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In your opinion, are unconditional basic income programs for lower-income Americans a good idea?

Thursday, Mar 21, 2024

In your opinion, are unconditional basic income programs for lower-income Americans a good idea?

👍 Yes (36%) – "Many people in our system have no way to climb out of poverty. A GBI would help the poorest meet some basic bills like rent and food costs. I do not believe that $500-1000 a month would kill the desire to work . That is not enough to make it. But it could influence people to leave minimum wage dead end jobs and seek meaningful, maybe part time, work elsewhere."

  • "The cost of living has soared whereas income has not kept up at the same rate, basic universal income could help level things out as we sort out this mess. Those who don’t need the income typically put that money back into local economies and charities. A rising tide lifts all ships."

"Even if the benefits didn't affect the job market, it still made people happier, and when people are happier (within reason), they're healthier, and then there will be fewer medical issues for an already strained system."

👎 No (45%) – "People can fall on hard times through no fault of their own. Therefore having a temporary safety net is good. We already have that. However, just handing unearned money continuously to people is wrong. I have been to countries where people are really poor and there is no opportunity for them. The US of A is not one of them. Here is opportunity. You do have the chances to better yourself. We have no valid reason for a program like that. We can't reward laziness."

  • "I'm not against financial assistance, but the word unconditional makes me slightly uncomfortable. Let's keep exploring options to find a way that's the most supportive of people's long term success and considers the economy as a whole. I highly doubt there's a perfect solution but that doesn't mean there aren't potentially better options either."

"As cited in your article, long term success depends upon self sufficiency, and “money for nothing” does not increase - and in fact diminishes - self-worth, pride in accomplishment, human desire to succeed and improve oneself and the world around us etc."

  • "We are already so much in debt; we can’t afford to pay people just for being lower class citizens. Also by giving people money, we remove their incentive to work. This happened during COVID with the stimulus checks; many people decided to just survive off the money they were given instead of working."

🤷 Unsure/other (19%) – "Yes and no. I think the idea behind it is a good one. Some people just need a little boost. However, I grew up well below the poverty line, around other equally poor people. There was an attitude among some of them that they felt the government owed them money. There was a sense of entitlement. And there were plenty of people who were so short-sighted, they wouldn't save or plan for the future beyond their next check. Therefore, in my opinion, you can't just give people money. You need to pair it with programs that teach people how to budget, save, plan for the future, and find better work. And you need to make the programs required for the aid check. That way, you've given them all the tools they need to better their lives. Just throwing money at a problem doesn't solve the problem."

  • "It shouldn't only be available to lower-income individuals, because often the barriers to entry are too demanding. Both my parents are teachers (a notoriously low paying career) in a state known for underfunding education. They still made too much for me to qualify for any need-based financial aid options like waivers or grants when I was applying to colleges."
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