The latest example is Stocton, CA, who wants to give its residents a whopping $500 per month so that they won't be poverty stricken.
Now, Stockton, California, a city nestled in the shadow of Silicon Valley, is experimenting with a UBI project. The city will give 100 residents a stipend of $500 a month for 18 months with no strings attached. The goal behind this $900,000 gamble is to see if free money will lift people out of poverty.Wait...what?? 100 residents? Stockton has something over 300,000 residents. Picking 100 at random isn't universal. 100 residents is a minuscule portion of the population. And who is going to pick the 100 residents?
This scheme seems like a perfect opportunity for graft, which is what Democrats excel at. But, lets not kid ourselves. This is not a noble experiment, this is not universal It makes a mockery our of basic welfare.
My daughter lives there. And she and her husband are planning on moving elsewhere as soon as they can manage.
ReplyDeleteIf the mass unemployment (I think we may be in the beginning phases of it) from use of robots/ AI comes it might make sense.
ReplyDeletePersonally I would rather see money be used in a targeted way to get people employed. Or not have the taxes and leave well enough alone.