The Covid-19 pandemic has totally changed American society, maybe permanently. Perhaps the biggest change has been economic. Millions of people were laid off, because nearly everything was closed. Some of those jobs are starting to return, but other jobs are gone forever. What is a lower-paid retail or hospitality worker (usually a minority) to do? Enter the Universal Basic Income, or UBI.
It is a monthly cash payment, from the government, that goes right into a person's bank account. It is intended to provide some financial stability while a person is looking for work, or waiting for their job to return. No doubt, some people will use that money to buy unhealthy things, like liquor or cigarettes. Most people will use it to stock up on groceries, or pay overdue bills, or make a long-delayed trip to the doctor. That money will actually be spent, thereby helping the economy, instead of being stashed in some investment account. Isn't nearly anything better that pushing more people into the confusing and overwhelmed welfare system/
This book does not attempt to answer questions like: the size of the monthly check, is there an upper income limit for recipients, or how it will be paid for. It is short, easy to read, and if it simply gets people thinking about a UBI, it will have done its job. This is very much worth reading.
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