For starters, that paying people more for the exact same work has zero side effects. It galls me that so many people on HN think you can just magic up money to throw at poor people, like casting fireballs in D&D by magically importing fire from some magical plane of fire without this adding mass to the earth every time it is done. There are no magic solutions. When you inject more money into a process but add no extra value, the result is inflation. That is, in fact, the very definition of inflation: paying more money for the same goods and services.

Also, you are basically assuming me to be incompetent and incapable of bettering myself. That is called prejudice.

Here are things I can do and am doing or have done to improve my income or my situation:

1) Get healthier so I can be more productive. This is my top priority and it is working.

2) Take advantage of the fact that my online income (and other income) is portable by moving someplace cheaper to live. I did this in May. I still struggle to make ends meet every month, but the amount I need to scrape by has dropped by about 20%. My quality of life has gone up substantially in several ways, not just because this area is cheaper.

3) Improve my work process and learn to work the system better. I have been working on both of those things for a long time and they are resulting in me getting access to better paying work and more consistent access to work. At one time, it was often the case that there was abundant work available when I was too sick to do it and a dearth of work on days when I felt okay and wanted to work.

4) Develop my own projects. I run several websites. They sometimes make ad money or tips. It is less reliable, but it is something I often am able to work on at times when I cannot do paid work. This is true in part because I can develop my own projects even without Internet access and in part because I can work on them at times when I am too tired to cope with paid work.

5) Get off the street. I am currently homeless. I left a corporate job and chose to be homeless to get myself healthier. I am somnewhat knowleadeagle about real estate. For a few thousand dollars, I think I could get a tax lien house and get off the street. I think I am well enough for housing to make sense. Having housing would allow me to cook, which would lower my food bill. It would also allow me to have access to the Internet 24/7, which would allow me to work more.

I am not doomed to only make, at best, $12/hour and my life would likely get easier, faster if I didn't have to deal so much with the assumption that because I am handicapped/a woman/insert prejudicebof your choosing, that I will never amount to anything and I should be grateful for idiotic plans, like basic income, that would shunt me off into a permanent, inescapable underclass status.

If you want to help me, here are things you can do in the here and now to help me:

1) Follow me on Twitter.

2) Read one or more of my blogs.

3) Engage me in discussion, either here or on Twitter or by leaving comments on my blog posts. (And a sincere thank you for engaging me in this discussion.)

4) Whitelist my blogs on ad blocker or leave a tip.

5) Promote my work.

6) Answer me in a sincere, good faith effort to help me improve my performance when I ask questions.

Anyway, I have work to do and not enough time.

Have a good day.