April 1st 2024.
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the concept of guaranteed universal basic income (UBI) in various cities. And it seems that those who have been fortunate enough to receive these funds have been singing its praises, finding a newfound sense of peace and security in their lives. One such person is Ingrid Sullivan, a 48-year-old grandmother, who recently shared her experience with Business Insider after becoming a beneficiary of San Antonio's UBI program in 2020.
Sullivan expressed her gratitude, saying, "My life was always just a couple hundred dollars short. But for the first time, I can breathe." She went on to explain that the money provided by the program wasn't just extra cash, but rather it filled a void that had been weighing on her for quite some time.
The idea of UBI was first seriously proposed in the 1960s during Lyndon B. Johnson's War on Poverty, as a way to address the gaps in the social safety net. And according to Karl Widerquist, the author of "Universal Basic Income," early Canadian studies in the 1970s showed positive results for the program. While programs like the Earned Income Tax Credit, food stamps, and the Child Tax Credit in the US share some similarities with UBI, the main difference lies in the lack of requirements for receiving the funds.
This lack of requirements is what appeals most to Sullivan and others who have benefited from UBI pilot programs. However, with the current wave of UBI policies being associated with a more leftist position, Republicans have been less supportive, labeling them as "socialist" and "insane."
Despite this opposition, cities like San Antonio, Austin, and Houston in Texas have taken the initiative to test out UBI programs, and the research indicates that they can have positive impacts on low-income families. Rachel Kimbro, a social sciences professor at Rice University, co-authored a study that looked into the use of school-based food distribution by Black low-income mothers. The study concluded that the women preferred the flexibility and practicality of cash assistance, as it allowed them to use their resources in the best way possible.
However, the Republican argument against UBI is similar to their past arguments against welfare programs - that it will make people lazy. Arizona Rep. John Gillette told Business Insider that he believed UBI would go against the principles of capitalism and discourage people from working. "You get out, you get a job, you make money, you pay taxes, you live the American dream," he said. "We were never designed to have the federal government supply a salary."
But Sarah Cowan, an associate professor of sociology at New York University, disagrees with this viewpoint. She believes that UBI is not about a lack of work ethic but rather about giving families the freedom to choose how they want to use the funds. "The idea behind guaranteed income is that it's simpler for everyone involved, and it gives families more autonomy to solve their unique problems with their unique set of resources," she explained. "It's trusting families to know what they need in order to thrive."
In fact, the city of Newark, under the leadership of Mayor Ras Baraka, is planning to test out a UBI program to see its potential impact on the community. With the ongoing discussions and experiments, it remains to be seen if UBI will become a widespread reality in the future. But for now, it seems to be providing a sense of hope and stability for those who have been struggling to make ends meet.
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