Richard M. Nixon was in favor of Universal Basic Income.
In 1969, Nixon wanted to propose consideration of this plan as a remedy to extreme poverty. Before he could present his optimistic plan to the nation, Nixon was discouraged from it by Martin Anderson.
Martin Anderson was an advisor to the president, and an admirer of the philosopher Ayn Rand.
Anderson thought UBI ran counter to everything a free market should be; the smallest possible government and maxium individual responsibility. Those were the days. Hey?
We are Rome. If not worse...
UBI would only work if we abolish all other social welfare programs. Otherwise we add fuel to the fire of indolence.
Never discussed: using UBI to replace the welfare state would immediately be followed by recreating the welfare state on top of UBI (being the new $0/mo) as an endless litany of special cases.
The massive welfare bureaucracy, and its corresponding clients, will not just go elsewhere by the millions. Welfare is what they do, and they will be well funded into perpetuity by a basic guaranteed income.
“automation is liable to make so many people unemployable that a UBI will be needed to provide for them”
Exactly the same argument occurred at start of the Industrial Revolution. Mundane labor needs did not vanish, only shifted.
“Post scarcity economy” doesn’t happen.
Just reduce income taxes.
Except to vote.
Who would work & pay taxes in order for all this money to be provided? Sounds like extreme socialism to me & of course that plan has never worked or ever will. Of course, all money needed could just be printed up, but that never worked, either.