Universal Basic Income

There are several articles over the last couple of weeks about UBI and I'm becoming more and more interested. I thought I'd share an article with you all and see what you think.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/06/20/why-dont-we-have-universal-basic-income

 

I'd be much more in favor of doing away with welfare and giving those on it the and chunk of money all at one time. Invest it in yourself, start a small business or ration it out over 12 months as the government would have done for you. Instead of welfare it would be a government grant of sorts. The government should be in the business of creating small business. Just think, in this scenario, if 3 or 4 people who received a government grant got together and invested their money in their own business the chances of them getting out from below the poverty line would increase drastically. This gives people
The ability to have a chunk of capital to invest in themselves or others. However, we could not possibly afford the UBI and Welfare system.

 

If it truly eliminated the welfare system, I'd be all for a UBI. I just don't believe we'd actually do that. If someone was irresponsible with his UBI benefit, we wouldn't just toss him into the street or let him starve to death.

 

The problem with UBI would be addicted individuals. They already find ways to barter government benefits to get access to drugs/alcohol, so I think this would just accelerate that ability. We need to find a way to truly help those who cannot help themselves and develop better systems to treat mental illness and addiction.

In the end though, we need more incentives to work versus government handouts to those who do not really need them.

 

Yikes, do I need to change my signature to "theiioftx is right" ??

 

I don't think the government can do that. They can dole out money, but they can't fix lives.

 

Chango, I've kept quiet about it, but I've noticed a rightward shift in your posts in the last few months.

 

They are on welfare now largely because they do not have any idea how to manage money. Throwing a big chunk of $$ at them all at once is not going to help that. I would agree with that IF we would give them the money and be done with it, but when they have pissed it away on lottery tickets, are we going to shut them out in the cold? No that will not happen.

 

MrD
But the gov't can make mental health help available. They do now but in limited ways.
However I would ague that most of the fraud and abuse is done by people perfectly capable of working but when it is so easy to get a living handed to them , a living that is decent many take advantage of that. Why would you work as a janitor or hotel maid etc when you can do nothing and make as much or more?

Yes many may not know how to manage money , will forcing them to take basic money management classes as a requirement of getting entitlements solve that?

If we could get down to the ones who actually honestly truly need all the benefits we are now doling out to 45-50 million it then would be manageable.
Of course doing that would put many gov't employees out of work.'
I am not in favor of a wholesale UBI.

 

Permission granted

 

For the most part this is a pretty tough crowd. In the real world I'm nowhere near as liberal as some would think. A Texas liberal? Hardcore conservative on either coast ...

 

Do most people move center as they grow older? I think I have always remained hard right, but I have always supported good social government. Unfortunately, I do not see much that makes sense.

Regardless, I really appreciate the different opinion and also education in many instances.