I realize that Andrew Young will not be President, especially now that he withdrew from the Presidential campaign after his lackluster showing in the New Hampshire primary, but his “freedom dividend” where he wanted to give all Americans $1000 per month of universal basic income, is still a stupid idea.1
Not because many people couldn’t use it.
No, because middle America, where it would be most effective, hates a handout.
They hate a handout.
And if black, and Latinos, and immigrants get to share in the largesse, they will hate it even more.
Yang’s idea is that everyone over the age of 18 should have a basic income, without it being means tested, to account for all the people whose jobs will be replaced by automation and artificial intelligence. And having your job replaced by automation and artificial intelligence will become more and more of a problem as time marches on.
I just doubt that this is the solution.
