Struggling California city prepares to experiment with ‘universal basic income’

BPR ^ | 7 Feb 2018 | Samantha Chang

[mandaladon]

Michael Tubbs, the 26-year-old mayor of Stockton, California, thinks handing out $6,000 a year to low-income residents (with no strings attached) is the way to lift people out of poverty.

“Stockton is absolutely Ground Zero for a lot of the issues we’re facing as a nation,” Tubbs told CBS San Francisco (video below). “Ideally, I would like to serve 100 families for 18 months at $500 a month.”

Stockton is experimenting with a welfare program called “universal basic income,” which gives low-income residents $500 a month, no questions asked. The money is coming from a private grant.

The California city, which went bankrupt in 2012, has recently made strides to become more economically viable, but is still struggling.

Mayor Tubbs, who was endorsed by Barack Obama, took office in January 2017. He is Stockton’s first black mayor, and its youngest-ever at age 26.

“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.

The money for the universal basic income project comes from a $1 million private grant from the Economic Security Project, which is co-chaired by Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes.

Dorian Warren, who’s co-chairman the Economic Security Project, said the program will keep track of what recipients do with the money, and how having a “universal basic income” affects their self-esteem.

“What does it mean to say, ‘Here is unconditional guaranteed income just based on you being a human being?’” Warren asked.

[mandaladon]

Giving money to poor people in need is an excellent idea, but as we’ve discovered through debacles like DACA, once you hand out free stuff, you can’t simply stop and expect no backlash.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~When will they ever learn...

[ealgeone]

Might work as long as the $$ from the private grant holds up.

Idiots.

[mandaladon]

Renowned economists like Thomas Sowell have long maintained that merely handing out free stuff will never solve the poverty crisis, and it certainly won’t build self-esteem because that grows when an individual achieves something through their own merit and hard work — not through handouts. “The political left’s welfare state makes poverty more comfortable, while penalizing attempts to rise out of poverty,” Sowell wrote. “Leaders of the left in many countries have promoted policies that enable the poor to be more comfortable in their poverty.”~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~But it keeps them voting for Democrats

[Pining_4_TX]

Ah, the low income scam. I remember a “low income” apartment complex in a new development where the parking lot was full of expensive cars. A bunch of seniors put their assets in their adult children’s names (a bit risky, I’m sure) so they could qualify for subsidized rent in this brand new complex in a good part of town. Welfare never helps the poor.

[gibsonguy]

Idiots.

[butlerweave]

Experimenting on Poor People ?

[Purdue77]

Welfare is welfare regardless of what name you put on it.

[Anti-Bubba182]

“The trouble with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.” Margaret Thatcher

[<1/1,000,000th%]

But they’ll be tracking their self-esteem.

[SERKIT]

I’m sure the crack cocaine industry in Compton will appreciate the infusion of that cash.

[Army Air Corps]

...the 26-year-old mayor of Stockton, California

I think that I found the problem.

[dsrtsage]

Time to up my investments in liquor stores, porn sites, and spinny rims

[kingu]

The only problem I really see here is that a government is involved at all. Private donation; eh, people can do what they want with their money. Getting a city involved in handing out free money? That I have a problem with.

Also, $500 a month to 100 families for a year is $600,000. Looks like the city is going to skim $400,000 off the grant for themselves.

And lastly, gotta print this article out and go hand it out to some of the bums in the area so they know they can get free money in Stockton if they hurry on down there.

[oh8eleven]

“... I would like to serve 100 families for 18 months at $500 a month.”
Who decides what 100 families qualify? What are the qualifications? Why only 100?
Free, free, free is goooooooooooooooood ....

[Puppage]

Didn’t Stockton go bankrupt a few years back?

[Army Air Corps]

I think so.

[bmwcyle]

FAIL

[BenLurkin]

Paying people to be poor isn’t ever going to “lift” them out of poverty.

In fact, quite the opposite.

[JimRed]

The liquor store owners and drug dealers are celebrating.

[BenLurkin]

Crack was invented in Oakland.

No need for hating on SoCal.