Chicago Is Next To Look At The Universal Basic Income

Hotair ^ | 08/11/2018 | Jazz Shaw

[SeekAndFind]

It’s the year of the Democratic Socialist and that means that some relatively crazy ideas are all the rage. One of the biggest is the dream-like vision of a society where you get paid whether you work or not. It’s known as universal basic income (UBI) and it fits in nicely with the idea of each according to his needs. Can it work in the United States, particularly in some of our cash-strapped major cities? We may find out soon enough because Chicago is looking at giving it a go. (Free Beacon)

Officials in Chicago want to test the waters of offering a universal basic income.

A majority of city council members are telling Mayor Rahm Emanuel to form a task force to look into Universal Basic Income programs, which is essentially a periodic check from the government with no strings attached.

The City Council wants to explore a program that would send at least $500 a month to 1,000 Chicago families. The same families also would get Earned Income Tax Credit money on a monthly basis rather than once a year.

47th Ward Ald. Ameya Pawar’s resolution said the money would “help working people and families become more resilient to day-to-day financial emergencies, are able to make rent, cover childcare, and put food on the table.”

If this was actually a program which qualified as true UBI (more on that in a moment), it would be a miracle if it got off the ground. As John recently reported, Ontario tried a three-year program and after just one year they gave up. If it was because the program was going broke or people were abusing it remains up for debate, but they abandoned the idea. Heck, it even failed in Finland, a place where they have actual socialism. But the dream lives on, I guess.

Chicago’s plan might last a bit longer, however, assuming they’ve lined up some combination of public and private funding for the initial run. The reason is that they’re only talking about 1,000 families in the pilot program and they would be receiving $500 per month. So that’s half a million per month or six million per year. That’s a lot of money to the average individual but even the wreckage of Chicago’s budget should be able to cough that up.

But is it really Universal Basic Income? In what corner of the progressive universe does $500 per month qualify as “income?” Most of them scream bloody murder if you’re not paying the kid asking you if you “want fries with that” fifteen bucks an hour. Five hundred dollars won’t even pay your rent in most cities, even if you live in less than modest conditions. And that doesn’t begin to touch needing to do things like keeping the lights turned on and having food in the fridge.

The other question which leaps to mind is how everyone else who is below the poverty level will react when they find out that an exclusive handful of people are getting these checks but they’re still stuck out in the cold. You can see some social complications arising.

The fact is that if you are giving out free money, some percentage of the people will put it to good use while they continue to strive to get ahead. But it’s equally true that another percentage of the population, having been relieved of some of the worries of earning a living, will rest in the safety net as comfortably as they can manage while doing as little as possible. Sorry to point this out, but it’s just human nature.

But hey, Chicago… you go for it. Let us all know how it works out.

[BigEdLB]

Frodo speaks?

[SeekAndFind]

I’m all for Chicago giving it a try.

“Laboratories of democracy” is a phrase popularized by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis in New State Ice Co. v. Liebmann to describe how a “state may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory; and try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country.”

I think I know what the result will be, but hey, people have to learn the hard way ( or as Santayana said — REPEAT HISTORY ).

[Jane Long]

Tripling down on dumbs#!ttery.

Don’t many of them get more than this, per month, on welfare?

Will this be in addition to their govt hand out $$?

[blueunicorn6]

“What can I do to get the heat off me for all these murders? I know! More giveaways!”

[kingu]

Having myself crawled out from poverty, $500 a month can mean a significant change when ‘extra’ money might be as little as $12 a month.

‘course, the way I did it was I got a second and sometimes third job. For liberals, jobs aren’t answers, they’re problems. They want fewer of them so more will vote for them so they can give away more things...

[RetiredTexasVet]

I can see no real problem there except for the 1001 ....1999 .... persons who will be protesting the racist way the selection was made. Possibly the rich who will be assigned special taxes to pay for it may flinch.

[ronnie raygun]

Oh goody more money for drugs, liquor and lotto

[raiderboy]

Chicago needs to look at universal national guard occupation. Democrat socialism has failed, 17 more shot last night!! 73 shot last weekend. Trump should send troops NOW!! What is he waiting on? Genocide?

[DAC21]

Marxist just trying to tame the Beast for another year or two while they wait for their terms to end and they get out of Dodge with their 90% Pension.

[DAC21]

“What is he (Trump) waiting on? Genocide?”

If I recall right the National Guard is the call of the Gov.of Illinois. What can Trump do unilaterally, Marshall law? Get a grip.

[raiderboy]

send MARINES!!

[fhayek]

This will work out well....(/sarcasm, for the humor tone deaf)

[econjack]

Aw, man, this is perfect! Pass a super expensive property tax on top of one of the highest state and local tax jurisdictions in the country, and then tell the world you’re going to give every deatbeat who lives there free money. What could possibly go wrong? Your tax policies are driving out those who have money and you just put up a Welcome Deadbeats sign that can be seen from outer space. Perfect!

[Tax-chick]

I hope they try it. Experiments teach.

[Tea Party Terrorist]

Sometimes the best punishment is to give someone what they want.

[Brilliant]

These libs are clueless.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

HOW do the Socialist Democrats get ALL of these uninformed, lazy, ignorant people to the polls?

I mean, they’re basically PAID to be lay-a-bouts 364 days out of the year, yet they somehow MUSTER the energy and stamina to GET OFF THE COUCH on Election Day, then are bused or take public transportation to their local Polling Place to VOTE?

I’ll never understand it...unless...these ‘bought and paid for VOTERS’ are told to just give up all of their DATA and THE PARTY will do the rest while the EBT card keeps getting re-charged each an every month?

Man, Oh, Man! Why haven’t Republicans figured out that SCAM?

*SPIT*

[fhayek]

Government decides to pay people to do nothing. People do nothing. People get bored. People mingle around at all hours of the night looking for excitement. Lawlessness ensues. Government takes away free money in admission experiment failed. People riot. Government decides to pay people to do nothing...

[MtnClimber]

I am all for the socialist cities trying their insane theories. They should not be bailed out. They should be examples to the rest of the country about where insanity leads.