Instead of lifting everyone above the poverty line and giving people the freedom to pursue anything they wish to pursue, paid or unpaid, work or leisure, with a universal cash floor sufficient for securing basic needs as a monthly starting point, humanity instead forces people to choose between earning income and existing in a way approved by the government.We too face this choice. If there's half as much paid work to do, that also means we can all work half as much and be just as employed. Everyone starts above the poverty line. Basic cannot be used as capital. Earth in The Expanse is a place where everything is scarce, if not always to the same degree it is in the Belt. If they succeed at those two years, they can go to college.
The only way off Basic is to get a job or an education. Over half of the Earth’s populace relies on it for survival. All of these services are provided free of charge, but those on Basic are subject to mandatory contraception and cannot legally have children, apart from the regular “baby lottery” allowing for a small number of births each year. An educated population is good for everyone. Being on Basic is kind of like having an EBT card. Basic is being told by government where you will live because it's free and beggars can't be choosers.Being on Basic means free healthcare, but very basic healthcare that involves long waiting lists and sub-standard treatment. The Expanse's Basic is control. The series is set in a future where humanity has colonized the Solar System. College educations are seen as an investment that only those who wish to be employed are worthy of, and so everyone wishing for a college education must first prove they enjoy employment by working for two years beginning at age 16. For those unable or unwilling to find employment, there is Basic Assistance, the United Nations’ global welfare program. If at any point they fail, they must choose between Basic or military service.Being on Basic means free housing, but very basic housing, in specific locations housed with and alongside others on Basic in government blocks of thousands of people.
Having now read every book currently available, and having watched both seasons in full, I can faithfully say, The Expanse's Basic is bad policy, but also an entirely realistic policy based on existing misconceptions.
Storyline. On Ceres Station, Julie Mao proves more difficult to track down than Miller had anticipated after he discovers she has ties to the Outer Planets Alliance; an extremist political group fighting for the rights of the asteroid belt colonies. There's 30 billion to feed and efforts to manage material and energy waste are taking an increasing share of resources. Without jobs, these people have no money, so Basic provides shared accommodations in government housing complexes, meagre food in the form of Gray-tasting textured protein and enriched rice, minimal medical care in government clinics, and even recycled paper clothing, dispensed from automated kiosks with a thumbprint.
Everyone can earn money on top of their basic income. Those on Basic can only barter and do work under-the-table too small for government to notice.This is the misconception I see many people having about basic income, that it will create a system of the haves and the have-nots where those with basic income live at the poverty line barely getting by, and those with jobs live happy fulfilling lives.
As a result, these programs are only an option for a select few. For most people, life on Basic is the only one they will ever know, the news feeds, dramas, and pornography on their terminal screens their only escape from the boredom of their existence.Roughly half of the UN's population of 30 billion lives on Basic Assistance. The Expanse's Basic is a ceiling.
Meanwhile, James Holden (Steven Strait), the first officer of an ice freighter, is witness to an unprovoked attack upon the ship, by craft believed to be … As te… Basic and minimal-income housing neighborhoods ring the commercial districts and stretch for miles, making up the largest proportion of real estate in most cities. Two hundred years in the future, in a fully colonized solar system, police detective Josephus Miller (Thomas Jane), who was born in the asteroid belt, is given the assignment to find a missing young woman; Julie Mao (Florence Faivre). Even with this much area, space is at a premium. It follows a disparate band of antiheroes – United Nations Security Council member Chrisjen Avasarala, police detective Josephus Miller, ship's officer James …
No one is prevented from earning additional income. What can the future be like? What choices can we make in the years ahead to create the kind of future we want instead of one we regret?
Or do we want Mad Max? Basic income is freedom. They can't because they have no access to money. Education is not universal. It's one thing to give Those like Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck who together are known as James S. A. Corey, the author of The Expanse, are those who will help inspire us to make better decisions through collective imagination. There are uplift programs that provide educational or job training opportunities for people on Basic who are self-taught or can meet strict entrance requirements, but they are highly competitive and waiting lists to earn a spot in a vocational program can be upwards of ten years long.