Residents to get $500 a month, no questions asked,
The mayor of Stockton, California, is leading an experiment with “universal basic income,” which is set to start by giving low-income residents $500 a month, no questions asked.
Mayor Michael Tubbs calls his city “ground zero” for issues like wage stagnation, rising housing prices and loss of middle-class jobs that affect the nation.
The Central Valley city went bankrupt in 2012, and for decades it has been trying to diversify its agriculture-based economy.
“I feel that as mayor it’s my responsibility to do all I could to begin figuring out what’s the best way to make sure that folks in our community have a real economic floor,” Tubbs said.
Dorian Warren serves as co-chairman the Economic Security Project, which is contributing $1 million to the initiative. He said the goal is to gather data on the economic and social impacts of giving people a basic income.
In addition to tracking what residents do with the money, Warren said they will be monitoring how a basic income affects things like self-esteem and identity.
“What does it mean to say, ‘Here is unconditional guaranteed income just based on you being a human being?'” Warren asked.
The hope is to demonstrate the potential of “universal basic income,” or UBI, as it is being called, and to encourage other places, like Chicago, to give it a try. UBI has recently gotten a boost from Silicon Valley moguls concerned about income inequality and the future of society, but the idea isn’t actually all that new, said Michelle Anderson, a Stanford law professor.
“UBI was first pitched by Nixon as an answer to post-industrial job losses,” she said.
With this experiment, Anderson said Stockton may discover it gets more economic stimulus by giving money to its citizens rather than corporations it hopes will bring in jobs and tax revenue.
“The UBI that is being proposed in Stockton now is very small compared to the big corporate subsidies that cities like that engage in,” Anderson said.
Stockton racked up millions in debt on development projects in the past, which got the city into trouble, said Tubbs.
“We’ve overspent on things like arenas and marinas and things of that sort to try to lure in tourism and dollars that way,” he said.
Tubbs thinks the UBI experiment will show that Stockton’s best bet is to invest in its own people. He doubts very much that the people will use the money to buy drugs.
Don't we already have welfare?
ReplyDeleteWelfare robs people of their dignity. This will be different. They are getting the money because they are human beings.
DeleteFree money, loss of dignity, cut the bullshit. Both come out of the taxpayers pocket. Loss of dignity hasn't slowed the number of fatherless families with unwed mothers still cranking them out. This will be different my ass.
DeleteSo every person is getting the UBI? If only low income residents are receiving UBI, it is still welfare with a fancy new name.
DeleteHave another glass of kool-aid
DeleteGIBS ME DAT!!
ReplyDeleteGiving away money is not an investment in your citizens. It has been shown that it de-incentifies anyone from doing anything to advance their own station in life. How could anyone propose such a stupid idea that would hit the taxpayers in the wallet and expect to get elected. Is it any wonder that parts of California want to secede from the rest of the state. Governor MoonBeam out there really created a Utopia, didn't he?
ReplyDeleteWe already have an alphabet soup full of programs for these folks, TANF, SNAP, WIC, SECTION 8 lets add a few more because the poor keep getting poorer and the rich keep getting richer- Newsflash the poor will stay static and poor as they do nothing to advance themselves, but try explaining that to a liberal democrat.
ReplyDeleteWelfare,LINK,EBT and other programs are supposed to be short term so people can get back on there feet. if the feds really want to have meaningful programs look back at the WPA and CCC. At least society gets something for the tax.
ReplyDeleteIt's the beginning of the end......
ReplyDeleteGiving away money never solves anything. Teach people a marketable skill. I am tired of the Communist politicians reaching into my paycheck. They take over 50 % of my pay already.
ReplyDelete