More than 1,500 apply to participate in Ulster County's Universal Basic Income pilot program

[brooklynite]

Daily Freeman

KINGSTON, N.Y. — Just 48 hours after Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan unveiled plans to launch a Universal Basic Income pilot program in the county, more than 1,500 people had applied to participate.

Through the program, 100 eligible Ulster County households will receive a guaranteed $500 monthly income from May 1, 2021, to April 30, 2022, for a total of $6,000 per recipient.

The outpouring of applications, he said, speaks to the dire financial straits that many community members find themselves and the need for government leaders to find new and innovative ways to address the needs of their communities.

"It's a sad validation of how much need there is right now," Ryan said during an interview Thursday, Feb. 18, a day after announcing plans for the program during his State of the County address.

Still not seeing any evidence that this can be effectively scaled up to a national program.

[NJCher]

1. my theory

Still not seeing any evidence that this can be effectively scaled up to a national program.

is to plunge right in and see where it goes.

It's kind of like writing--it's a process and it just needs to get started.

Anyway, happy to see this.

[brooklynite]

2. As long as its not a national program...

...you can have wealthy people (paying into the fund) with the option to move out and poor people (desiring income) with the option to move in. That's not sustainable.

[NJCher]

3. will it play in Peoria?

i.e., will it work in the most typical of American situations?

When I worked in market research, this was the question. I can't see a national program being voted in without learning from pilot projects.

[brooklynite]

4. In that case, Govt funded health care will never be implemented either...

Every State-based concept has failed for the same reason.

[NJCher]

6. Massachussetts failed?

wasn't aware of that.

Regardless of whether it did or didn't, the attempt taught the people who constructed the national plan a thing or two.

[brooklynite]

7. What Government funded healthcare program are you thinking of?

[NJCher]

12. this

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Massachusetts_health_care_reform

[brooklynite]

13. ...which is not "Government funded healthcare"

It is a mandate to have privately sponsored health insurance with subsidies for low income taxpayers.

[NJCher]

14. to the extent that it provided subsidies

it is.

[brooklynite]

15. UBI isn't a "subsidy". Its assumed to be an income stream for everyone...

The equivalent in health care policy has always been defined as "Single Payer". Every State that has attempted it has failed or given up.

[Turin_C3PO]

5. We need to keep UBI in the national conversation.

We might have no chance of passing it now but it will be needed more and more as the world gets more automated.

[FBaggins]

8. "It's a sad validation of how much need there is right now"??

How much "need" would there have to be to apply for a program that will pay you $500/month when all you have to do in exchange is reveal how you spend it?

[brooklynite]

9. Why do I have to reveal my spending patterns?

[FBaggins]

11. So that the study get's some data

The whole study is so that when UBI is proposed, they can say "research shows that 97% of the money is spent on basic necessities, not luxuries, and recipients did not produce less labor just because they received free money"

[Johnny2X2X]

10. There's a jobs apocalypse on the horizon and the ruling class sees it coming

Even the ruling class knows that the masses will need to be able to feed themselves so they don't eat the rich.

Here's the thing, for decades now, the workers haven't gotten a fair share of the wealth that their labor produces, it's been taken by the top 1%. It's time to give some of it back. Automation and AI is going to eliminate a ton of jobs, the people need to share in the gains from the new technologies or they'll simply eat the rich.

[JCMach1]

16. And it's coming way quicker than you think.

A society that organizes itself around wages won't make it

[Johnny2X2X]

17. Agree

I am an aerospace engineer. I see software engineering isn't a safe career either. We have software that writes software. We have software that writes test cases and test procedures for software requirements. We have a tool that was built and run by 1 super smart engineer that replaced the work of literally 300 software engineers writing test scripts for a year straight.

And for non skilled labor, we've gone from manufacturing, to retail, to warehouse jobs. And warehouse jobs are easily automated, those warehouse jobs will be 80% gone in 15 years.

[JCMach1]

18. I have long been saying any political system/theory built on Unit Labor

Will be a dinosaur...

That means capitalism AND socialism...


Paradigm shifts are a bugbear