Just when you thought Universal Basic Income’s time had come, when everyone would get paid by the government just for existing… along comes a study that shows it simply doesn’t work (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/may/06/universal-basic-income-public-realm-poverty-inequality).
Public Services International, a “global trade union federation” (whatever that is), researched UBI “free money” schemes in several places around the world where they’ve been tried–India, Alaska, Finland, Kenya, et al. Not only does it not work; why, it doesn’t do anything to “prevent widening income inequalities”!
If I may interject a question here: Why should incomes be “equal”? Why should diligent, competent, honest people’s incomes be “equal” to those of lazy, incompetent, dishonest people? Why should something really good cost the same as something lousy?
“Income inequality” is a very, very silly thing to be concerned about.
Oh! And the research also discovered–surprise, surprise!–that money paid out to people just for occupying space was no longer available for other purposes, having already been spent as UBI. “Gawrsh, Mickey! Who would’ve expected that?” Goofy wonders. Forsooth, money that’s already been spent can’t be spent on other things!
But if you still think it’s a good idea to pay bone-idle drones to loll on the couch playing video games and watch TV all day and night–well, you’ll always have a place in liberalism.
I would not be surprised if virtually all of this “free money” ends up squandered on frivolous expenditures.