'Guaranteed Income' Is a Comically Awful Poverty Solution

Real Clear Markets ^ | May 10, 2016 | John Tamny

[SoothingDave]

I’ve looked at this before, imagine getting rid of every bureaucracy and social justice program and replacing it with this? Imagine the savings, and every citizen gets the same check, so there is no cost to administer or police it other than mailing a check.

Exactly. And if people are happy with a bare existence, then so be it. People who want better will work and improve themselves. But we won't waste resources judging who is worthy of which program.

And it allows the market to function.

[jdsteel]

“If the world loses faith in the dollar, and starts dumping them....”

What currency, pray tell, would the world trust more?

Also, please tell me why it would make a difference if the dollars were “located” overseas or domestically? The laws of supply and demand knows no borders.

There are plenty of things to be worried about but that is WAY down the list.

[Safetgiver]

that disallows physical laber;.....Even those have SSDI, free housing, food banks, etc., etc, ad nauseum. I truly mean it: I have seen poverty in VN, Thailand, India, Angola, China. Our middle class lives like much of the world’s royalty. We have no poor. Unless you absolutely want to live in poverty, this country will not allow you to. I have known people who cry poverty because the neighbor has a pickup truck he uses to make money with and they need public transportation to get places to buy their lottery tickets. I also know people who cry poverty because their neighbor has a Lexus and they have ONLY a Buick. I will NOT back down.

[citizen]

“....imagine getting rid of every bureaucracy and social justice program and replacing it with this?”

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No, we would end up with all the existing programs largely intact + this new one.

[trebb]

I appreciate your reply - unless we have a lot of inflation, we will be OK. In fact we can handle a good deal of it just by being more selective with our disposable income.

[bigtoona]

Agreed, the market can function and massive bureaucracy is reduced. It’s like the Discover card of commie welfare programs!

[jmcenanly]

Rudyard Kipling saw the guaranteed income scheme coming nearly 100 years ago, after the Spanish flu epidemic that followed WWI.He explains it in this passage of"The Gods of the Copybook Headings"
In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all, By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul; But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy, And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "If you don't work you die."

[AppyPappy]

Universal Basic Income falls apart when you attach numbers to it. It’s never enough money

[bert]

guaranteed income is will be the result of guaranteed work

As per the old American founder thought...... he who doesn’t work, neither shall he eat