When Andrew Yang, an American entrepreneur and a Presidential hopeful suggested a Universal Basic Income of $1000, I thought it was just a marketing/election gimmick. I am sure that there were many Americans who also felt the same way - that it was just a gimmick. Smile politely and move on. But, it turns out that UBI is something which has been debated for a while!
As a total nerd, I can tell you that this idea has been around for a long time. There have been whispers about this in more than one episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation...talk of a society where people don't work for an income, but for self-improvement and to constructively contribute to society in a niche of their talent and liking.
This video isn't FOR or AGAINST UBI. It just presents the case and leaves you to think about it. Enjoy!
That goes completely against the founding principles of the United States.
People would still need to work, because it's damn near impossible for even one person to live on just that amount. Also, back in the mid-60s when this was first being discussed, the promoters of UBI were proposing an even higher amount, around 2000 a month. And imagine how much more that would be today with inflation?
So everybody would get a stipend of $1000/mo added to of what they earn? If that's all you get you would attempt to live on that. If you make $60K/year you would make $72K/year. Is that correct?
@Green_Soldier71 It would help people between jobs. It would stimulate consumer confidence. I could actually live on that. I've been without an income for almost 6 months. I'm being very economical obviously and I've spent about $5K during that time. I'm paying my bills, had some money squirreled away. So $1K/mo would keep me going. It's possible.