Debate Primer: UBI
This week, Political Union will be debating whether the United States ought to provide a Universal Basic Income ahead of Northwestern College Democrat’s visit from Andrew Yang this upcoming week. For those unfamiliar with the former presidential candidate a summary of past election cycles and committed policy positions can be found here on Ballotpedia (a non-partisan site). If you want to go deep into Andrew Yang’s position — catch this LibertyCon 2019 Debate in which Yang debates the issue himself.
First a definition of Universal Basic Income (UBI) from Kimberly Amadeo an expert on U.S. and world economies and investing with over 20 years of experience in economic analysis. [4 minutes]
A breakdown on public opinion and previous “income floor” policies in light of COVID-19. [4 minutes]
And some Pew Research Center stats on long term public opinion. [3 minutes]
The case against UBI from senior Forbes contributor Marco Annunziata. [3 minutes].
A discussion of the interlocking between traditional welfare systems and UBI. [4 minutes]
Reflections on the current welfare state from the Cato Institute. [7 minutes]
Reduced Poverty Rates in light of COVID-19 Stimulus checks. [3 minutes]
How the pandemic changed the debate surrounding UBI including touches on Yang’s tried and true automation argument. [7 minutes]
The humanitarian case for UBI. [7 minutes]
Photo via Rolling Stone
