This subject has prompted some good discussions: Basic Income Means Basic Freedom and 5 reasons to consider a no-strings-attached, basic income for all Americans I welcome more discussion, especially when based on facts and figures. We should be careful about what the numbers measure, particularly if we are talking about households, workers, or individuals. Households in the United States: 117,538,000 Wage earners: 150,398,796 Population: 313,900,000 The article points out that $11,000 per household per year would help some, but still leave many short of MIT's "living wage" level. A linked article calculates that giving $12,000 per individual per year, still not F-you money, would cost one or two trillion dollars, more than is currently being spent on all anti-poverty programs (federal, state and local).