Universal Basic Income
Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang is running on a policy of, among other things, the concept of universal basic income. Essentially, his "Freedom Dividend" would give every citizen over the age of 18 $1000 a month - totaling up to $12,000 per year. This money would be untaxed and given regardless of a person's employment status or economic standing.
He plans to pay for it with a tax on corporations like Amazon and Google, totaling up to a theoretical 1.8 trillion per year. According to him, there are reported mental health benefits to the idea, evidenced by a family he is supporting in New Hampshire. Yang believes that this money can be contributed to tuition, family necessities, and otherwise add to a family's health and happiness.
The idea isn't entirely new: it was initially introduced in the interwar period of the 1920s and 1930s, when UK voters believed it could reduce the severe inequality at the time. The next resurgence of its popularity came in the 1960s, and finally in the 1990s around the same time was the global recession.
When I heard of universal basic income (UBI), I thought it was an interesting concept. My one huge reservation about it is that to me, it doesn't seem like much of an actual "solution". As I see it, it's trying to solve an issue about money by throwing more money into the public sphere, not making an effort to regulate or stabilize the market and address its issues. Yes, it can help the individual who uses the money well. But our energy is better spent trying to address the issues behind current economic instability: the outrageous tuition prices, increasing automation, and the weaknesses of welfare and social security. UBI condones these issues and adds to them by not encouraging a deeper look at systemic failings.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/andrew-yang-2020-universal-basic-income-healthier
https://discoversociety.org/2018/04/03/universal-basic-income-pipedream-or-a-real-possibility/
He plans to pay for it with a tax on corporations like Amazon and Google, totaling up to a theoretical 1.8 trillion per year. According to him, there are reported mental health benefits to the idea, evidenced by a family he is supporting in New Hampshire. Yang believes that this money can be contributed to tuition, family necessities, and otherwise add to a family's health and happiness.
The idea isn't entirely new: it was initially introduced in the interwar period of the 1920s and 1930s, when UK voters believed it could reduce the severe inequality at the time. The next resurgence of its popularity came in the 1960s, and finally in the 1990s around the same time was the global recession.
When I heard of universal basic income (UBI), I thought it was an interesting concept. My one huge reservation about it is that to me, it doesn't seem like much of an actual "solution". As I see it, it's trying to solve an issue about money by throwing more money into the public sphere, not making an effort to regulate or stabilize the market and address its issues. Yes, it can help the individual who uses the money well. But our energy is better spent trying to address the issues behind current economic instability: the outrageous tuition prices, increasing automation, and the weaknesses of welfare and social security. UBI condones these issues and adds to them by not encouraging a deeper look at systemic failings.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/andrew-yang-2020-universal-basic-income-healthier
https://discoversociety.org/2018/04/03/universal-basic-income-pipedream-or-a-real-possibility/
Andrew Yang has a decent point in this scenario regarding a more progressive minimum wage. Other ideas that are a little lest capital socialist are living incomes and living minimum wages. In Santa Rosa, they are pushing for a living wage where basically the minimum wage is based off of not just federal regulation but is low enough for a person with 1 income can afford to live well in the city of Santa Rosa. As of right now minimum wages are outdated in contrast with inflation and the increased cost of living especially in a state like California.
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