‘universal’ income

[HONDO74]

Post-bankruptcy California city tests ‘universal’ income for residents

A California city plagued by financial woes is testing a new welfare plan to give families a “universal basic income” of $500 every month.

While critics question whether this is the best move in post-bankruptcy Stockton, for now the program is being funded with private money -- as a possible first step toward expanding a concept touted by tech CEOs.

“I think it will make people work better and smarter and harder and also be able to do things like spend time with their families because we're not robots. We're not just designed just to work all day and run a rat race,” Mayor Michael Tubbs told NPR.

The plan is mostly funded by The Economic Security Project, which is contributing $1 million to the yearlong pilot. Several-dozen families will be given $500 a month, and monitored to see what they do with the money and how it affects self-esteem and identity.

The city, which declared bankruptcy in 2012, is looking for solutions to its ongoing poverty problem. One in four residents lives below the poverty line, and the city is grappling with rising home prices and wage stagnation.

ccording to the Economic Security Project, Stockton is “highly diverse,” with foreign-born individuals making up 26 percent of the population and 45 percent of households speaking a language other than English.

Robert Rector, a welfare expert at the conservative Heritage Foundation, said that ideas like the Stockton plan are a sign of the failure of California’s own open-border immigration policies, which he said kicks low-skilled American workers out of the labor force and keeps wages down.

“Essentially it says we will let the illegals come in and take all of the jobs and then we’ll put American workers onto a kind of welfare reservation where they can live out their lives on that reservation,” he said on a Daily Signal podcast.

Stockton isn’t the only liberal stronghold flirting with such a broad welfare program. In Oakland, a startup is giving around $1,500 a month to a handful of selected recipients, with the aim also to study how financial health and well-being are affected.

The idea of a universal guaranteed income has been picking up support among tech CEOs as they grapple with the problem of sweeping automation in the tech and manufacturing sectors.

The Economic Security Project funding the Stockton project is co-led by Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg last year said such a scheme could mark a “new contract” between government and citizenry in the face of broader automation.

[healey36]

Universal income will become the standard once AI and advanced robotics kicks in. Assembly-line workers was just the beginning, mate...accountants, bank tellers, store cashiers, food-service staff, nursing...you name it, it will all be automated. Gotta throw folks a bone occasionally...

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Gotta throw folks a bone occasionally...

Nah. Save the bone for the dog.

Factories of the future will be run by a man and dog; the man is there to answer the phone and to feed the dog, the dog is to keep the man from touching anything else.

But this all smells of the usual silliness of a self-inflicted problem looking for an excuse used to justify a criticism by folks lacking any original ideas of how to respond to the real problem.

[rogruth]

Hmmm. $500.00 a month. That is below most starting teachers, police and preachers salaries.
Oh! I forgot they will probably have free medical care, food stamps, etc., sinc etheir income is so low.
How will those pushing this program benefit/gain from it?

[Tom Dempsey]

They won't.

[Seaboard Air Line Fan]

My step-daughter works at a bank...they've done away with tellers and drive-up windows. There's 3 people in the bank to do EVERYTHING!!!

Will this give folks more time to play with their trains ? Golf?? Target shooting???

So what will happen? Will we get paid for simply existing, watching the robots, feeding the dog, or not get paid at all? How will we get the things needed to survive? Will we have to invent new stuff all the time, or maybe pull some of the old "stuff" out of the closets and take a step (or 3) back and take a look at what we've done to ourselves?

Too much free time on our hands will lead to a massive population explosion which will outpace governments responsibility around the world to govern.

I predict that space exploration will be the savior of mankind

(the crow flies at midnight)

[healey36]

They won't.

...get killed by the unemployed and disenchanted rabble, lol.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

They won't.

...get killed by the unemployed and disenchanted rabble, lol.

That's already well underway, with an enthusiastic dedication to home-invasions; muggings. beating and sexually assaulting old ladies, unprovoked assault of men on the street or aboard or near public transportation, car-jackings........Did I leave anything out?

[Rufus T. Firefly]

They won't.

...get killed by the unemployed and disenchanted rabble, lol.

That's already well underway, with an enthusiastic dedication to home-invasions; muggings. beating and sexually assaulting old ladies, unprovoked assault of men on the street or aboard or near public transportation, car-jackings........Did I leave anything out?

Well, you do live in NJ,

[robert.]

I would love to be part of that program. That would allow me to max out my yearly ira contribution. $500 a month would go right to fidelity. Not a penny to alcohol or crack.

[webenda]

"The recipient is not required to work or look for work, and the payment is given independent of any other income."
--Wikipedia, "Basic Income."

I am moving to Stockton, CA.

[rogruth]

"The recipient is not required to work or look for work, and the payment is given independent of any other income."
--Wikipedia, "Basic Income."

I am moving to Stockton, CA.

Well I missed that. So one could make a bazzilion dollars a month and still get the $500.00?

[G3750]

Gotta throw folks a bone occasionally...

Nah. Save the bone for the dog.

Factories of the future will be run by a man and dog; the man is there to answer the phone and to feed the dog, the dog is to keep the man from touching anything else.

But this all smells of the usual silliness of a self-inflicted problem looking for an excuse used to justify a criticism by folks lacking any original ideas of how to respond to the real problem.

This!!! about 1000x. The idea of applying a simple band-aid to multiple self-inflicted multiple gunshot wounds is the epitome of stupidity.

"What hath Man wrought?" to paraphrase Samuel Morse.

*** Pardon me while I jump on the soapbox for a moment.***

Robert Rector, a welfare expert at the conservative Heritage Foundation, said that ideas like the Stockton plan are a sign of the failure of California’s own open-border immigration policies, which he said kicks low-skilled American workers out of the labor force and keeps wages down.

This above is a very large part of the problem. When a nation ceases to defend its borders, it loses its sovereignty. Just a day ago, Nancy Pelosi gave an 8 hour speech on the House floor favoring illegal aliens over citizens. And yet Californians keep returning this senile evil old witch to Congress.

I worry about my children in such an economy.

*** OK, I'm off. ***

George

I feel better now.

[G3750]

"The recipient is not required to work or look for work, and the payment is given independent of any other income."
--Wikipedia, "Basic Income."

I am moving to Stockton, CA.

Well I missed that. So one could make a bazzilion dollars a month and still get the $500.00?

Roger, socialism only works until they run out of other people's money.

[up148]

Such a stupid idea, it's hard to know what to disagree with 1st. Leave it to California. Considering it's a freeby, everyone will want it. Just another example of every participant gets a trophy, regardless of what they did for the team. Sheeeze.........................

BH