americans can’t pay bills or get the care they need and hey are drowning.
Now there are many who are facing technological unemployment.
There are more than 10000 companies working on AI and automation or considering adding it to their products and services. These advances in technology are already replacing jobs. I lost four jobs to automation in the last ten years.
These aren’t just blue collar jobs but white collar jobs. From workers to CEO’s, board members and investors AI is replacing them all. The job market is fragile now.
What if your job is automated away and given to AI and you can’t find other work?
Do you want to have to sit in front of a minimum wage worker and be judged on if you deserve to receive a small check not enough to anything?
Currently, if you don’t have work and don’t qualify for welfare you have no money for food or housing or any basic necessities. These welfare programs are full of racist, sexist, classist policies and biased people. We are facing a crisis and if your company does nothing I will avoid buying their products or services.
A a very forward solution that is not left or right it forward thinking is UBI. Many economists across the world are recommending that states start implementing an unconditional basic income.
This is a monthly payment that covers the cost of basic necessities and it is given to everyone in a community. With welfare they will deny you if they don’t like you or your hair or your attitude. There’s no due process. With a UBI no one would be able deny you survival income based on your gender, age or race that currently happens in welfare programs.
Currently, modern states block people from the resources you need to survive. In a kingdom, a king owns the domain. “You can’t eat those. Those are those kings deer. In a democracy, it’s a free domain where the people own the domain. You are part of that domain. You are said to have freedom.
If the state blocks you from the resources you need to survive and doesn’t give you a UBI then that’s murder.
When robots are doing all the jobs and the state doesn’t give you a UBI how is that different than starvation and homelessness? Since everyone receives a basic income, if you are a business owner, you would receive a UBI as well for times when sales and services are slow. Your business would be more resilient with you receiving a basic income. And with customers receiving a basic income they would have money to buy your products.
I understand that profit and growth are the only thing that businesses and companies seem to care about. But if people are not working, people will not have money. If people do not have money, people will not be buying your products or services. As people run out of resources, companies will run out of resources and you will run out of resources.
So we are asking that your company support Unconditional Basic Income. Make a statement call your local POS politician. Remember, you don’t have to support it. It’s your choice. But if you don’t support UBI you are saying that you are ok with people starving and becoming homeless. And if you don’t support UBI publicly I will not be purchasing your products or services. And if you do support UBI and another competing company does not I would prefer your company.
A psychopath is someone who has impaired empathy. History will remember how you and your company choose to handle the technological unemployment caused by automation and AI While profits are important for companies providing everyone survival resources that nature not man, provides for all is more important.
Please forward this on to the relevant people and let them know their share holder value and worth will go up or down depending on their response to this topic.
Sincerely,
A long term thinking customer.
