By Nick Buffie Back in 2013, the Washington Post ran the headline: “Thinking Utopian: How About a Universal Basic Income [UBI]?” The article was written as a thought experiment; it concluded that while a UBI may be worth pursuing in the future, “right now doesn’t seem like the ideal time for Utopian thinking.” But just eight years later, UBI – the proposition that all … [Read more...] about A Pro-UBI Talking Point Debunked
Universal Basic Income
Universal Basic Income Fails to Get to the Root of Urban Poverty
By Charles Blaine In an effort to reduce poverty in their cities, eleven mayors have signed on to a push to guarantee a basic income for the more than 5 million people they collectively represent. The first U.S. city to move forward on this initiative was Stockton, California, but the effort has gained more steam given the unemployment uptick due to Coronavirus-related … [Read more...] about Universal Basic Income Fails to Get to the Root of Urban Poverty
What Weimar Germany Teaches Us about Universal Basic Income
By Zilvinas Silenas Massive government debt, sky-high unemployment, the economy frozen, idle workers receiving payments from the government. This might sound like COVID-19, but I am actually talking about post-World War I Germany. If your high school history teacher skipped this story, here's a bullet-point recap: Germany lost World War I in 1919. Great Britain … [Read more...] about What Weimar Germany Teaches Us about Universal Basic Income
4 New Reasons to Fear a Universal Basic Income
By Antony Sammeroff Most of us have heard the arguments from the Left on the emancipatory power of the Universal Basic Income Guarantee to free us from the chains of work, stress and poverty, and to liberate the creative impulses of man. We also hear from conservatives like Charles Murray, who stress that welfare cliffs under the current system create a poverty trap, where … [Read more...] about 4 New Reasons to Fear a Universal Basic Income
Universal Basic Income Is Little More Than Smoke and Mirrors
By Max Gulker The U.S. government spends just shy of $1 trillion per year on aid to low-income Americans. This would be enough to give each of the estimated 40 million Americans living in poverty a check for over $20,000 per year. In two previous articles, I showed how the current failed system grew out of a snowballing bureaucracy and misguided paternalism from the left and … [Read more...] about Universal Basic Income Is Little More Than Smoke and Mirrors
Why My Generation—Gen Z—Has the Most to Lose from Andrew Yang’s Freedom Dividend
By Thomas Ullman In early April, the quarterly campaign earnings of possible Democratic frontrunners were released to the public. Among these candidates were familiar faces—ones that have been in the public eye for months now: Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Beto O’Rourke, and others, most of whom echo a cacophony of basic ideals that reflect those of their base. However, one … [Read more...] about Why My Generation—Gen Z—Has the Most to Lose from Andrew Yang’s Freedom Dividend
Universal Basic Income Is a Pandora’s Box
By Paul Boyce The case for a Universal Basic Income (UBI) is a strong one, in some ways. A UBI would stimulate aggregate demand, help those affected by technological change, and create a basic income for the poor. Its effectiveness and impact, however, depend on how much is given out. The benefits and consequences of a $100 UBI will be very different than one of $1,000. … [Read more...] about Universal Basic Income Is a Pandora’s Box