Why we cannot have nice things

I have been thinking why UBI and single-payer healthcare is totally unworkable in America. With fears of AI leading to mass-unemployment constantly in the news, the idea of a UBI is often touted as a solution. Democrats similarly have pushed for wealth taxes and universal healthcare, and neither have made much ground. A California wealth tax has been “just around the corner” or “put to a vote” for what seems like forever now. Democrats have threatened one for years, yet it always amounts to empty rhetoric or gets bogged down and delayed due to political inertia. It’s like the shadowy menace of a horror film, that when the light is turned on, there is nothing there. In healthcare, Americans prefer individualized treatments rather than the cookie-cutter approach often associated with universal healthcare. They want to set the terms, with no effort spared, even if this means totally speculative, costly treatments for end-stage diseases that may only add months of life. Scaled to millions…