a thoughtful web.
Good ideas and conversation. No ads, no tracking.   Login or Take a Tour!
comment
user-inactivated  ·  2689 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: My mental hurdle: Universal Basic Income

    My issue with a UBI is very simple. If we cut the food stamp, WIC, Section 8, earned income credits, dependent credits, head start, school lunches, and most of not all of the redundant programs and funds and trusts that help poor people, and replace then withe the UBI? I'm all for it. Simplify the means of helping poor people get back on their feet, help the dependent poor not starve and turn to crime and you save the taxpayer money, actually help out those in need and take some the stigma from anti-poverty programs.

Know what else these programs do besides just give people money? Knowledge and encouragement. They teach people how to feed themselves properly, how to apply for and keep jobs, to know what labor laws and tenants rights are and how they can protect you. Do they always do an amazing job? No. But these programs and the agencies that run them do more than just cut paychecks and if UBI becomes a thing, I think these organizations will find ways to continue to justify their existence.

Edit: Now that I think about it, if UBI becomes a thing, this lifts a huge burden off of these programs and agencies, allowing them to focus more on other problems, hopefully making them more effective.