Posted on 10/30/2021 3:45:52 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Welfare is often sold as a means to help people lift themselves out of poverty, but every piece of data ever accumulated on the topic reveals the opposite is true. With few exceptions, welfare becomes a generational problem as families who become dependents of government remain dependents of government.
There are ways to properly assist those in need without locking them into the welfare state. Jobs programs, education programs, and temporary relief funds can help people get a leg up from their circumstances, but Democrats know these types of programs do not accomplish the singular goal of the welfare state: Buying votes from those stuck in a perpetual poverty status.
To this end, universal basic income pilot programs have been launched in Chicago and Los Angeles. According to Fox32 in Chicago:
Los Angeles will pay $1000 to 3,200 families every month, while Chicago will send $500 to 5000 families. The programs will cost $40 million and $31.5 million, respectively, according to FOX Business reporter Grady Trimble.
Applicants for the Chicago program will be chosen at random but must earn less than $35,000 a year to qualify.
Mayors Eric Garcetti and Lori Lightfoot have hailed the programs as the necessary step to “lift” people out of poverty, but critics have targeted the programs as an example of policies that disincentivize work amid a labor shortage.
Of all the times in American history when a UBI program is ludicrous, this is the worst. There is no shortage of jobs that need people to work them. UBI incentivizes people to remain below the income threshold so as not to lose their “free” money. Meanwhile, taxpayers are forced to work harder to pay for the pet projects Democrats embrace in their quest to maintain footholds in cities where poverty is rampant.
(Excerpt) Read more at thelibertydaily.com ...
If you do not get your vaccine shot, no , universal basic income for you.
I see no problem. We have this endless supply of money to dish out. Only a racist would see this as a bad thing...
No Social Security checks either.
Something seems fishy about this.
Not enough money.
This might just be a coverup to give money to politicians.
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These are baby steps to provide guaranteed annual incomes to approved protected classes.
Two cities are doing this as part of a hoped for national adoption. These cities can not afford even these small gestures; the plan is to get the federal government to say, “hey this is good, we should be helping.”
And just like that it will be adopted by this or some future demented democrat administration.
But as long as it is paid for by federal dollars and “don't cost nobody nuttin’” - what is the harm?
Didn’t we just try UBI - paying people not to work.
...and when the jobs opened up by the millions, all those bored people that Andrew Yang promised would fill them, chose to instead play their video games.
So, so much for that idea.
People do have to administer the programs.
Probably pays around 150K or so.
Welfare has failed miserably.
Let’s try it again under a new name!
cigarettes, pot, drugs, ho’s, lotto and colt 45. meanwhile they’re giving the invaders 450,000 each
Universal basic dependency….
Success isn’t the goal of growing government, growing government is.
Progressive drool makes its own gravy.
Assuming the programs are for one year only, the LA program appears to require about 4.1% admin overhead to run and the Chicago program appears to require about 5.0% admin overhead.
Here we run up against the major issue with any pilot program, that compared to the programs they spawn they are practically set up to appear to succeed.
Pilot programs tend to be staffed with the eager and competent, able to flexibly adapt organizational needs to reality. Pilot programs also often are placed in a circumstances where, even if they may seem to not do much to begin with, are actually doing quite a lot compared to what was being done already … and in this places them on the good side of how complex systems frequently operate, achieving results with less effort but exhibiting diminishing returns the harder you try.
But the programs they spawn? Staffed by … whoever, bureaucratic and inflexible and inefficient almost by definition. Pilot programs create the illusion of anticipated success, mature bureaucracies the reality of soul crushing mendacity.
They need to study the most basic human nature? If you get free money, you sit around on your lazy ass all day.
There, I identified how the “Welfare State’s Hold Over the Poor is Solidified.” Where do I send my invoice?
“People do have to administer the programs.”
Wonder if universal basic income replaced all existing welfare programs. That would cut out a lot of administrative expense.
Also it would mean that I, who pays a considerable amount of income tax, would consider my UBI check to be a partial tax refund.
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